The Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Bill 2020, introduced on 5 March, seeks to address Australia’s evolving technological landscape where data previously held in the country is now stored overseas.
Its Explanatory Memorandum states that Australian law enforcement and national security agencies need access to electronic and communications data from foreign communications providers for criminal investigations. Currently, the country has relied on mutual legal assistance from overseas jurisdictions, which it calls a “lengthy process”.
For requests received from foreign governments with a designated international agreement, the bill would remove the blocking provisions that prevent domestic communication providers and tech companies from cooperating with a request from a foreign government, when the request complies with the conditions of the designated international agreement.
Chinese spying fears revived by universities security probe
South China Morning Post.
Australia’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has been receiving submissions from security agencies, universities, academics and other stakeholders as part of an ongoing probe into foreign interference in higher education.
The inquiry, which is due to report its findings in July, has highlighted tensions between national security considerations and academic freedom within Australia’s tertiary education sector, which relies heavily on exchanges with China. In its submission to the inquiry, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said it was aware of cyber-attacks aimed at acquiring intellectual property and of academics being threatened and intimidated by actors looking to pass on their sensitive research to a foreign country.