A NSW bill introduced on 6 August 2026 would let police enforce an order to unlock your phone at an arrest, a roadside stop or other lawful detention, with no search warrant sitting underneath it. Refusing on the grounds that complying would incriminate you is not a reasonable excuse under the bill. The order can be made against someone police only believe has knowledge of an organised crime offence, not just a suspect.
Nobody publishes how many phones get opened. The NSW Police annual report doesn’t count them, the NSW Crime Commission says it does not publish the figure, and nothing in the bill requires the data to ever be deleted. Digital evidence access orders have been law since February 2023 without a single published number. We asked the Police Minister’s office about this. It said it would come back to us. It hasn’t.
Surveillance State. NSW Police to seize mobile phone data without a warrant
Josh is a professional musician and cameraman who is now working with Michael West Media to develop The West Report and other visual content across major social media channels
