{"id":"F2007L03688","name":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) (Staff Members of Western Australia Police) Declaration 2007","slug":"telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":70131,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2007L03688-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Telecommunications (Interception and Access) (Staff Members of Western Australia Police) Declaration 2007","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\nTelecommunications (Interception and Access) (Staff Members of Western Australia Police) Declaration 2007\n\nTelecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979\n\nI, PHILIP MAXWELL RUDDOCK, Attorney-General, acting under section 6N of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, declare that unsworn members of the Western Australia Police employed or seconded to the Telecommunications Interception Unit occupy positions corresponding to those of Australian Federal Police employees who are not members of the Australian Federal Police.\n\nDated    12 September 2007\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nPHILIP RUDDOCK\n\nAttorney-General\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a straightforward administrative declaration made under a specific power in the parent Act. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of equating specific WA Police staff positions to AFP positions for interception purposes. The scope remains precisely limited to the Telecommunications Interception Unit staff as originally intended."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision consisting of one sentence","No defined terms section","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the empowering provision (section 6N)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements","Total length: approximately 100 words of substantive content","Simple declaratory structure: 'I declare that X corresponds to Y'"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short legal declaration made by the Attorney-General in 2007. It gives certain unsworn Western Australia Police staff the same legal status as Australian Federal Police (AFP) employees for the purposes of Australia's telecommunications interception laws.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Allows unsworn members of the WA Police who work in the **Telecommunications Interception Unit** to be treated legally as if they were AFP staff (who aren't sworn police officers).\n\n**Why this matters:**\n- Australia's main law for intercepting phone calls and messages (the *Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979*) restricts who can handle intercepted communications. Normally, only certain federal agencies and officers can access this sensitive material.\n- This declaration lets state-based WA Police technical staff—who aren't sworn officers with police powers—legally handle intercepted telecommunications, provided they're working in the specific unit mentioned.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Unsworn employees or secondees to the WA Police Telecommunications Interception Unit\n- These are typically technical or administrative staff who support surveillance operations but don't have police arrest powers\n\n**Key point:** Without this declaration, these WA staff couldn't legally access or handle intercepted communications under federal law, even though they work for a police force."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The declaration extends the statutory classification under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to include unsworn Western Australia Police staff employed or seconded to the Telecommunications Interception Unit, treating them as corresponding to Australian Federal Police employees who are not AFP members. Mechanically, this changes which parts of the parent Act apply to that specified group; the declaration itself is the vehicle for that change (made under s6N)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, single‑issue declaration limited to the classification of a defined group (unsworn WA Police staff in the Telecommunications Interception Unit).","Depends on cross‑reference to section 6N of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 for legal authority.","Potential downstream complexity because practical effects rely on how multiple substantive provisions of the parent Act apply to the reclassified persons (requires reading the parent Act to see full effect).","Low procedural detail in the instrument itself—no operational, financial or oversight mechanisms specified.","Inter‑jurisdictional element (state police staff treated as corresponding to a Commonwealth AFP employee class) which may require administrative coordination."],"plain_english_summary":"The Attorney‑General used his s6N power to declare that unsworn Western Australia Police staff employed or seconded to the Telecommunications Interception Unit are, for purposes of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, to be treated as corresponding to AFP employees who are not AFP members. This reclassification affects those staff and any parties whose legal rights, access or duties under the Act depend on an individual’s statutory classification, because it determines which powers and obligations apply."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200","history":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200/history","analysis":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/telecommunications-interception-and-access-staff-members-of-western-australia-police-declaration-200/documents"}}