Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) An appropriate authorising officer may vary an authority:
(a) at any time on the authorising officer's own initiative; or
(b) on application under subsection 15GP(1).
(2) A variation may:
(a) extend the period of effect of the authority (subject to subsections (3) and (4)); or
(b) authorise additional persons to engage in controlled conduct for the purposes of the controlled operation and specify:
(i) with respect to additional law enforcement participants--the nature of the controlled conduct that those participants may engage in; and
(ii) with respect to additional civilian participants--the particular controlled conduct (if any) that each such participant may engage in; or
(c) provide that specified persons are no longer authorised to engage in controlled conduct for the purposes of the controlled operation; or
(d) authorise participants in the controlled operation to engage in additional or alternative controlled conduct.
(3) A variation cannot be made that has the effect of extending the period of effect of an urgent authority.
(4) A formal authority must not be varied in such a way that the period of effect of the authority will, after the variation is made, exceed 3 months (including any previous extensions).
(5) An authority must not be varied unless the authorising officer is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the variation will not authorise a significant alteration of the nature of the controlled operation concerned, including an alteration that would change the nature of the criminal offences to which the controlled operation relates.
(6) A variation is not a legislative instrument.