{"id":"F2006L03517","name":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 - Declaration of eligible authority as agency - Northern Territory Police","slug":"telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":61056,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006L03517-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 - Declaration of eligible authority as agency - Northern Territory Police","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 20.2\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\nDeclaration of eligible authority as agency — Northern Territory Police\n\nTelecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979\n\nI, PHILIP MAXWELL RUDDOCK, Attorney‑General:\n\n(a) acting under section 34 of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (the Act) and at the request of the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory; and\n\n(b) being satisfied that:\n\n (i) the law of the Northern Territory makes satisfactory provision in relation to the matters mentioned in subsection 35 (1) of the Act; and\n\n (ii) the Northern Territory has entered into an agreement as required by subsection 35 (2) of the Act;\n\ndeclare the Northern Territory Police to be an agency for the purposes of the Act.\n\nDated 24 October 2006\n\nPHILIP RUDDOCK\n\nAttorney‑General\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The declaration expands the Act's coverage to include the Northern Territory Police by formally declaring them an \"agency\" under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. Mechanism: Attorney‑General's declaration under s.34 after satisfaction of the matters in s.35(1) and the existence of the agreement required by s.35(2). (Text: operative declaration and paragraphs (a) and (b))."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-purpose instrument with one operative sentence (declaration).","Reliance on two statutory preconditions in subsection 35 (satisfaction that s.35(1) matters are covered; agreement under s.35(2)).","Exercise of ministerial discretion under s.34 (requires factual satisfaction but the instrument does not detail the evidentiary basis).","Intergovernmental element: action taken at the request of the NT Chief Minister, implying coordination between Territory and Commonwealth."],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration, made by the Attorney‑General on 24 October 2006, formally classifies the Northern Territory Police as an \"agency\" under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. It follows a request from the NT Chief Minister and the Attorney‑General’s satisfaction that required NT legal and intergovernmental conditions were met, bringing NT Police within the Act’s interception/access framework."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by section 34 of the parent Act — declaring eligible authorities as agencies. It has not expanded beyond this narrow administrative purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (single page, ~150 words)","No defined terms within the instrument itself — relies entirely on external statutory references","Simple declarative structure with only two preconditions to satisfy","No conditional logic, exceptions, or operational detail — merely triggers existing statutory framework","Cross-references only to sections 34 and 35 of the parent Act"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a formal declaration made by the Attorney-General in 2006 that gives the **Northern Territory Police** special powers under the *Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979*.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Declares the Northern Territory Police to be an \"agency\" under the Act\n- This means they can apply for warrants to **intercept (listen in on) phone calls and access telecommunications data** for criminal investigations\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Northern Territory Police** — they gain formal authority to use federal telecommunications interception powers\n- **People in the Northern Territory** — their phone and internet communications may now be intercepted by NT Police under warrant\n\n**Why it matters:**\nNormally, federal laws don't automatically apply to state and territory police forces. This declaration \"switches on\" the federal interception powers for the NT Police, but only after the Attorney-General was satisfied that:\n- The NT has proper laws governing how its police handle intercepted information (subsection 35(1))\n- The NT has signed an agreement with the Commonwealth about how these powers will be used (subsection 35(2))\n\nThis is part of a cooperative framework where the Commonwealth controls the technical capability to intercept communications, but makes it available to state and territory police for serious criminal investigations."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort","history":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort/history","analysis":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-nort/documents"}}