INTELLIGENCE SERVICE – AUSTRALIA

Tech giants face $10m fines under security laws

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 14-Aug-18

The federal government will introduce new laws that aim to boost efforts to detect terrorist and criminal activity via electronic surveillance. The laws, which were developed in consultation with telcos, internet firms and telecommunications device makers, include fines of up to $10 million for companies that refuse to provide access to secret data. They have been introduced after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull complained in 2017 that terrorists and criminals are using secret message services such as WhatsApp to avoid surveillance; he promised to take action to require technology firms to work with law enforcement agencies to detect such activity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Coalition cautioned on super ministry

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 12-Dec-17

There is growing speculation that the Federal Government could create its proposed ministry of home affairs before Christmas. The so-called super-ministry was slated to be set up by mid-2018, and will place federal agencies such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force within a single ministerial portfolio for the first time. Labor’s Mark Dreyfus says Immigration Minister Peter Dutton should not be sworn in as the home affairs minister until the enabling legislation has been passed by parliament.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Crackdown on terror funding

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 22-Nov-17

AUSTRAC and its fellow finance intelligence units within South East Asia are to share information in an attempt to clamp down on the funding of terrorism. Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan will announce the formation of the Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism Financing Working Group on 22 November, with Keenan noting that terrorists are capable of creating significant damage with just small sums of money. The 2002 Bali Bombings are said to be have been carried out with funding of less than $A100,000.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS, PHILIPPINES. ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COUNCIL

Jury out on Turnbull security overhaul

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 19-Jul-17

Professor John Blaxland of the Australian National University is among those to have questioned the merits of the Federal Government’s move to create a national security "super-portfolio". Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton will be in charge of the new Department of Home Affairs, which will embrace his existing portfolio as well as agencies such as ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and AUSTRAC. Some members of the Liberal Party’s moderate faction have also expressed reservations about the changes.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIAN CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF TRANSPORT SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL SECURITY LEGISLATION MONITOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

PM to opt for security super agency

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Jul-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears set to go ahead with the creation of a new national security "super-portfolio". The proposed new department, which would be headed by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, would see Dutton assume control of agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and ASIO, along with border protection. The concept does not have total support within the Coalition, with Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop among those to have previously expressed misgivings about the idea.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, GREAT BRITAIN. HOME OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Telcos to get metadata storage cash

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Original article by John Kerin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 12-May-15

The Australian Government’s May 2015 Budget will include additional $A450m in funding for national security initiatives. Some $A131m will be allocated to telcos and ISPs to offset the cost of upgrading their systems in order to retain metadata for up to two years under the Government’s data retention laws. Intelligence agencies will receive a $A296m funding increase.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Queries over telcos holding data two years

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Original article by Lisa Cox
The Age – Page: 10 : 30-Jan-15

A Senate inquiry into the new metadata retention bill on 29 January 2015 heard from Federal Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. He argued that the authorities empowered to access the details of telephone calls and internet sessions would usually do so within six to 12 months, and it was therefore not necessary to force telcos and ISPs to store the records for two years. Vivienne Thom, the Inspector-General of Intelligence & Security, also voiced fears the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation may keep the metadata of people no longer deemed a threat

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, SKYPE TECHNOLOGIES SA

Australian jihadists can’t be barred from returning home

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Original article by David Wroe, Mark Kenny
The Age – Page: 11 : 25-Jun-14

A legal hurdle has emerged to the plan of the Australian Government to prevent any citizens who have fought with Jihadist terrorist groups oversees from returning home. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has conceded that the majority of the current 150 or so cases do not involve people with dual nationality. They therefore cannot simply be left stateless by revoking their Australian citizenship. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has foreshadowed new counter-terrorism laws that will boost the powers of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL SECURITY LEGISLATION MONITOR

Business under cyber siege

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Original article by John Kerin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 20-Jun-14

The number of cyber attacks on Australian government agencies and private businesses by foreign hackers rose 21 per cent in 2013. Australian Signals Directorate assistant secretary Joe Franzi told a conference on 19 June 2014 that half of these attacks involved foreign governments. He expects even more cyber attacks to occur in 2014

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS