Australian telco industry objects to security Bill

A coalition of ICT industry groups has objected to draft legislation designed to ward Australia's telecom infrastructure against cyberthreats, insisting it would be ineffective and costly to implement.

The coalition, comprising the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Information Industry Association, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association and Communications Alliance, has issued a submission outlining its concerns with the draft Bill as it stands.

The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 is designed to protect telecommunications infrastructure from outside interference.

But the industry groups have expressed a number of concerns with the draft law, stipulating that it goes too far by creating wide-ranging powers for the government to intervene in operational decisions such as buying equipment or choosing vendors.

In addition, the industry has objected to the proposal that the government would be able to demand commercially sensitive information from telecom companies.

According to the coalition, the law as it stands would not deliver the protection the reforms would be aiming to achieve while also imposing significant new costs and red tape on the industry.

The law could also discourage investment in and adoption of new network technologies and impose new costs that would be passed on to consumers. The coalition has meanwhile expressed concern that the draft Bill lacks safe harbour provisions to an extent that would limit information sharing.

“Industry is yet to be convinced that there are sufficient grounds to warrant the proposed reforms and the costs and intrusion into the commercial operations of Australian telecommunications companies and their suppliers that they represent,” the industry coalition said in a statement.

“Given these concerns the group welcomed the recent assurances from the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, and the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis, that the government will closely consider the feedback from industry to ensure a workable outcome can be reached.”

Image courtesy of Yuri Samoilov under CC