How We Think

Concern around Australia’s import-heavy trade relationships is hardly new. And infiltration of our supply chain need not be widespread to cause exponentially disruptive effects. Yet our current options are limited: even the least-worst option is prohibitively expensive and is unlikely to be implementable in the time we need

Data breaches – in this day and age, who hasn’t been on the wrong side of one? Their sheer frequency, from large-scale attacks like Optus and Medibank, to the now-regular drip of phone notifications for compromised passwords, has created a sense of grim normality. Arguably, data breaches are ‘the norm’ – if you consider that 9.7 million people (more than one in three Australians) had their personal data exposed in the Medibank breach. But those facts should not breed complacency, especially for organisations that handle personal information as part of their day-to-day operations. It is crucial for these organisations to understand and actively implement all ‘reasonable steps,’ including cybersecurity measures, to protect Australians’ personal data.

For those of us with an interest in spy and thriller movies where they track down people in near real time using facial recognition technology (FRT), Australia’s Privacy Commissioner brought that issue ‘home’ in a landmark determination against much-loved Aussie home and hardware store, Bunnings Group. According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Bunnings had not received meaningful consent to use FRT so as to compare hundreds of thousands of customers’ images of individuals who’d been observed stealing or had been violent or threatening towards staff.

Federal agencies must carefully choose ERP systems, ensuring competition, strategic evaluation, and long-term efficiency.

Australian government agencies are moving to the cloud at full speed, driven by the need for better service delivery, scalability and digital transformation.  With initiatives like the Secure Cloud Strategy, the Cloud Computing Policy and the new APS ERP approach, cloud-based services are being embraced with gusto across the public service.

Government has, understandably, sought to ensure service providers act ethically and do not engage in practices that can be considered unethical. That raises the ethical question – can and should consultants working within an agency use information gleaned from that agency? Stated another way, are we letting the foxes have the run of the chicken coop? The simple answer to that question is – there is no simple answer to that question.