A parliamentary committee has approved the Policing Amendment Bill and recommended the full Parliament pass it. However, it has delayed when the new rules will start. Instead of one month after the law officially becomes law, the changes will now take effect after six months. This gives police time to prepare their computer systems and instructions for how to use the new powers.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell introduced the bill in March. It allows police to record sound and images in public and some private places, gives them power to close roads temporarily, and lets officers order people to move on if they're causing trouble in public.

The committee heard from 225 people who wanted to share their views. Labour and the Greens both opposed the bill, though for different reasons.

What privacy protections were added

The committee added several rules to protect people's privacy. Police will have to follow the Privacy Act when collecting information. Police also won't be able to record someone without the kind of special permission (a warrant) they would normally need to use surveillance tools. The committee also said Parliament will review how the law is working after three years, with help from the Privacy Commissioner.

The Privacy Commissioner wanted even more protections added, but the committee said no. The bill also leaves some important terms — like what counts as "intelligence" — undefined, which worried privacy campaigners.

There is something worth noticing here. Parliament is saying police can gather more information and record more, but police don't yet have all the computer systems they need to safely manage all that extra data. The three-year review is meant to let Parliament check on whether this is working before the situation creates real problems.

Why police need more time

Police told the committee they need six months because building systems and training staff for the new powers is complex and expensive. They need to test how the rules will actually work and teach officers what they can and cannot do.

Police have been trying for years to get better computer systems that let them securely handle photographs and other evidence. They still don't have a complete answer yet. Labour raised this problem in committee, pointing out that police systems may not be good enough to properly store, track and delete all the extra information officers would be able to collect under this bill.

Two different reasons for saying no

The Greens think the bill is wrong because it lets police collect information about ordinary people, not just suspects. Labour's objection is different — they're worried police don't have the systems to handle the responsibility properly. These two concerns will probably lead to different suggestions for changes as the bill goes through the next stage of Parliament.

The bill goes back to Parliament for more debate. The Police Minister also has other laws coming — changes to crimes law are being worked on, and he has flagged changes to trespass rules as well.