Australian spy agency "pleased" with new data retention laws

Australia's domestic spy agency said it was "pleased" with the recently passed data retention laws that will result in customer call and internet records being retained for two years, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) described the legislation as "critical" to the security of the nation, in a statement to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The laws passed last Thursday will force telecommunications companies, from 2017, to retain customer metadata for a minimum of two years so it can be accessed by more than 20 government agencies if needed.

"Access to historical communications data is vitally important in ASIO's effort to identify threats to Australia's security and keep Australians and Australia's interests safe," a spokesman said in a statement Wednesday.

"The legislation will ensure that ASIO is able to keep pace with a rapidly changing communications environment."

ASIO was a vocal supporter of the laws when first proposed last year and had hoped the laws would see metadata, the time, date and location of a communication but not its content, retained for a period longer than two years.

"The head of ASIO, Director-General of Security Duncan Lewis, told a parliamentary committee in January that metadata had been essential in most high priority ASIO cases.

The federal government argues the law standardizes the practice of retaining data, where it was previously up to the individual telecommunications companies.

With more and more unlimited plans, telephone and internet providers are increasingly discarding metadata they would have previously kept.

Approved officers in more than 20 government agencies, such as ASIO, the police forces and Australian Tax Office, will be able to access the data without a warrant. However, that number is down on the previous laws where any "enforcement agency", including sporting bodies and animal welfare agencies, could request data. Endi