This Part establishes a system of preserving certain stored communications that are held by a carrier. The purpose of the preservation is to prevent the communications from being destroyed before they can be accessed under certain warrants issued under this Act.

Under the system, certain agencies can give a preservation notice to a carrier requiring the carrier to preserve all stored communications that the carrier holds that relate to the person or telecommunications service specified in the notice. The carrier will breach its obligations under section   313 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 if it does not comply with the notice.

There are 2 types of preservation notices: domestic preservation notices (which cover stored communications that might relate either to a contravention of certain Australian laws or to security) and foreign preservation notices (which cover stored communications that might relate to a contravention of certain foreign laws or to certain international offences).

Division   2 deals with domestic preservation notices. There are 2 kinds of domestic preservation notices:

  (a)   historic domestic preservation notices, which cover stored communications held by the carrier on a particular day; and

  (b)   ongoing domestic preservation notices, which cover stored communications held by the carrier in a particular 30 - day period.

An issuing agency (which is a criminal law - enforcement agency, or the Organisation, for an historic domestic preservation notice, and a criminal law - enforcement agency that is an interception agency, or the Organisation, for an ongoing domestic preservation notice) can only give a domestic preservation notice if the conditions in section   107J are satisfied. There are certain grounds on which the notice must be revoked (see section   107L).

Division   3 deals with foreign preservation notices. Foreign preservation notices, like historic domestic preservation notices, cover stored communications held by the carrier on a particular day. Only the Australian Federal Police can give a foreign preservation notice to a carrier and it can only do so if a foreign country, the International Criminal Court or a War Crimes Tribunal has made a request for the preservation in accordance with section   107P. There are certain grounds on which the notice must be revoked (see section   107R).

Division   4 has miscellaneous provisions relating to both domestic and foreign preservation notices (such as provisions about the giving of evidentiary certificates by carriers and issuing agencies).

The Ombudsman has functions in relation to preservation notices given by issuing agencies (other than the Organisation) and the Inspector - General of Intelligence and Security has functions in relation to preservation notices given by the Organisation.