Split Will Allow Email Checking

The Government will split amendments to the Telecommunications (Interception) Act, holding off changes that could have blocked employers from monitoring staff e-mail for viruses and offensive content. The decision came after a senate committee examining the amendments was most concerned about a dispute between the Australian Federal Police and the Attorney-General’s Department over how police had been interpreting the existing Act. The AFP has been using search warrants to access suspects’ e-mail accounts and download messages, a practice the department said was not permitted under the legislation