On 13 July 2021, the Australian Government opened consultation on options for regulatory reforms and voluntary incentives to strengthen the cyber security of Australia’s digital economy.

ACCAN made a submission in response to the Strengthening Australia’s cyber security regulations and incentives discussion paper. ACCAN submitted that:

• The existing cybersecurity and privacy regulatory regime was established in a pre-internet era and was not designed to address cyber security, which means it is limited in effectively addressing cyber security threats facing consumers.
• Cyber criminals will continue to use simple, low-cost offensive tools available on the dark web to conduct cyber-attacks if the current lack of baseline cyber security precautions is not addressed.
• The lack of market incentives to include cybersecurity regulation in consumer products means there is a need for a more robust and enforceable system of cybersecurity regulation to protect consumers from privacy and security threats.
• A mandatory cybersecurity standard compatible with international cybersecurity standards and the GDPR should be introduced in Australia.
• Digital and physical labelling of Internet of Things connected devices, using a ‘star rating’ system of cybersecurity protection, would assist consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions based on cybersecurity features.

Download:  ACCAN Strengthening Australian Cybersecurity Regulation and Incentives801.46 KB