CRIMES ACT 1914 SECT 76C

(1)

A person who intentionally and without authority:

(a)

destroys, erases or alters data stored in, or inserts data into, a Commonwealth computer;

(b)

interferes with, or interrupts or obstructs the lawful use of, a Commonwealth computer;

(c)

destroys, erases, alters or adds to data stored on behalf of the Commonwealth in a computer that is not a Commonwealth computer; or

(d)

impedes or prevents access to, or impairs the usefulness or effectiveness of, data stored in a Commonwealth computer or data stored on behalf of the Commonwealth in a computer that is not a Commonwealth computer;

is guilty of an offence.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.

(2)

For the purposes of an offence against subsection (1), absolute liability applies to whichever one of the following physical elements of circumstance is relevant to the offence:

(a)

that the computer is a Commonwealth computer;

(b)

that the computer is not a Commonwealth computer.

Note: For absolute liability , see section 6.2 of the Criminal Code .