Australian law enforcement agencies used controversial new powers just seven times over the course of seven months, each incident regarding voluntary Technical Assistance Requests. The powers were granted under the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Act in 2018. The Australian Federal Police acted under the law five times, and the NSW Police used the legislation twice from December 2018 through the end of June 2019.
This means that the 2018 Act is not being effectively utilized by the Australian police force. A recent report found that very few individuals reach the point in which their communications are intercepted, which requires reasonable suspicion for a warrant to be issued. Therefore, the Act, although controversial, has not been widely utilized throughout Australia.
Read More: Home Affairs report reveals deeper problems with Australia’s encryption laws
