Regulation Impact Statement – Department of Home Affairs
On 25 January 2022, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Karen Andrews MP, announced the Government’s decision to implement a single government issuing authority for the aviation and maritime security identification card (ASIC and MSIC) schemes.
The ASIC and MSIC schemes ensure those who require unescorted access to secure areas of security controlled airports, security regulated seaports and offshore oil and gas facilities have passed mandatory background checks and do not represent a significant risk to transport infrastructure and operations. Private sector issuing bodies are currently responsible for issuing about 95 per cent of ASICs and MSICs to individuals across Australia. Consistent and ongoing vulnerabilities and non- compliance identified in the current issuing body model suggest that this private sector-led model needs to be reformed to reduce the potential threat from trusted insiders in Australia’s aviation and maritime sectors.
The preferred option was to establish a single government run issuing authority. It would provide the government with complete oversight of the schemes’ operations and ensure full control over identity enrolment and card management processes. It would establish a single and consistent application of policy and service delivery. There would be no regulatory costing impact on individuals. Individuals, or their relevant employer or airport or maritime port facility operator applying on their behalf, would be able to apply directly to the Department of Home Affairs for an ASIC or MSIC.
The Department of Home Affairs prepared and certified a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS), which the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) assessed as good practice.
The Department of Home Affairs estimates the average annual regulatory cost savings at $1,632,560.