Tag: Clare O’Neil

Australia to Name and Shame Foreign Interference Actors as Iranian Interference Plot Foiled

Australia will now name and shame countries that perpetrate acts of foreign interference, the Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, has said after Australian spy agencies foiled an Iranian foreign interference plot. Australia’s domestic intelligence agency ASIO identified foreign interference as one of the biggest threats the country currently faces. “It’s time to bring foreign interference…


New Immigration Policy Change Allows Boat Refugees to Bring Family Members to Australia

The Australian government has lifted a restriction that prevents asylum seekers who arrived by boat from bringing family members to the country.  Immigration Minister Andrew Giles recently announced the Labor government had replaced several directions on immigration policy that put reunion application visas by boat refugees under the lowest priority in processing.  The former Coalition…


QUT Confirms Thousands of Staff’s Data Stolen by Hackers

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has confirmed that part of its staff and student data was stolen in a cyber attack last month. The university confirmed on Jan. 20 that data belonging to nearly 2,500 current employees, several former employees, and 17 current and 50 former students was stolen in a cyber attack on…


Calls for Australia to Adopt US-Style ‘Green Card’ Among Proposals to Rejig Migration System

Australian universities are calling for wholesale reforms to the country’s immigration system including one proposal for a U.S.-style green card. In a submission (pdf) to the federal government’s migration review, Universities Australia, which represents tertiary institutions across the country, said complicated visa structures were causing Australia to fall behind other advanced economies in attracting talented…


US Funded Program in Australia to Help Pacific Nations Battle Cybersecurity Threats

A new Australian program supported by the United States will help organisations in 11 Indo-Pacific nations safeguard against emerging cybersecurity threats. Led by researchers at Monash University and Oceania Cyber Security Centre (OCSC) in Melbourne and funded by the United States Department of State, the Post-Quantum Cryptography in the Indo-Pacific Program (PQCIP) aims to help organisations…


Cybersecurity, Foreign Interference Among Biggest Issues Australia Is Facing

Australia is facing “the most dangerous set of strategic circumstances” since the Second World War, according to the Home Affairs Minister. Speaking at the National Press Club on Thursday, Clare O’Neil addressed issues she says Australia is facing, namely cybersecurity, foreign interference, immigration and climate change. She said “new tools of statecraft” are bringing “what…


Government Criticised for Resettling ISIS Families in Sydney Without Community Consultation

The centre-left Labor government’s decision to resettle ISIS families in Australia without consulting with the community has faced fierce pushback from the opposition and an independent MP. It comes after the government repatriated four women and their 13 Australian children from an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Syria to Australia. Home Affairs Minister Clare…


TikTok, Social Media Outlets Voted Least Ethical in Australia: Report

In a strong sign of low confidence in Big Tech, Australians have voted TikTok the least ethical organisation of the year followed by Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. According to the Ethics Index 2022 (pdf) published by the Governance Institute of Australia, the nation’s overall ethics score fell for the second year in a row from…


Cyberattack Saga to Cost Company $35 Million, Says Medibank CEO

The cyberattack on Australia’s largest health insurer Medibank is expected to cost the company up to $35 million (US$24 million). Medibank CEO David Koczkar told the company’s annual general meeting on Nov. 16 that the hack presented an “incredible challenge” but was confident the Medibank team would pull through. “Based on our current actions in response…


Australian Government Considers Outlawing Ranson Payments to Hackers

Australia may soon introduce new laws that ban local companies from paying ransom to hackers if they fall victim to data breaches. Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Insiders program on Nov. 13, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the federal government was considering whether it was necessary to make ransom payments illegal following the…