Crime Point-in-Time Service Updates

The Crime Point-in-Time Service has been updated to include the Aged Care (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2024 (Cth) (Act No 109 of 2024), Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Act 2024 (Cth) (Act No 110 of 2024), Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Act 2024 (Cth) (Act No 114 of 2024) and Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024  (Cth) (Act No 128 of 2024).

Act 109 of 2024

The Act seeks to deal with consequential and transitional matters arising from the enactment of the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) (Aged Care Act).

The Aged Care Act establishes the foundations of a new, person-centered aged care system that seeks to deliver better outcomes for older people and continue to improve over time. This new system replaces existing legislation (including the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth), the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 (Cth) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Cth)) and focuses on the safety, health and wellbeing of older people, and puts their needs and preferences first.

Act 110 of 2024

The Act reforms Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime and repeals the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 (Cth). Australia’s AML/CTF regime establishes a regulatory framework for combatting money laundering, terrorism financing and other serious financial crimes.

The reforms in the Act seek to ensure Australia’s AML/CTF regime continues to effectively deter, detect and disrupt illicit financing, and protect Australian businesses from criminal exploitation. The reforms aim to improve the ability of Australian national security and law enforcement agencies and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), as the AML/CTF regulator and Financial Intelligence Unit, to target illicit financing. This will impact the ability of transnational, serious and organised crime groups to invest their illicit funds into further criminal activities in Australia and our broader region.

Act 114 of 2024

The Act amends the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) to implement trauma-informed measures that better support vulnerable persons when appearing as complainants and/or witnesses in Commonwealth criminal proceedings, whilst maintaining appropriate criminal procedure safeguards.

Act 128 of 2024

The Act enacts a first tranche of reforms to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) to implement a number of the legislative proposals that were agreed by the Government in its September 2023 Response to the Privacy Act Review. 

The rapidly evolving digital landscape presents opportunities for innovation, advances in productivity and efficiency, and a range of other benefits for all Australians. However, the Privacy Act has not kept pace with Australians’ widespread adoption and reliance on digital technologies, which increases the risks that personal data will be subject to misuse or mishandling, including through data breaches, fraud and identity theft, unauthorised surveillance and other significant online harms.

These amendments have been updated in the Point-in-Time Crime Service current to 21 January 2025. (NB: Subscription required).

If you are not already a subscriber to this or other Point-in-Time Services then please contact us to find out more or to take a free trial.