Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy

DEPUTY LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE

Essential services require ongoing industry collaboration

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today said the delivery of essential services is dependent on industry collaboration.

"The Rudd Government is committed to supporting the owners and operators of Australias critical infrastructure," Senator Conroy said.

"The security of our critical systems supported by digital technology is not a one-off exercise, but rather a journey requiring ongoing commitment and industry collaboration."

Senator Conroy today addressed the Sydney forum of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition ( SCADA) system practitioners and vendors.

The forum, attended by more than 100 practitioners and their invited suppliers, worked together to enhance industry collaboration to improve security of SCADA systems in Australia.

"Many essential services, such as electricity, natural gas, water, waste treatment, transportation and communications, rely on SCADA systems for remote monitoring and control," Senator Conroy said.

"This is an example of the digital economy in action and I am delighted to see so many organisations giving their time to collaborate and share information to enhance the security of the essential services they support."

Todays forum was hosted by the SCADA Community of Interest, which is managed by the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy within the Trusted Information Sharing Network, led by the Attorney-Generals Department.

For further information regarding the SCADA Community of Interest, email SCADA@dbcde.gov.au

ends

Date: 20 November 2008
Contact: Tim Marshall 0408 258 457