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The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has endorsed the use of the Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms (TSSR), making six recommendations to improve its continued operation and address industry concerns.
The TSSR reforms were enacted in September 2018 to help manage the national security risks of espionage, sabotage and foreign interference in Australia’s telecommunications networks and facilities.
The Committee commenced a review in late 2020 to ensure the operation, effectiveness and implications of the reforms were being achieved in line with the original intention of the government and the PJCIS when legislated in 2018.
The Committee today presented its recommendations which address industry concerns on the operation of the existing framework, as well as to complement the continued evolution of the government’s cybersecurity and critical infrastructure reform agenda.
The six recommendations cover:
- ensuring that reforms and regulation are informed by the latest global network trends and threats;
- ensuring that the aim of increased security and cyber-resilience is a central object of the Telecommunications Act 1997; and
- increasing government and industry collaboration and information sharing in a collaborative working environment to ensure that threat-sharing is efficient, and that any further reforms are co-designed between industry and government to avoid regulatory duplication.
Chair of the Committee, Senator James Paterson said the lives and livelihoods of Australians depended on safe and secure telecommunication networks and facilities.
‘When our economy and way of life is so heavily reliant on telecommunication networks, this is an area of vulnerability that can be exploited by both state and non-state actors who may seek to cause us harm,’ Senator Paterson said.
‘That’s why we need appropriate safeguards that empower both service providers and the government to protect our networks from national security risks.
The Committee’s recommendations aim to refine the current operation of the reforms to help secure the telecommunications sector, to protect our economy and national security,’ Senator Paterson said.
