Summary: The 1979 ASIO Act

Three weeks after the explosion, an ASIO Bill was introduced into federal parliament. The legislation, which became the 1979 ASIO Act, enabled the ASIO to intercept mail and telecommunications, use bugging devices, and carry out searches and seizures. The Act's definition of “security” was effectively widened by replacing the word “subversion” with the phrases “politically motivated violence”, “promotion of communal violence” and “attacks on defence and security”. The Director-General could obtain warrants to enter and search premises, remove records, use listening devices, and gain access to postal articles. He need only “suspect a person of being engaged in, or of being likely to engage in, activities prejudicial to security”