The absence of Home Affairs officials at a parliamentary committee hearing has angered the government chair, who said it was "not acceptable" for public servants to dismiss invitations for scrutiny.
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But a top bureaucrat played down the charges, saying it was a misunderstanding caused by a recent machinery of government change.
Treaties committee chair Josh Wilson thanked officials from the Foreign Affairs and Attorney-General's departments for appearing at the Wednesday hearing into a data-sharing law enforcement agreement between the US and Australia but noted the Home Affairs snub.
"It is the expectation of the committee and of the Senate, under whose rules we operate, that offices will appear before this committee and before committees in fulfillment of their accountability obligations when their presence is requested," Mr Wilson said.
"To be told by an agency or department that they've chosen not to appear, and that if there are questions that are relevant to their carriage of a treaty under consideration, can be dealt with by questions in writing is not acceptable."
Attorney-General's Department first assistant secretary Andrew Warnes dismissed any suggestion the department's absence was intentionally obstructive.
Mr Warnes said his team was previously in the Home Affairs Department prior to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's announcement to move a number of law enforcement units to the legal department.
"It was the recent machinery of government changes that were announced by the Albanese government that saw my division and the responsibility for this treaty before the committee today, move to the Attorney-General's Department," he said.
"I imagine that I know that is why the Department of Home Affairs would have turned down the invitation, not because they didn't want to be here, but because the relevant people responsible for the treaty have moved to the Attorney-General's department, being me and my team here.
"The one slight caveat I'll put on that is that the Department of Home Affairs obviously retains responsibility in the portfolio for ASIO and ASIO are a part of this."
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Australia and the US will be able to more quickly share data and investigate serious crimes across borders following the signing of the treaty agreement and review across both Parliament and US Congress.
The committee is reviewing the rules, which allow law enforcement and intelligence agencies from Australia and the US to obtain data from telecommunication and social media companies within each others' jurisdictional borders, two years after the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act passed US Congress.
Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews announced the landmark agreement in December last year, adding it would both enhance cooperation while also protecting the sovereignty of each country.
Law enforcement agencies can request the data from social media companies in relation to "serious crime", but the legislation defines relevant offences as crimes punishable by a minimum jail time of three years or more.
Critics of the proposal have argued the threshold is too low and could be ripe for misinterpretation.