Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) A person commits an offence if:
(a) the person accesses identifying information; and
(b) the person is not authorised under this section to access the identifying information for the purpose for which the person accessed it.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years, or 120 penalty units, or both.
(1A) This section does not apply if the person believes on reasonable grounds that the access is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of the person or of any other person.
Note: A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in subsection (1A) (see subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code ).
(2) This section does not apply if the access is through:
(a) a disclosure that is a permitted disclosure within the meaning of section 43; or
(b) a disclosure to which section 43 does not apply because of the operation of subsection 43(1A).
Note: A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in subsection (2) (see subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code ).
(3) The Minister may, in writing, authorise a specified person, or any person included in a specified class of persons, to access identifying information of the kind specified in the authorisation.
(4) The Minister must specify in an authorisation under subsection (3), as the purpose or purposes for which access is authorised, one or more of the following purposes:
(a) either or both of the purposes set out in paragraph 10(2)(c);
(b) disclosing identifying information in accordance with this Division;
(c) administering or managing the storage of identifying information;
(d) making identifying information available to the person to whom it relates;
(e) modifying identifying information to enable it to be matched with other identifying information;
(f) modifying identifying information in order to correct errors or ensure compliance with appropriate standards;
(g) the purposes of this Act or the regulations or of the Migration Act 1958 or the regulations made under that Act;
(h) complying with Australian laws.