Richardson made dozens of recommendations for how such a new Act should work, and 203 recommendations in total. It took an entire year for the government to respond, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on business, but eventually, in its formal response of December 2020, it agreed that such a reform was needed. Indeed, the government agreed, or agreed in principle, to the vast majority of Richardson's unclassified recommendations. "The central area for reform is a new electronic surveillance Act, which will be a new landmark in Australia's national intelligence legislation," the government wrote. "A new electronic surveillance Act will be generational in its impact. This legislation will require careful and detailed consideration, with extensive public consultation, to establish a framework that will support Australia's intelligence collection and law enforcement agencies in the years to come."