A cybersecurity industry advisory board will be appointed in the coming months to support the delivery of the Commonwealth Cyber Uplift Plan, according to the National Cybersecurity Coordinator. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuiness on Tuesday said the advisory board will be made up of “large providers” that already support the government’s cybersecurity operations and uplift plan,…
Home Affairs has added $2.8 million of professional services to support its decade-long $30 million investment in Pegasystems, but has ruled out any attempt at another government-wide platform based on the US provider’s software. Plans for a reusable ‘Permissions Capability’ platform built on a Pegasytems were abandoned in 2022 after Accenture failed to deliver its…
In this episode of New Politics, we analyse the latest federal cabinet reshuffle orchestrated by the Prime Minister, a strategic move likely aimed at fortifying the government ahead of the upcoming election.
The most significant change is Tony Burke becoming the new Minister for Home Affairs, a portfolio fraught with challenges since its creation by Malcolm Turnbull in 2017.
We also discuss the economic concerns surrounding the recent rise in inflation to 3.8%, examining how this affects consumer sentiment and electoral behavior. The political ramifications of inflation on the upcoming federal election and the electorate’s perception of the Labor government are also covered.
Corruption issues take centre stage as we look at the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s lack of investigations into significant corruption cases, including the Robodebt scandal. We assess the controversial decision of the Australian Federal Police not to pursue former Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his involvement in the Robodebt scheme and we discuss the fallout from Gladys Berejiklian’s failed appeal against findings of serious corrupt conduct and the public’s desire for a more effective federal anti-corruption commission.
Barnaby Joyce’s reprehensible comments about bullets at an anti-renewable energy rally are highlighted, showcasing the dangers of irresponsible political rhetoric and the broader implications for political discourse in Australia are also explored.
Finally, we examine the behind-the-scenes legal battle involving Rupert Murdoch and his children over the future control of News Corporation. A real-life episode of Succession! We consider the potential impact on the media landscape in the US, UK, and Australia, and the ongoing influence of the Murdoch media empire on global politics. Tune in to New Politics for an in-depth analysis of these critical developments and their potential impact on Australia’s political landscape.
Song listing:
‘Confessions Of A Window Cleaner’, Ed Keupper.
‘Effloresce And Deliquesce’, The Chills.
‘Wherever We Go’, Vera Blue.
‘Praise You’, Fat Boy Slim.
Music interludes:
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The Home Affairs department has made “limited progress” towards cybersecurity strategy actions aimed at bringing the federal government into line with its expectations of the private sector. Six months after handing down the strategy, three of the five actions focused on uplifting public sector cybersecurity have made only “limited progress [or have] yet to be…
A fleet of Chinese-made drones grounded by Australia’s border agency over national security concerns have been swapped out for US-built technology vetted by the US Department of Defense. The new drones, which are poised to enter service in less than two months, will close a capability gap stemming from the agency’s decision to suspend and…
The federal government has given agencies 12 months to link up with the national automated cyber threat sharing platform after struggling to get voluntary buy-in over the last two years. The platform, built by consulting giant Deloitte at a cost of nearly $50 million, was introduced by Australia’s cyber agency in 2021 after demands from…
The Defence department will need to find more than $270 million in savings over the next four years as part of the Albanese government’s extended purge of contractors and consultants. Ahead of the federal Budget earlier this month, the government revealed it would shave a further $1 billion off its external labour spend, bringing total…
Home Affairs’ technology environment is at “significant risk of failure”, according to an independent review that says there is no plan to fix the more than 190 IT systems that have now reached end of life. The review into the mega department also reveals a heavy and ongoing reliance on contractors in its technology group…
Two more Australian tech companies have been cleared to carry protected-level public sector data under the federal government’s Hosting Certification Framework, as an existing provider questions the value of accreditation for SMEs. The companies, hosting provider Ironstar and managed services provider Centorrino Technologies, both based in Melbourne, recently gained the coveted ‘certified strategic’ accreditation, according…
A cut-down version of the government data hosting rules that currently apply to data centres and cloud storage will be extended to cloud software and third-party IT services under the second iteration of the Hosting Certification Framework. The proposed carve-out for software-as-a-service and managed service providers comes as the Department of Home Affairs continues a…
A parliamentary inquiry into the federal government’s failed upgrade of visa technology has been expanded to include other trouble-plagued IT projects from the last six years, dragging more public servants and suppliers into the firing line. The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit in November announced the inquiry into the two most recent attempts to replace…
Foreign nationals who present an “unreasonable risk of unwanted critical technology knowledge transfer” in areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing could have their visas cancelled from April under newly activated migration powers. The regulations, which come amid a crackdown on student admissions to place downward pressure on migration, also empower the Albanese government to…
The federal government’s cyber hubs program was scrapped after an independent evaluation found the model would not have resulted in a significant cybersecurity uplift or prevented an Optus-style data breach. The report also found that the program, piloted at a cost of $80 million, would have required at least $500 million to formally establish within…
Home Affairs officials, consultants and technology suppliers will be asked to explain a failed visa privatisation attempt, its abandoned replacement and their controversial procurements to Parliament’s powerful audit committee. On Thursday, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit chaired by Labor MP Julian Hill announced a new inquiry to examine the Department of Home…
Mike Pezzullo is still receiving his near $1 million salary despite being stood down as secretary to the Department of Home Affairs over concerns about his relationship with a Liberal Party powerbroker and lobbyist, even as it remains unclear if an inquiry into the incident will be released. At the first Senate Estimates hearing since…
Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo was stood down on Monday pending the outcome of an investigation into the messages he sent a Liberal Party powerbroker. The messages reportedly sought to promote conservative politicians, discredit other senior public servants, revamp the national security system and introduce a media censorship regime. Federal Cabinet was briefed later on…
Dozens more critical infrastructure assets considered the most susceptible to attack from malicious cyber actors have been declared nationally significant by the Albanese government, including at least one data storage and processing facility. Home Affairs minister Clare O’Neil has designated another 87 assets as systems of national significance under Australia’s critical infrastructure laws, almost doubling…
The federal government has introduced new rules requiring 100 of its largest agencies to appoint chief information security officers, boosting cyber security leadership in Canberra at a time of escalating risk. The mandate follows years of indifference to cybersecurity controls in government, with the most recent assessment of Commonwealth cyber posture showing 90 per cent…
A “double standard” has emerged in Australia’s technology regulations, with step-in powers for cyber spooks to take control of a company’s network similar to those at the heart of concerns that led to companies like Huawei being banned from 5G networks, the AIIA has warned. In a speech to the Tech in Gov conference in…
Responsibility for biometrics and identity policy in the federal government, as well as the controversial national facial recognition database that remains non-operational, will move under Attorney General Mark Dreyfus to be closer to the lead cybercrime agency. On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed off on an Administrative Arrangements Order that will see identity and…
Controversial facial recognition laws previously rejected by Parliament’s intelligence and security committee could be reintroduced in “parallel” with the Albanese government’s new digital identity legislation. As the timeline for the expansion of the Australian Government Digital Identity System (AGDIS) across the broader economy becomes clear, new documents have shed light on long-lost legislation for a…
The Australian government’s cyber experts were not consulted on the awarding of a $23 million grant to an industry body without tender to train thousands of “cyber wardens”, while Treasury has yet to detail how it managed any conflicts of interest in awarding grant without a competitive process. In the May Budget the Albanese government…
The Department of Home Affairs is preparing advice for the Albanese government on the risks of “authoritarian vendors” after departments spent the last six months ripping out security equipment manufactured in China and removing the TikTiok app from officials’ phones. The department has already delivered a report to Home Affairs minister Clare O’Neil with a…
Air Force Commander Darren Goldie will lead the federal government’s cybersecurity incident response efforts as its inaugural national cybersecurity coordinator. Air Vice-Marshall Goldie will take up the role leading the new National Office for Cyber Security on July 3, three months later than was originally envisaged. His appointment follows the recent hack on law firm…
The Department of Home Affairs has paid consulting giant McKinsey more than twice what it originally planned for work on the upcoming national cyber strategy, topping up its contract by $1.3 million last month to help meet “urgent timelines”. CyberCX and legal firm Clyde and Co have also been brought in to assist the department…
The Department of Home Affairs “departed” from its initial tender requirements in awarding Accenture the contract for the permission capability platform, according to an audit which calls into questions the procurement’s value for money assumptions. The audit also revealed former employment minister Stuart Robert was present at an off-record meeting with the consultancy after it…
The whole-of-government permissions capability platform devised by consultants and built by external contractors has been scrapped after the government sunk at least two years and $16.5 million into the project, which failed to deliver a working use case. The abandonment marks the third failed attempt by the former government to upgrade visa processing technology, with…
The national office being stood up by the federal government to coordinate its cyber security efforts and respond to incidents will operate without any additional funding initially, the Department of Home Affairs has revealed. Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the government would create a National Office for Cyber Security, led by a new…
The Department of Home Affairs spent more than $500 million on “failed ICT outsourcing projects” in recent years, according to the public sector union, which has accused the department of “turning its back” on staff. The broadside comes as scrutiny of government procurement mounts and service wide bargaining begins for the Australian Public Service. “The…
Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo says data localisation requirements currently under consideration by the federal government could prove fruitful for the local data storage and processing sector in Australia. Speaking after an address at the department’s own Cyber and Infrastructure Security Conference, Mr Pezzullo remarked that any policy to store certain datasets onshore could have…