G2G
PASS — ACCESS — POLICE INVESTIGATIONS
197. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the Auditor General's report Safe WA—Application
audit from 2 August 2021, which states —
In the absence of any
comprehensive privacy legislation in Western Australia, including oversight mechanisms, citizens have a right to expect that
their personal information will only be used by governments in line with
stated purposes.
(1) Has the Western Australia Police Force accessed or used
G2G PASS data for criminal investigations?
(2) If yes to (1), on how many occasions and on what dates?
(3) Further to (2), what has been the range of seriousness of
the crimes being investigated?
Hon SAMANTHA ROWE replied:
I thank the member for some notice of the question. On behalf
of the Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Police,
the following information has been provided by the Minister for Police.
(1) The Western
Australia Police Force advise that, yes, when applying for a G2G PASS, as part
of the terms and conditions, applicants consent to the collection and use of
their information for a range of purposes. This includes allowing WA Police to
use and disclose applicants' information for other policing purposes
but only as required or authorised by law—for example, under formal
legal processes for serious criminal investigations.
(2) On 22
occasions, G2G information has been accessed by way of a justice-approved order
to produce notice for criminal investigations, other than Emergency Management
Act 2005 matters. The dates were 18 December 2020, 7 January 2021, 8 January
2021, 12 January 2021, 13 January 2021, 17 January 2021, 23 January 2021, 25 January
2021, 3 March 2021, 4 March 2021, 5 March 2021, 11 March 2021, 14 April 2021, 10 May 2021, 19 May 2021, 21 May
2021, 4 June 2021, 24 August 2021, 23 September 2021, 30 October 2021,
and 2 March 2022.
(3) Crimes investigated range from noncompliance to murder.