A person who undertakes activities on behalf of a foreign principal may be liable to register under the scheme established by this Act, depending on who the foreign principal is, the activities the person undertakes and in some cases on the person's former status.

Certain information about registrants and their activities is made publicly available.

A registrant has various responsibilities under the scheme. In general terms, these responsibilities are aimed at ensuring that the Secretary has up to date information about the activities of registrants, especially during voting periods for federal elections.

In addition, any person who undertakes communications activity that is registrable in relation to a foreign principal must make a disclosure about the foreign principal. This applies whether or not the person is a registrant.

Penalties apply for persons who are liable to register under the scheme and do not register, and for those who fail to fulfil responsibilities under the scheme.