INTELLIGENCE SERVICES—PROPOSED JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE

Mr Reith (Leader of the House), having amended, by leave, notice No. 7, government business, moved—That:

(1) a Joint Select Committee to be known as the Joint Select Committee on the Intelligence Services be appointed to inquire into and report on the proposed legislative reforms in:

 (a) the Intelligence Services Bill 2001 and the Intelligence Services (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2001; and

(b) the provision in the Cybercrime Bill 2001 relating to the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) and the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) - Liability for Certain Acts.

(2) the committee consist of 15 members: 5 members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips, 4 members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips, 3 senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, 2 senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and 1 senator to be nominated by any minority party.

(3) every nomination of a member of the committee be forthwith notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(4) the members of the committee hold office as a joint select committee until presentation of the committee's report or until the House of Representatives is dissolved, whichever is the earlier.

(5) the committee report no later than 20 August 2001.

(6) the committee elect a Government member as its chair.

(7) the committee elect a deputy chair who shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee.

(8) at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee, the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting.

(9) the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equality of voting, a casting vote.

(10) 5 members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include 3 members of either House of the Government parties and 2 members of either House of the non-government parties.

(11) the committee have power to:

 (a) send for persons, papers and records;

(b) move from place to place; and

(c) adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(12) the committee may determine the manner of conduct of its proceedings and in so doing shall consider whether the procedures prescribed in s.92F(2) and (3) of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979(`the ASIO Act') should be followed.

(13) the committee shall ensure that any documents having a national security classification provided to the committee are, while in the custody of the committee, kept at a place under such terms and conditions as are agreed between the committee and the Director-General of ASIS, the Director of DSD, or the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, as appropriate.

(14) the committee shall ensure that the identity of staff of ASIS is appropriately protected in accordance with the provisions of the Intelligence Services Bill 2001.

(15) the committee has leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and any recommendations as it may deem fit.

(16) a message be sent to the Senate acquainting it with this resolution and requesting that it concur and take action accordingly.

Question—put and passed.