Bill
Security of Critical Infrastructure Bill 2018
passed, as at 2018-04-11. Attorney-General portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Attorney-General
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2017-12-07
- second reading — 2017-12-07
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- committee — 2018-03-28
- third reading — 2018-03-28
- introduced — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- third reading — 2018-03-28
- passed — 2018-03-28
- royal assent — 2018-04-11
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2017-12-07.
This bill would give the government stronger tools to counter foreign spying, sabotage, and pressure on Australia's critical infrastructure.
It would apply to certain electricity, water, port, and gas facilities that officials have judged most exposed to these threats.
The amendments also add a requirement for a parliamentary committee to check the law's operation within three years of it becoming law.
- The bill would broaden the definition of direct interest holder and add definitions for influence or control and associates, so that the register captures all entities that might steer the asset or its direct holder.
- It would exempt moneylenders from reporting when their loan agreement does not let them, or their related entities, steer the asset.
- It would require that a person facing an adverse security assessment receive a non-classified explanation of the reasons when a direction is issued.
- It would refine the definition of critical water asset to cover utilities or systems serving more than 100,000 connections.
- It would make the definition of protected information include documents as well as information.
Owners and operators of critical infrastructure in the electricity, water, port, and gas sectors, along with their direct interest holders and lenders, would be affected.
Sources
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em supp
em supp
em revised
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