Companies incorporated in Australia are treated as Australian persons, and are afforded the protection of the Rules .
Specific approval is required for all such collection and reporting.
Such circumstances are infrequent, and safeguards are provided to ensure that the privacy of Australians is not compromised. Similarly, safeguards exist to ensure that any inadvertent collection of Australian communications are destroyed. These provisions ensure that DSD's operations are consistent with the Government's comittments to the protection of the civil liberties and privacy of Australians. The Inspector-General is also tasked with investigating any public complaints into DSD activities. The Inspector-General provides annual reports to the Prime Minister and to Cabinet on the results of his monitoring of DSD's compliance with Australian law and the Rules on Sigint and Australian Persons .