Submissions
Any public contribution to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor's (INSLM's) inquiry is called a submission.
The INSLM welcomes submissions from all persons and organisations about Australia's counter terrorism and national security legislation. Submissions are important to the work of the INSLM in reviewing the operation, effectiveness and implications of this legislation.
Persons who make submissions may be invited by the INSLM to give evidence at a public or private hearing conducted pursuant to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 (INSLM Act).
Making a submission
Anyone interested in making a submission to an INSLM inquiry may do so. The preferred option is via email to INSLM@inslm.gov.au, however you can post a submission to:
Mr Jake Blight
Independent National Security Legislation Monitor
3-5 National Cct, BARTON ACT 2600
Electronic submissions should not exceed 6MB. Word or pdf files are preferred.
Format of submissions
There is no set format for submissions. A submission can be as short or as long as desired. It can contain facts, opinions, arguments or recommendations for amendments to legislation to address identified problems or concerns. Supporting documentation may also be attached or provided with submissions.
Attribution and contact details
Please include your name (and that of your organisation, if applicable) in your submission, together with your preferred contact details including a daytime telephone number.
We recommend that you provide these details in a covering letter or email accompanying your submission, and provide the submission in a separate document.
Anonymous submissions will not be considered. However, submissions can be made on a confidential basis (see below).
Confidential submissions
The INSLM can accept submissions made in confidence. Confidential submissions may include sensitive information such as personal experiences where there is a wish to retain privacy.
If you wish to make a confidential submission, please say so clearly in your submission or cover note, and please explain why you would like for your submission to be confidential. In the absence of a request for confidentiality, submissions will be treated as public.
Where an entire submission is confidential, it will not be published and its contents will not be reproduced in the unclassified versions of the INSLM's reports that are required to be tabled in Parliament. It will be allocated a submission number and listed as a confidential submission.
Parts of submissions, including the name of the author, can be made confidential. Those parts will be omitted from the submission as published on the website, and will not be reproduced in the unclassified versions of the INSLM's reports. If you wish for parts of your submission to be confidential, please say so in your submission.
Adverse comment in submissions
If a submission contains adverse comments about another person (for example, accusations of unlawful or improper behaviour), the INSLM retains discretion to provide the other person with an opportunity to reply as considered necessary. This applies to both public and confidential submissions.
Accessibility
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 requires information published on government websites to comply with accessibility standards which ensure that online information and services are accessible to people with disabilities.
The correct, clear marking of material means that people who use assistive technologies like screen readers can read information published online. If the information is not marked up according to these guidelines, it can become unstructured and misinterpreted.
In order to be published online, submissions should adhere to the following accessibility requirements:
- all text uses appropriate styles (for example, Heading 1 style for top-level headings, Heading 2 style for sub-headings and so forth)
- photographs or images have alternative text added to their properties
- graphs and tables have a descriptive caption detailing what the graph or table contains.
If a submission does not meet these requirements, it may be listed as received but not published. The Office of the INSLM may contact the submitter and invite them to modify the formatting of the submission to comply with these requirements.
Publication of submissions
As a general rule, submissions will be published on the relevant inquiry submissions page on this website.
The Office of the INSLM will not publish submissions that contain classified information, breach applicable laws, promote a product or service, contain offensive language, express sentiments that are likely to vilify sections of the community, or which do not substantively comment on the issues relevant to the statutory functions of the INSLM under the INSLM Act.