Now lawCrime & Courts Introduced in the House of Representatives, 11 Mar 2026

Drug cases now count the whole mixture's weight

A grab-bag crime law changes how drugs are weighed for court. It keeps police powers to hack and take over online accounts. It also gives police new powers at Western Sydney's new airport.

Official name: Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2026

Who it affects

• People charged with national drug crimes: Your charge will use the full weight of the mix. That can push you into a higher penalty.
• Travellers and workers at Western Sydney Airport: National police can ask for your ID. They can order you to leave the airport for up to 24 hours.
• People suspected of serious online crime: National police can keep using warrants to secretly get into, change or take over your devices and accounts until 2029.
• People wanted by other countries: Police can go into a building to arrest you. They must tell you why you are being arrested.
• The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission: This agency gathers information on serious crime gangs. It loses the power to get warrants to mess with data on computers.

Eight crime laws in one

This law bundles many changes that are not linked into one law. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland brought it in. She is the minister for law. It changes eight national laws about crime, police powers, court cases and sending people to other countries for trial.

The government said the aim was to update and fix how key crime laws work. It has five parts. Each one is explained below.

Western Sydney Airport police powers

Since 2019, national police have had extra powers at big airports. They can ask a person to show ID if they suspect a serious crime. They can also do it to keep the airport safe. They can order a person not to take a flight, or to leave the airport, for up to 24 hours.

The new Western Sydney International Airport is due to open in 2026. The law adds it to the list of big airports, so the same powers apply there. The government expects it to run 24 hours a day. It thinks about 10 million people a year will fly from there.

The powers also apply while the airport is still being built. The government says building sites and early cargo work can draw in crime gangs.

Search warrants by email

A search warrant is a court's okay for police to search a place or person. National police used to have to ask for most search warrants in person, unless it was urgent.

Now they can ask in writing, in person or online, such as by email. The magistrate is the court officer who decides. They can ask more questions by email or phone and record the talk. The tests for giving a warrant do not change.

Online hacking warrants

In 2021 Parliament gave police three new warrants for online crime. A data disruption warrant lets police add, copy, delete or change data to stop a crime.

A network activity warrant lets them secretly get into devices used by a crime gang to gather information. An account takeover warrant lets them take control of a person's online account to gather evidence. That could be a social media or bank account.

These powers were due to end on 4 September 2026. The law pushes that date back three years to 4 September 2029. Emergency versions of these powers also run to 2029.

The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor looked at these warrants. The Monitor is a watchdog that checks national security laws. It found fewer than 50 were asked for in the first three years. It found they worked.

It said they should only stay if stronger safeguards were added, such as judges giving them out. The government says it will look at those safeguards when it rewrites the laws on spying on people.

The law also takes away the data power from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. That agency gathers information on serious crime gangs. The Monitor had said that power went beyond its job. Only the Australian Federal Police keeps it.

Holding suspects in the ACT

National police also do local policing in the Australian Capital Territory, around Canberra. They use a national system that sets how long a suspect can be held for questions before being charged.

A 2001 law, never switched on, would have cut the territory out of that system. The territory planned its own system. It has now decided it does not need one. This law scraps the unused 2001 change. So police there can keep using the national system.

Drug evidence certificates

In a drug trial, the side bringing the case must show the drugs in court are the same ones police took. It must show no one tampered with them. This record is called the chain of custody. Right now that can mean calling many officers to speak about each step.

Under the law, an officer can sign a paper called an evidentiary certificate. It sets out how the drugs were taken, labelled, sealed, moved and stored. The court accepts it as evidence unless it is shown to be wrong. Papers from state and territory police also count.

The defence must get a copy at least 42 days before it is used. The defence can ask to question the person who signed it in court. To do that it must give 28 days' notice, and the court must agree.

The government says this saves time on challenges that rarely happen. It says the side bringing the case must still prove it beyond reasonable doubt. That means the court must be sure the person is guilty.

Counting the whole mixture

Penalties for national drug crimes depend on how much drug there is. Bigger amounts pass cut-offs that bring longer jail terms. Until now, national law only counted the weight of the pure drug in a mix. That meant lab tests for how pure it was.

Under the law, the whole mix counts as the drug. Say a block of powder has any cocaine in it. The whole block's weight counts as cocaine. One mix can only be used to prove the amount of one drug.

The government says testing how pure a drug is means handling dangerous drugs and toxic chemicals. Some of these are strong man-made painkillers. It says the states, territories and other countries already use the weight of the mix. It says some cases have fallen over because police could not prove how pure the drug was.

Say a courier is caught with 1 kilogram of powder that is only 10% heroin. Under the old rule, the charge used 100 grams of heroin. Under the new rule, it uses the full kilogram. That can mean a much bigger penalty.

This change only applies to crimes done after it starts.

Federal prosecutor changes

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions runs national criminal cases in court. Until now, the Director might have had a personal interest that clashed with a case. Then the Director had to take leave, so someone else could act in the job.

Now the Attorney-General can let a senior lawyer in the Director's office make choices in that case. The person must be a lawyer and a senior public servant.

The title Associate Director of Public Prosecutions changes to Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. That matches the title used in the states and territories.

Arrests for extradition

Extradition is when Australia hands a person over to another country to face charges there. The law makes one thing clear. A person who agrees to be sent stays in prison until they are handed over. They can also be let go on the Attorney-General's order.

Police had no clear power to go into a building or use force when arresting someone for this. The law gives them that power. It matches the powers police already have under the Crimes Act 1914, the main national crime law.

Police cannot go into a home between 9pm and 6am in most cases. They can only if it is not practical to arrest the person at another time. They also can if it is needed to stop evidence being destroyed.

They must say who they are first, unless that would put someone at risk. They cannot use more force than is fair. They must tell the person why they are being arrested.

The same rules apply to arrest warrants from New Zealand.

A Victorian name change

Victoria renamed its Victorian Inspectorate. That body keeps watch on Victoria Police and the state's anti-corruption body. It is now called Integrity Oversight Victoria. The law updates the national phone tapping law to use the new name. Its powers stay the same.

Start date

This bill is now law. It went to the House of Representatives on 11 March 2026. The House passed it on 25 March 2026. A group of senators looked at it and said it should pass.

The Senate, Parliament's second house, passed it on 20 August 2026. It made two changes put forward by the Liberal and National parties. The government adjusted one of them. The House agreed to those changes the same day.

The Governor-General, the King's representative, signed it into law on 26 August 2026. It became Act number 70 of 2026.

The airport, warrant, prosecutor and name change parts started the next day. The drug paper rules start 6 months after it was signed. The weight of the mix rule starts on a date the government sets. It will start 12 months after signing at the latest.

How they voted

Its journey through Parliament

Official sources

• Bill page on aph.gov.au
• Text of the bill
• Explanatory memorandum
• Bills Digest

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