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27 August 2007
U.S. and EU passenger data sharing
The United States signed an agreement with the European Union at the end of July to streamline its Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.
Under the agreement, the US Department of Homeland Security will collect 19 types of PNR data which will be maintained in an active file for seven year, and then a further eight years in a dormant file with limited access, to enable threat investigation over a period of years.
Additionally, air carriers will now transmit PNR data directly to the Department of Homeland Security without European air carriers being in breech of European privacy law.
The data will also be protected to maintain privacy standards in both the US and European Union.
The agreement is available to read here.
New requirements on the use of plastic explosives will apply from the 25 th August following Australia 's accession to the United Nations Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection ( Montreal , 1991).
It will become an offence to manufacture, possess, traffic or import and export unmarked plastic explosives, unless under written authorisation from the Attorney-General.
According to the Attorney-General's Department, a written authorisation will only be issued when the unmarked explosives will be used:
- by Australian manufacturers for a 6 month period until 25 February 2008;
- by users of existing stocks of unmarked plastic explosives until 25 August 2010;
- for defence and / or police purposes;
- for research, development, testing of explosives or explosives detection equipment, training in explosives detection or forensic science.
Further information about the requirements for Plastic Explosives is available here.
Australia and Indonesia hosted the APEC Emergency Management CEOs' in Cairns Seminar on 20-23 August.
The theme for the seminar was "enhancing economies' emergency preparedness" and it encouraged participants to cooperate across the region on developing greater preparedness for disasters.
The seminar sessions focussed on issues such as APEC emergency priorities and challenges, economic impacts of disasters, health issues, institutional arrangements, crisis communication and regional arrangements and mechanisms.
This is the first time the heads of emergency management agencies from the 21 APEC economies have gathered to focus on preparedness, response and recovery issues that occur from both natural and human-caused emergencies.
Kevin Rudd announced a new Labor National Security Policy at his speech to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on 9 th August.
Rudd reiterated the following principles as integral to strong security policy:
- A commitment to spending on Defence with a focus on value for money, not cutting funding.
- Maintaining an alliance with friends and allies, particularly the United States .
- A stable, global, multilateral order to enhance wider security and economic interests.
- A defence force that focuses both on domestic defence and the needs of allies and peacekeeping operations.
- Rational defence planning for Australia 's future force structure that is mindful of relative regional capabilities while enabling us to have the edge in technology, equipment and personnel.
While maintaining strong ties with the United States was one of the policy principles, Rudd also conceded that our relationship should be strong enough to withstand disagreements.
Rudd's announcement of the new Labor National Security Policy can be read here.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has launched 22 new firearms and explosives detection canine teams to boost security in the lead up to APEC.
Following APEC, the 22 sworn handlers will undertake further training with a second dog trained in drug detection so they can be used in drug detection at Australia 's 11 major airports.
In addition, the Attorney-General announced $4 million in additional funding to NSW Police to train helicopter crews and pilots, as well as $500,000 to lease a small Cessna aircraft to assist in airspace patrol.
The Australian Government has committed $169.1 million over six years for APEC security planning.
Calls from members of the public to the National Security Hotline have passed the 100,000 mark.
The hotline was launched in December 2002 and around half the calls received have been referred to the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and relevant State and Territory Police.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has contributed $250,000 to enable the Australian Regional Office of Guild Air Pilots and Air Navigators to develop a new aviation threat and error management training course for passenger and general aviation operations.
The course will be delivered around Australia from August 24 and is based on a threat and management model developed from findings of a University of Texas research project on airline crew performance.
The Australian Government introduced the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007 into Parliament last week to establish a national framework for reporting greenhouse emissions, abatement actions and energy consumption and production by corporations.
The framework will operate from the 1 July 2008 and underpin the Australian Emissions Trading System.
Information and consultation sessions will be held around Australia at the end of August.
The Bill can be read here.
The Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) has met with Prime Minister John Howard and Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd to discuss a new policy document aimed at investing in Australia 's capital cities.
The Prime Minister committed to two meetings a year with the Council, which is comprised of the Lord Mayor's of Melbourne , Sydney , Brisbane , Hobart , Adelaide , Darwin and Perth , and the ACT Minister for Territory and Municipal Services.
The policy statement seeks Commonwealth investment in Council programs to build national prosperity and enhance productivity and competitiveness.
The CCCLM has committed to:
- Providing a key point of contact in capital cities for emergency agencies, event managers and Government departments concerned with city safety and security issues;
- Providing the Australian Government with a virtual think tank/sounding board for city safety and security issues;
- Participating in multi-jurisdiction exercises and major events as they affect the face of capital city communities;
- Developing project proposals for submission to the Australian Government that enhance community safety; and,
- Engaging with the Australian Government to provide current local knowledge of capital city communities to enhance security and major events planning.
The CCCLM policy statements can be accessed here.
Address to UN Association of Australia & Medical Association for the Prevention of War
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Robert McClelland gave an address to the UN Association of Australia & Medical Association for the Prevention of War.
The speech, entitled A New Agenda for Australia in Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, outlines the need for an international convention on nuclear weapons and further commitment to efficient disarmament.
"There is no more important issue to international security than nuclear non proliferation and disarmament," Mr McClelland said.
The address can be read here.
A new National Centre for Forensic Studies has been opened at the University of Canberra .
The centre is a collaboration between the University of Canberra , the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and will be a key tool in training forensic scientists and developing new crime scene investigation techniques.
The Director General of ASIO delivered an address to the Defence + Industry Conference this week entitled Countering Espionage in the 21 st Century .
The address raised the continued threat of espionage and the need to focus on counter-espionage activities as well as counter-terrorism goals.
The address can be read here.
New penalties have been put in place for breeching plane security following the passing of a Bill that provides for up to two years imprisonment or fines of up to $5,500.
The Bill amends the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to make it an offence to threaten the safety of an aircraft from outside the aircraft and amends the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 to make it an offence to commit acts off an airport that disrupt the operations of a security controlled airport.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services Mark Vaile, this will assist in penalising irresponsible users of lasers.
Mr Vaile said there have been over 170 reports of laser lights being directed at aircraft since 2006 and the number is increasing.
A partnership between Defence, DMO, and DEST will see the creation of the Defence Future Capability Technology Centre to facilitate collaboration between publicly funded research organisations, leading universities and defence industry.
Applications for participation in the Centre will be accepted from universities, industry and publicly funded research agencies in the areas of High Energy Electromagnetics, Electronic Warfare Self Protection, Materials Sciences, Autonomous Systems and Robotics, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Defence, and Integrated Battlespace and Systems Integration.
Applications are open until the 14 September 2007.
The guidelines for application and application forms are available here.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock unveiled a new emergency management plan designed to assist remote Indigenous Communities in times of natural disaster.
The strategy is entitled 'Keeping Our Mob Safe' and was funded by Emergency Management Australia (EMA) through the Working Together to Manage Emergencies initiative.
"The key to ensuring that remote Indigenous communities are well prepared for disasters is to support community emergency management planning, ensure involvement of community leaders in decision making, provide education about natural disasters, and empower Indigenous people through emergency management training," Mr Ruddock said.
The 'Keeping Our Mob Safe' strategy report is available here.
The Queensland Parliament unanimously passed four amendments to its Terrorism (Preventative Detention) Act 2005 to ensure Queenslanders are protected while detained people retain their legal rights.
The amendments allow for:
- A strip search at the time a person under preventative detention is taken into custody, without a warrant.
- Unmonitored contact between a detained person and their lawyer- provided their lawyer holds a security clearance.
- Detained persons to have access to legal representation
- Activities or records created under the Act to be exempt from Freedom of Information Laws.
The Australian Government has released guidelines for its $22 million Remote Aerodrome Safety Programme to improve the safety of airstrips in remote areas of Australia .
Funding will be available to repair and upgrade runway surfaces, safety equipment and infrastructure such animal proof fences, but will not cover terminals, buildings, hangars or on-airport commercial development.
The funding will be provided on a joint basis with the State or Territory Government and the airstrip owner.
Applications for funding of eligible projects in 2007-08 will be open until 28 September 2007.
The program guidelines and application forms are available here.
Colour coded alert system in Victorian Schools
A new colour coded alert system is being rolled out in Victorian schools to communicate with parents about danger levels at their child's school.
The new system will apply to all government schools with aims to extend it into the non-government school sector.
The four colour system will enable information from Victoria Police or other authorities to be forwarded through the Education Department's Emergency & Security Management Unit to principals, teachers, parents and students more efficiently.
The four new risk categories are:
Code Green - For information only, such as reports of severe weather or flooding. Principal and school management team will be prepared for further information which may require action.
Code Amber - Inform staff to be vigilant, such as reports of a thief in the vicinity targeting staff belongings and vehicles. Principals must report any sightings to police on 000.
Code Red - Inform school community, such as reports of a known sex offender in the vicinity. Principals will reinforce safety procedures with staff and students, report any sightings, and inform parents and carers of the situation.
Code Black - Lockdown or evacuate school or excursion/campsite in designated area, such as reports of a police operation or major emergency in the area, such as a bushfire. Principals will implement immediate lock down or evacuation procedures in accordance with their School Emergency Plan.
Victorian taxi safety
The Victorian Government has announced the Victorian Taxi Safety Strategy following a series of recommendations from the Taxi Industry Safety Taskforce.
Over the next 18 months the following eight actions will be delivered:
- Improved driver education: A new component of the Taxi Driver Training Course will be developed and introduced specifically aimed at preventing and dealing with violent confrontation commencing in January 2008. The Victorian Government will also undertake regular audits of this training course to ensure that training standards are adhered to.
- Safe city taxi ranks: Three new safe city taxi ranks will be introduced in Richmond , St Kilda and Bendigo . The safe ranks will be staffed by security personnel in peak times and provide a safe environment for passengers and drivers. These ranks will begin operation from late 2007.
- New security cameras: Development of specifications for the next generation of taxi cameras. These new cameras will be progressively phased in from January 2009.
- Research into protection screens: Research and development of an improved driver protection screen. An extended trial of the new design of screen will commence in 2009.
- Taxi driver safety pack : All active taxi drivers will be sent a package of safety related material. This will include a driver safety card and the Taxi Driver Safety hand-book 'Your Guide to a Safer Workplace'.
- Victims of crime information: Information and advice will be supplied to drivers on state-wide victims of crime support services.
- A safer workplace: A program of education and awareness around Occupational Health & Safety requirements for taxi drivers, operators and networks. The program is being developed by the Victorian WorkCover Authority with the first stage to be delivered this month.
- Ongoing taxi driver support and representation: The Victorian Taxi Directorate will continue to provide support to the Victorian Taxi Drivers Association as a forum for taxi drivers to discuss and voice issues in the industry.
An industry consultation paper on expanding the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) avionics is open for comments.
The Consultation Paper was prepared by Airservices Australia , the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) in consultation with Defence and aims to make Australian traffic management safer and more efficient.
The paper proposes that from 2014 most aircraft operating in Australia would rely on ADS-B for en route surveillance, and GNSS for en route and approach guidance at regional airports.
Comments on the consultation paper should be provided to DOTARS at ADSB@dotars.gov.au by 31 October 2007.
The consultation paper can be read here.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has released an audit report into the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's (DIAC) implementation of nine recommendations made by the ANAO in an earlier audit.
The report found that DIAC had significantly improved IT security of its Electronic Travel Authority e-visas and Movement Alert List systems but could do more to validate data and information received.
The Audit Report can be read here.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has released Lessons for Public Administration in response to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's past cases of wrongful detention of people.
The report outlines 10 lessons that public administration can take into account including simple things like keeping accurate records or avoiding assumptions.
As part of the report, the Ombudsman's Office examined 247 cases in which a person was detained and later released between 2000 and 2007.
The report can be accessed here.
The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine has conducted a snapshot of the emergency departments of over 70 Australian hospitals, revealing a major decline in function.
This is third snapshot conducted by the College to measure access block in Australian hospitals.
Access block occurs when patients who need hospital admission have to wait more than 8 hours in the Emergency Department before they can receive an inpatient bed.
The data was analysed by the Road Trauma and Emergency Medicine Unit of the Australian National University and found that over a third more patients experienced access block than in the last study in 2004.
A summary of the results can be found here.
The International Crisis Group has released a report on the implications of climate change on international conflict.
The report discusses climate change and how its disproportionate effect worldwide will lead to further conflict issues and competition for resources.
The report can be accessed here.
The Task Force on Muslim American Civic and Political Engagement has released its report.
The task force found that while Muslim-American's are a well-educated and diverse group, they lack strong institutions and recognisable public or political voices to gain regular access to government and media circles.
The report called for greater Muslim-American engagement to prevent alienation.
The task force report can be found here.
The US National Institute of Justice has commissioned a study to assess what is known about identity theft and what further research is needed.
The study found that the majority of identity fraud is undertaken by people the victim knows, and that the longer the fraud goes undetected the higher the loss will be and the harder it will be to prosecute.
The full report can be accessed here.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has published a paper analysing the Australian media and terrorism.
The paper was written by Anthony Bergin and Raspal Khosa and considers several key areas including media coverage of a terrorist attack, the period after a terrorist attack and ways to improve preparedness of the media to cover a terrorist attack and assist in bolstering national security.
The paper can be read here.
Two key reports into radicalisation have come out of the United States .
Firstly, the New York Police Department has released a report into the radicalisation process which suggests that the focus needs to shift from targeting terrorist groups to targeting the initial radicalisation of the "unremarkable" person.
The report can be read here.
Secondly, the RAND Corporation has released a testimony entitled Building an Army of Believers: Jihadist Radicalisation and Recruitment which looks at how jihadists recruit and radicalise in the United States .
The testimony can be read here.
The American National Governor's Association has released the Governor's Guide to Energy Assurance to help governors ensure the security of energy infrastructure and plan for energy emergencies.
The guide provides an overview of the US energy sector and its vulnerabilities, and provides recommendations for ensuring the safety of energy supply.
The guide can be downloaded here .
The US Council on Competitiveness has released a report entitled The Resilient Economy: Integrating Competitiveness and Security.
The report states that the ability to manage emerging security risks, such as terrorism and climate change, will be a competitive differentiator for companies and countries in the 21 st Century.
The report is available here.
The Unisys Security Index, a product of Newspoll, has been released.
The poll shows that National security is still the number one concern, with personal and financial security increasing in importance.
The full results can be found here.
The Australian Department of Defence with Engineers Australia and WorleyParsons is holding a seminar entitled Reconstruction During Conflict - A Whole of Government Approach in Canberra from 10-11 September 2007.
The seminar will address reconstruction lessons learned internationally and look at ways to improve Australia 's whole-of-government approach to reconstruction during a conflict.
Further information and registration details are available here.
Biometrics Institute Technology Exhibition
The third Biometrics Institute Technology Exhibition will be held in Canberra on the 21 st November, 2007.
The exhibition will provide insight into the latest developments in biometric technologies and will also include an exclusive Closed-Door Government Session to provide updates on biometrics and privacy, identity management and biometric applications.
Further information can be accessed here.
The 6 th Safeguarding Australia Summit and Exposition will be held in Canberra on 3 & 4 October, 2007.
This year's summit has a new, highly interactive format designed to engage the expertise of delegates and will address such issues as international and domestic terrorism, climate change security challenges, pandemic and biological threats, espionage, and the 2007 Federal election and national security.
Further information and registration details are available here.
The Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) Security Technology Conference will be held in Melbourne on the 28 September, 2007.
The conference will include four workshops including decision support tools for incident management, blast modelling and analysis, smart surveillance, and social science.
More information is available here.
As part of the Australian Homeland Security Research Centre's 2007 Election Series, Labor candidate for Eden Monaro Mike Kelly will be speaking on the impact of national security on the elections at the local level.
The event will be held at the International Affairs Conference Centre in Canberra on the 6 th September, with a light lunch commencing at 12pm.
Further information and booking details are available here.
The 2007 Mass Transport Security Conference will be held in Melbourne from the 7-8 November 2007.
If you would like to present at the conference, please email or phone Athol Yates on (02) 6251 5100 or athol.yates@homelandsecurity.org.au
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