Our latest surveillance devices report recently tabled in parliament highlights the importance of accurate reporting to judges/magistrates who issue surveillance device warrants.
Inspections conducted by Integrity Oversight Victoria between 1 January and 30 June 2024 (for records relevant to the 1 July to 31 December 2023 period) found errors in the mandatory reports to judges/magistrates made by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
The Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (SD Act) creates a safeguarding framework for the installation, use and retrieval of surveillance devices. Accurate reporting to judges and magistrates ensures the use of covert surveillance powers by law enforcement and investigatory bodies sufficiently balances the individual right to privacy with the public interest to investigate criminal activity.
In both instances DECCA and VFA took steps to rectify and prevent these errors from occurring in future.
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