Commonwealth legislation

Cybercrime Act 2001 - Proclamation (20/12/2001)

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This document is a commencement proclamation—the formal legal instrument that "switches on" the Cybercrime Act 2001.

What it does:

Sets the start date: It declares that the Cybercrime Act 2001 begins operation on 21 December 2001.
Legal basis: It is made under section 2(1) of that Act, which authorises the Governor-General to fix the commencement date.
Effect: Before this date, the Act had no legal force. After this date, its provisions (creating offences for computer misuse and new investigative powers for law enforcement) became active and enforceable.

Important context: This is not the Cybercrime Act itself—it does not contain the rules about hacking, viruses, or police search powers. It is simply the official notice announcing when those rules took effect.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Cybercrime Act 2001 - Proclamation (20/12/2001).

Cybercrime Act 2001 - Proclamation (20/12/2001)

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Proclamation

Cybercrime Act 2001

I, PETER JOHN HOLLINGWORTH, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council and under subsection 2 (1) of the Cybercrime Act 2001, fix 21 December 2001 as the day on which that Act commences.

Signed and sealed with the Great Seal of Australia on 20 December 2001

PETER HOLLINGWORTH

Governor-General

By His Excellency’s Command

CHRISTOPHER MARTIN ELLISON

Minister for Justice and Customs

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.