About DIGO
Introduction
The Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO) was established under a Cabinet Directive on 8 November 2000 by amalgamating the Australian Imagery Organisation and Directorate of Strategic Military Geographic Information, and the Defence Topographic Agency. On 2 December 2005 DIGO came under the provisions of the amended Intelligence Services Act 2001 (ISA).
DIGO operates from two sites: one in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, and the other in Bendigo, Victoria.
DIGO's Purpose
To provide geospatial intelligence, from imagery and other sources, in support of Australia's defence and national interests.
DIGO's Functions
DIGO is the lead geospatial and imagery intelligence organisation in the Department of Defence. Its functions, as described in the Intelligence Services Act 2001 (ISA) are:
- To obtain geospatial and imagery intelligence about the capabilities, intentions or activities of people or organisations outside Australia to meet the requirements of the Government.
- To obtain geospatial and imagery intelligence for the purposes of meeting the operational, targeting, training and exercise requirements of the Australian Defence Force.
- To obtain geospatial and imagery intelligence for the purposes of supporting Commonwealth and State authorities in carrying out national security functions.
- To communicate in accordance with Government requirements the intelligence obtained under the above functions.
- To provide Commonwealth and State authorities and bodies approved by the Minister for Defence: imagery and other geospatial products that are not intelligence; technical assistance; and support for carrying out their emergency response functions.
Protecting the Privacy of Australians
DIGO must perform its functions within the law. A copy of the Intelligence Services Act 2001 (ISA) is available at the following website: www.comlaw.gov.au.
The ISA provides the legal framework for the activities of the foreign intelligence collection agencies in the Australian Intelligence Community: the Defence Signals Directorate, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, and the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation. The intention of the legislation is to regulate the intelligence activities of the agencies in a number of ways: special directions from their respective Minister, rules about protecting the privacy of Australian persons, and some general limitations.
Under section 15 of the ISA, the Minister for Defence is required to make written rules regulating the communication and retention of intelligence information collected by DIGO that concerns Australian persons.
The Privacy Rules for DIGO can be downloaded from this link (PDF document): DIGO Privacy Rules PDF file.
DIGO's Legal Accountability - Who Oversees DIGO's Activities?
DIGO’s activities are overseen by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCI&S). The IGIS is mainly concerned with how DIGO conducts its intelligence activities; while the PJCI&S is concerned with DIGO’s administration and expenditure.
Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS)
The IGIS is empowered by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act (1986) (IGIS Act) (as amended in 2005) to provide independent assurance to the Australian Government, the Parliament and the Australian public that DIGO: conducts its activities legally, behaves with propriety, complies with any directions from the Minister for Defence, and has regard for human rights (such as privacy).
To guarantee the independence of the IGIS, the IGIS Act provides that the IGIS is appointed by the Governor-General and cannot be dismissed by the Government. IGIS is a key element of the accountability regime for DIGO. You can find out more information about the IGIS at www.igis.gov.au.
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCI&S)
The ISA establishes a PJCI&S (formerly the PJC on ASIO, ASIS and DSD) to allow members of parliament to directly oversee some of the activities of DIGO. The Committee is made up of members of the Government and the Opposition, drawn from both the House of Representatives and Senate.
The ISA contains rules about how the PJCI&S conducts its business. In particular, the PJC cannot review the intelligence operations or priorities of DIGO, rather it reviews the administration and expenditure of DIGO, including DIGO’s financial statements. You can find out more information about the PJCI&S at www.aph.gov.au/committee/.
