{"id":"F2006L04185","name":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 - Declaration of eligible authority as agency - Office of Police Integrity","slug":"telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":61159,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006L04185-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 - Declaration of eligible authority as agency - Office of Police Integrity","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 — Office of Police Integrity\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 Premier of the State of Victoria; and\n\n(b) being satisfied that:\n\n (i) the law of Victoria makes satisfactory provision in relation to the matters mentioned in subsection 35 (1) of the Act; and\n\n (ii) the State of Victoria has entered into an agreement as required by subsection 35 (2) of the Act;\n\ndeclare the Office of Police Integrity to be an agency for the purposes of the Act.\n\nDated 18 December 2006\n\nPHILIP RUDDOCK\n\nAttorney‑General\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":1634},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument operates exactly within the original scope of the Act. Section 34 was specifically designed to allow the Attorney-General to declare state authorities as eligible agencies, provided state laws meet privacy safeguards. This declaration is a standard exercise of that power, not an expansion of the Act's scope."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative declaration with no conditional clauses","Only three external references (to sections 34 and 35 of the parent Act)","No defined terms, schedules, or exceptions within the instrument"],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration gave the **Office of Police Integrity (OPI)** — a former Victorian police oversight body — the power to tap phones and access stored electronic communications under federal law.\n\nUnder the *Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979*, only approved 'agencies' can apply to judges for warrants to:\n* **Intercept** live phone calls and messages (real-time surveillance)\n* **Access** stored emails, texts, and voice mails (retrospective access)\n\n**What happened here:**\nIn 2006, the federal Attorney-General declared the Victorian OPI to be an 'agency' under the Act. This allowed OPI investigators to use federal telecommunications powers when investigating police corruption in Victoria.\n\n**Why federal involvement?**\nAlthough the OPI was a state body, telecommunications networks cross state borders. This declaration was a cooperation mechanism: the Victorian Premier requested it, and the Attorney-General was satisfied that Victorian laws had adequate privacy safeguards (as required by sections 34–35 of the Act)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi","history":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi/history","analysis":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-act-1979-declaration-of-eligible-authority-as-agency-offi/documents"}}