The senate passed a bill Wednesday to enable greater information sharing between government agencies, ZDNet reports. The Telecommunications Interception and Intelligence Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 broadens the Australian Security Intelligence Organization's scope by allowing it to share intelligence with specific government agencies in "the national interest," such as providing data on tax fraud to the taxation office rather than police, for example. The Australian Greens had previously called for an overhaul to the bill, citing concerns about such disclosures. "I think the bill will greatly expand ASIO's operations well outside the area for which it was established, which I think is something we'll regret," said Sen. Scott Ludlam.
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