Five years on, nothing has been done despite the then-government's acceptance of the proposal. No questions are ever answered about their activities by ministers. It is impossible for the Parliament to make a qualitative assessment of any agency's performance. Oversight of intelligence agencies cannot take place through the public avenues used for all other departments of state. Oversight of secret agencies must take place in secret.
Different countries use different approaches.
The United States Congress through appropriate committees has access down to the most minute detail. Their committee chairmen are briefed on a daily basis on operational matters. There are inherently great risks to security in such a high degree of exposure but apparently there have been no lapses in security as a consequence. It can be argued, though, that such a depth of exposure is unnecessary for adequate accountability. I believe the appropriate system for Australia would be a committee of parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister, as opposed to a parliamentary committee where members are answerable directly to Parliament.