Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979

This section applies in relation to a communication by the Organisation to another security vetting agency that is an authority of the Commonwealth (a Commonwealth security vetting agency).

A Commonwealth security vetting agency must not make, refuse to make or refrain from making a security clearance decision in respect of a person on the basis of any communication in relation to the person made by the Organisation not amounting to a security clearance suitability assessment.

Subsection (2) does not prevent a Commonwealth security vetting agency from making a security clearance decision to temporarily:

suspend a security clearance, or revoke a suspension of a security clearance, held by a person; or

impose a condition, or vary a condition imposed, on a security clearance in respect of a person;

The circumstances are that:

the Organisation makes a communication to the Commonwealth security vetting agency pending the furnishing of a security clearance suitability assessment in respect of the person; and

the Commonwealth security vetting agency is satisfied, on the basis of that communication, that the requirements of security make it necessary as a matter of urgency to make the security clearance decision pending the furnishing of the security clearance suitability assessment.