The Department of Home Affairs and Department of Defence are proposing new powers that would allow Australia's digital spy agency to spy on citizens at home.
The powers, outlined in letters between the heads off Home Affairs and Defence and seen by the Sunday Telegraph, would allow the Australian Signals Directorate's cyber sleuths to monitor Australian citizens and businesses on home soil.
Speaking on the TODAY Show, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has denied the existence of any plans to increase the department’s powers.
“I don’t know where the report came from,” she said.
“We already have laws in place that can cover these issues plus safeguard Australians’ privacy.
“We have in place very robust national security laws and we’ve provided record funding to our security and intelligence agencies.”
The ASD at present can only gather intelligence on foreigners. Only domestic spy agency ASIO and the Australian Federal Police are allowed to access information at home – and only then after obtaining a warrant signed off by the Attorney-General.
Under the new proposal however government hackers would "proactively disrupt and covertly remove" local-based cyber hacking threats to "critical infrastructure", according to the documents cited by the Telegraph.
"The Department of Home Affairs advises that it is briefing the Minister for Home Affairs to write to you (Ms Payne) seeking your support for a further tranche of legislative reform to enable ASD to better support a range of Home Affairs priorities," the ministerial submission obtained by the Telegraph reads.
A source has told the Telegraph that under the proposed changes the ASD would be able to force businesses and government agencies to provide them with any requested data, calling the measures "horrifying".
“There is no actual national security gap this is aiming to fill other than a political power grab," the source was quoted as saying.
No formal proposal for the legislative amendments outlined in this document has yet been made, Defence Minister Marise Payne has confirmed.
Should the ministers of Defence and Home Affairs give their approval however, all judicial oversight would be removed from the ASD.
With AAP.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018
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