The Australian Government has operated insider threat programs since Australia’s federation in 1901, though the programs may not have been named ‘insider threat’. The private sector around the world including banks, miners of precious metals and stones, and lawyers have over centuries also operated insider threat programs to protect their assets and operations. Since 2001, triggered […]
On 27 March 2025, the Transport Security Amendment (Security of Australia’s Transport Sector) Act 2025 (TSA Act) received Royal Assent. This landmark legislation substantially reforms the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 (ATSA) and the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 (MTOFSA), modernising Australia’s transport security framework to address a rapidly evolving threat landscape. One of the most significant amendments under
A May 2025 insider threat at Canberra Hospital highlights key CIRMP compliance lessons under Australia’s SOCI Act, emphasizing personnel security and insider risk detection.
As the regulatory environment for Australian critical infrastructure grows more stringent, boards and directors of ‘responsible entities’ covered by the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act) must pay close attention to their oversight obligations in relation to security risks. As responsible entities are preparing to submit their annual report to the regulator Department of Home Affairs
Prologue Critical infrastructure is a fundamental enabler of Australia’s national security. Australian governments over decades have recognised the need to protect critical infrastructure from evolving threats as a component of national security yet have offered policy guidance with little effective action. Government has put the onus for action onto the private sector to protect nationally critical
In the National Interest: Critical Infrastructure as a National Security Priority Read More »
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In today’s increasingly digital operating environments, organisations rely more than ever on technological solutions and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor insider threats. Sophisticated systems now track access to data, analyse sentiment, and detect behavioural anomalies. While AI can analyse data patterns and flag deviations from the norm, it lacks the nuanced, contextual understanding that humans bring. Often,
What happens when someone inside the system, entrusted with national secrets, begins to see another country as their true allegiance? This is the dilemma posed by insider threats – trusted individuals who, whether by intent or negligence, cause harm to the organisations that trust them and rely on them. Within the Australian federal government exists a
Trusted Workforce: the trusted worker with ideological challenges Read More »
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“Foreign interference is no longer a hypothetical threat – it is active, evolving, and targeting the systems that underpin our nation’s security.” Mike Burgess, ASIO Director-General, 2025 Threat Assessment According to the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment delivered by ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, foreign interference and espionage are occurring at “extreme levels” and are “set to increase further”. The
Reporting in March 2025 exposed that Ambulance Victoria had suffered an insider threat event. Media reported that Ambulance Victoria suspected that a “rogue member of staff” had stolen personal and financial data of up to 3,000 Ambulance Victoria members. Reportedly, this ‘rogue member’ had recently ended their employment with Ambulance Victoria, but before they left, on their final day,
Insider Threat – Ambulance Victoria Read More »
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A lesson from history – why workers today might sabotage emerging workplace technology. The tsunami of artificial intelligence – AI – that has swamped many facets of peoples’ lives, communications, IT-based activities, leisure, and employment is relentless, and the flooding will likely penetrate even further into the uplands of society and the economy. The force of
Insider Threat – Luddites in the workplace Read More »
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