In February 2022, instruments were put in place to require telecommunications carriers and carriage service providers to supply information to the Register of Critical Infrastructure Assets. This register supports the Australian Government to identify and manage risks to critical infrastructure assets which could cause significant harm to Australia.
The Telecommunications (Carrier License Conditions-Security Information) Declaration 2022 and the Telecommunications (Carriage Service Provider-Security Information) Determination 2022 were registered on 6 July 2022 and commenced on 7 July 2022. These instruments were intended to be in place for a finite period, to allow more permanent legislative amendments to take place.
As the instruments are due to sunset on 7 January 2024 and relevant amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act incorporating telecommunications security reforms will not be in force by that date, the Australian Government is seeking to extend the timeframe of the instruments by a further 18 months. This would extend the instruments from 7 January 2024 to 6 July 2025.
We are seeking the views of Carriers and eligible Carriage Service Providers (eCSPs) on the proposed extension. You can have your say on our website or by providing a written submissions by 17.00 AEDT 13 December 2023.
