Australian Capital Territory Numbered Acts Australian Capital Territory Numbered Actsinsert
Division 3.2 Change of name—restricted people
22A Definitions—div 3.2
In this division:
"change of name application" , in relation to a restricted person, means an application under this Act, division 3.1, or a law of another jurisdiction corresponding to this Act, for registration of a change of the restricted person's name.
"corresponding parole law"—see the Crimes (Sentence Administration) Act 2005
, section 162.
"relevant director-general" means—
(a) for a restricted person serving a sentence of imprisonment—the director-general of the administrative unit responsible for the Corrections Management Act 2007
; or
(b) for a restricted person the subject of a parole order under the Crimes (Sentence Administration) Act 2005
or a corresponding parole law—the director-general of the administrative unit responsible for the Crimes (Sentence Administration) Act 2005
.
"restricted person" means a person who—
(a) is serving a sentence of imprisonment (including by full-time detention, periodic detention or release on licence); or
(b) is the subject of a parole order under the Crimes (Sentence Administration) Act 2005
or a corresponding parole law.
22B Application for approval for restricted person to make change of name application
A restricted person may apply, in writing, to the relevant director-general for approval to make a change of name application.
Note 1 If a form is approved under s 69 for an application, the form must be used.
Note 2 A fee may be determined under s 67 for an application.
22C Decision on s 22B application
(1) Within 30 days after the day the relevant director-general receives an application mentioned in section 22B, the relevant director-general must—
(a) approve the application; or
(b) refuse the application.
(2) The relevant director-general may approve the application only if satisfied that the proposed change of name is in all the circumstances necessary or reasonable.
(3) However, the relevant director-general must not approve the application if satisfied that the proposed change of name would, if registered, be reasonably likely to—
(a) adversely affect the security, discipline or good order of any premises or facility at which the restricted person is held or accommodated; or
(b) jeopardise the restricted person's or another person's health or safety; or
(c) be used to further an unlawful activity or purpose; or
(d) be used to evade or hinder the supervision of the restricted person; or
(e) be regarded as offensive by a victim of crime or an appreciable sector of the community.
22D Notice of decision
If the relevant director-general makes a decision on an application mentioned in section 22B, the relevant director-general must give written notice of the decision to—
(a) the person who made the application; and
(b) the registrar-general.
Note Written notice of the decision must be given to the person and the registrar-general as soon as possible (see Legislation Act
, s 151B).
22E Offences—restriction on change of name application by restricted person etc
(1) A restricted person commits an offence if—
(a) the person makes a change of name application; and
(b) the relevant director-general has not approved the making of the application under section 22C.
Maximum penalty: 5 penalty units.
(2) A person commits an offence if—
(a) the person, on behalf of a restricted person, makes a change of name application; and
(b) the relevant director-general has not approved the making of the application under section 22C.
Maximum penalty: 5 penalty units.
(3) An offence against this section is a strict liability offence.
22F Registrar-general must not register change of name without relevant director-general's approval
The registrar-general must not register a change of name under section 20 if the registrar-general—
(a) knows that the change of name application is made by or on behalf of a restricted person; and
(b) has not received a notice under section 22D from the relevant director-general approving the making of the change of name application.
22G Registrar-general may correct register
Without limiting section 40 (Correction of register), the registrar-general may correct the register if—
(a) the name of a restricted person was changed because of an application under division 3.1; and
(b) the relevant director-general did not approve the making of the application under section 22C.
22H Information-sharing
(1) The relevant director-general—
(a) must notify the registrar-general of the following details in relation to each restricted person:
(i) the restricted person's name (including any other name by which the restricted person is or has previously been known);
(ii) the restricted person's date of birth;
(iii) the restricted person's current residential address, or if the restricted person is serving a sentence of imprisonment, the person's residential address immediately before being taken into custody; and
(b) may give the registrar-general other information necessary for the relevant director-general's exercise of functions under this division.
(2) The registrar-general—
(a) if the circumstances in section 22F (a) and (b) apply—must notify the relevant director-general about the change of name application; and
(b) may give the relevant director-general other information necessary for the relevant director-general's exercise of functions under this division.
22I Protection of security sensitive information
(1) This section applies if the relevant director-general decides to refuse an application for approval to make a change of name application under section 22C (1) (b).
(2) The relevant director-general is not required under this Act or any other territory law to give reasons for the director-general's decision to the extent that giving those reasons would disclose security sensitive information.
(3) In this section:
"security sensitive information" means information that relates to actual or suspected criminal activity (whether in the ACT or elsewhere) the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to—
(a) prejudice a criminal investigation; or
(b) enable the discovery of the existence or identity of a confidential source of information relevant to law enforcement; or
(c) endanger a person's life or physical safety; or
(d) adversely affect the security, discipline or good order of any premises or facility at which a restricted person is held or accommodated; or
(e) adversely affect the supervision of a restricted person.
22J ACAT or court review—security sensitive information
(1) This section applies if—
(a) the relevant director-general decides to refuse an application for approval (an approval application ) to make a change of name application under section 22C (1) (b) because, or partly because, of information the relevant director-general considers is security sensitive information; and
(b) the applicant for the approval application applies to the ACAT or a court for review of the relevant director-general's decision.
(2) The relevant director-general must apply to the ACAT or the court for a decision about whether the information is security sensitive information.
(3) The application need not be served on anyone unless the ACAT or the court otherwise orders on its own initiative.
(4) The ACAT or the court may decide that the information is, or is not, security sensitive information.
(5) If the ACAT or the court decides that the information is security sensitive information, in deciding an application for review of the relevant director-general's decision to refuse the approval application, the ACAT or the court—
(a) must ensure security sensitive information is not disclosed in any reasons for the decision; and
(b) must, unless the relevant director-general otherwise agrees, receive evidence and submissions in private in the absence of the public, the applicant for review, the applicant's representative and any other interested party.
(6) In this section:
"security sensitive information"—see section 22I (3).