Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00049:section:235:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00049
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 235 (pt 1/2)
Character Range: 297468–300346

235  Attorney‑General's certificate in relation to particular information
 (1) The Attorney‑General may, in writing, certify that any of the following disclosures would be contrary to the public interest on one or more of the grounds set out in subsection (3):
 (a) disclosure of information that is about a matter specified in the certificate;
 (b) disclosure of the contents of a document specified in the certificate;
 (c) the giving of information, or the production of documents, to the Committee in relation to a matter specified in the certificate.
 (2) The Attorney‑General must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the certificate is appropriate and necessary to protect the public interest.
 (3) The grounds are that the disclosure would:
 (a) prejudice the security, defence or international relations of Australia; or
 (b) involve the disclosure of communications between a Minister and a Minister of a State or Territory, or between a Minister of a State or Territory and a Minister of another State or Territory, and would prejudice:
 (i) relations between the Commonwealth Government and the Government of a State or Territory; or
 (ii) relations between the Government of a State or Territory and the Government of another State or Territory; or
 (c) involve the disclosure of deliberations or decisions of the Cabinet or of any committee of the Cabinet; or
 (d) reveal, or enable a person to ascertain, the existence or identity of a confidential source of information in relation to:
 (i) the enforcement of the criminal law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory or a foreign country; or
 (ii) a corruption investigation; or
 (iii) a NACC corruption investigation; or
 (iv) a NACC complaint investigation; or
 (v) a public inquiry; or
 (e) reveal, or enable a person to ascertain, the identity of a person who is, or has been, a staff member of:
 (i) the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation; or
 (ii) the Australian Secret Intelligence Service; or
 (f) reveal, or enable a person to ascertain, the identity of a person who is, or has been, an agent of:
 (i) the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation; or
 (ii) the Australian Secret Intelligence Service; or
 (iii) the Australian Geospatial‑Intelligence Organisation; or
 (iv) the Australian Signals Directorate; or
 (g) reveal information:
 (i) about the capabilities of, or information sources or operational activities or methods available to, a law enforcement agency, intelligence agency or the Australian Defence Force; or
 (ii) about particular operations that have been, are being or are proposed to be undertaken by a law enforcement agency, intelligence agency or the Australian Defence Force, or about proceedings relating to those operations; or
 (iii) provided by, or on behalf of, the government of a foreign country, an authority of the government of a foreign country or