The Australian Government has begun consultation on urgent legislative reforms to further protect Australia's critical infrastructure from threats.
The consultation is the first phase in the Government's response to the Independent Review into the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act) undertaken by Dr Jill Slay AM and tabled in parliament.
The SOCI Act is a world leading framework that strengthens the government's capacity to manage national security risks such as espionage, sabotage and coercion arising from foreign involvement in Australia's critical infrastructure. The framework places responsibility on asset owners and operators of critical infrastructure to manage risks across all-hazards, including cyber and information security, physical, personnel and supply chain domains.
Since its commencement in 2018, the Act has undergone significant reform, expanding coverage to additional sectors and introducing obligations such as mandatory cyber incident reporting.
The Review found that the SOCI Act significantly strengthened national security and resilience, established baseline governance and accountability structures, increased awareness on national security issues and created a common language for discussing critical infrastructure risks across sectors.
The Review made six recommendations, aimed at reducing complexity and improving the agility of the SOCI Act to respond to emerging threats.
The Government has accepted all six of the report's recommendations in principle and will respond to the recommendations in two tranches.
Public consultation on the first tranche of reforms begins today with the release of:
- a consultation paper on proposed reforms to the Ministerial Directions power within the SOCI Act
- exposure draft Enhanced Risk Management Program Rules, which incorporate feedback from extensive consultation with industry stakeholders.
Tranche two will seek to refine the SOCI Act, considering both legislative changes and improved guidance to ensure industry and Government continue to work collaboratively on protecting the assets and systems that support all Australians.
Consultation on Tranche 1 will run until 1 May 2026. For more information see Consultation on proposed amendments to Ministerial Directions Powers and the Exposure Draft of the enhancements to the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program Rules under the SOCI Act.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke MP
"Critical infrastructure, essential services such as energy, water, food, healthcare, transport networks, financial and data systems, and communications are vital to Australia's prosperity and security.
"The evolution of Australia's world leading critical infrastructure security framework has fundamentally shifted the way Australia approaches resilience and security but as the threat environment continues to evolve and new technologies emerge, there is more we must do."
"The Australian Government is committed to continuing to work closely with industry on these important reforms, to ensure we protect our country from threats to our economy, our stability and our way of life."
