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2016 - 2017 - 2018 THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA SENATE SECURITY OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL 2017 ADDENDUM TO THE EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM (Circulated by authority of the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Honourable Peter Dutton MP)Index] [Search] [Download] [Bill] [Help]Security of Critical Infrastructure Bill 2017 The purpose of this addendum is to provide additional material to the Explanatory Memorandum to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Bill 2017. This addendum responds to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security Advisory Report, and the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills Scrutiny Digest 1 of 2018 (7 February 2018). It also corrects minor errors in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Bill 2017. General Outline After paragraph 41, insert the following paragraph: To ensure protected information is handled appropriately, the relevant provisions in the Bill have been developed to be consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. Specifically the provisions related to the Secretary's power to obtain information or documents (Division 2) are consistent with Australian Privacy Principle 6 which outlines the circumstances for the use or disclosure of personal information, and Australian Privacy Principle 11 which requires active measures to be taken to ensure the security of personal information Clause 27 - Rules may exempt from requirement to give notice or information After paragraph 234 on page 42, insert the following paragraph before the example box: This clause ensures the Bill does not impose an unnecessary burden on industry by enabling the Minister to exempt an entity from providing information required under the Bill if, for example, that information is otherwise available to government. This may be through open sources or other reporting mechanisms. Importantly, the provision does not enable the Minister to increase the reporting obligations on an entity. Pages 44-62 - Example of Approved forms Remove paragraphs 239 to 242 and examples of Approved Forms provided at pages 45 to 62. Further explanation on the definition of 'direct interest holder' and associated reporting requirements is provided in the Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum. Minor amendments have been made to the examples of Approved Forms. After paragraph 238, insert the following: 1
Example of Approved forms 1. A water utility known as Critical Water Corporation meets the criteria of a critical infrastructure water asset as it operates under a licence issued by the New South Wales Government. Critical Water Corporation is 50.5% owned by the New South Wales Government and 49.5% owned by the private company Wet World Corporation. Wet World Corporation is beneficially held by World of Water, a Country A incorporated entity, which itself is wholly-owned by UWater Co, a Country B incorporated entity. Under the Bill, Critical Water Corporation is the responsible entity of the water utility asset. 2. Critical Water Corporation operates under the authority of its licence, with the following business specifics: it buys bulk water from ABC Water which it then treats in its two water treatment plants one water treatment plant is owned and operated by Critical Water Corporation one water treatment plant is owned, operated and transferred under a 30 year contract with a foreign owned company 'The Desalinators', and the bulk water it uses is under contract from ABC Water, which itself is separately the responsible entity of a critical bulk water supplier asset. 3. Critical Water Corporation has outsourced some components of its business: Outsourced IT service provider - 'IT Service Megacorp' is located onsite at Critical Water Corporation's head office under a five year contract to supply IT support and IT data management, including data storage services both offshore and onshore. Cleaning/maintenance contracts - A two year contract with 'Cleaners R us' for cleaning Critical Water Corporation's head office. - A five year contract with 'Keep Gardens Pretty' for maintenance of the grounds of head office. Security services provider - A three year contract with 'Service Enterprises', as the sole service provider of security measures at head office, including management of access control, control rooms, building management systems and CCTV, staff screening, and guard/patrolling services. 4. In this instance, the following would be required to be registered: A responsible entity registration by Critical Water Corporation for the water utility known as Critical Water A direct interest holder registration by the New South Wales Government for the critical water utility known as Critical Water Corporation A direct interest holder registration by Wet World Corporation for the critical water utility known as Critical Water, and Critical Water Corporation is not responsible for reporting ABC Water, which would separately complete its own responsible entity and direct interest holder registrations for the critical bulk water supplier asset. 2
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Clause 32 - Direction if risk prejudicial to security Remove paragraph 271 on page 67. Clause 39 - Retention of documents After paragraph 316, insert the following paragraph: Once the Secretary deems that information provided under subclause 37 is no longer required for the purpose for which it was provided, reasonable steps will be taken to destroy that information or ensure the information is de-identified. The Secretary must have consideration for Australian Privacy Principle 11 in determining if it is appropriate to retain personal information, and, accordingly, if reasonable steps are required to be taken to destroy that information or ensure the information is de-identified. Clause 42 - Authorised use and disclosure - other person's functions, etc At the end of paragraph 322, insert: Protected information is likely to be sensitive in nature and includes commercial- in-confidence and personal information. Given these sensitivities, when considering whether to disclose protected information, in addition to the requirements in this clause, the Secretary should also consider whether the disclosure is consistent with the Objects of the Bill (clause 3), and whether the purpose of the disclosure is proportionate to the sensitivity of the information being disclosed. Clause 43 - Authorised disclosure relating to law enforcement At the end of paragraph 327, insert: Protected information is likely to be sensitive in nature and includes commercial- in-confidence and personal information. Given these sensitivities, when considering whether to disclose protected information, in addition to the requirements in this clause, the Secretary should also consider whether the disclosure is consistent with the Objects of the Bill (clause 3), and whether the purpose of the disclosure is proportionate to the sensitivity of the information being disclosed. Clause 46 - Exceptions to offence for unauthorised use or disclosure After paragraph 336 on page 76, insert the following paragraph: 22
The reversal of the evidential burden of proof is appropriate in this circumstance because the defendant is in the best position to know if the exceptions apply. Importantly, the provision only shifts the evidential burden in relation to the exception. If the defendant claims an exception, the legal burden for proving the offence (and disproving the exception) still resides with the prosecution. This approach is consistent with the Attorney-General's Department's Guide to Framing Commonwealth Offences, Infringement Notices and Enforcement Powers. Part 6 - Declaration of assets by the Minister Delete the second sentence in paragraph 351 on page 80, insert the following sentence in its place (change underlined): Subclause 9(1)(e) explicitly provides that an asset can be privately declared under clause 51 to be a critical infrastructure asset. Clause 61 - Rules Delete paragraph 410 on pages 87, and insert the following in its place (changes underlined): There are a range of provisions in the Bill that specifically provide for rules to be made in respect of the following: details about what is meant by interest and control information (subclause 6(1)(i)), details about what is meant by operational information (subclauses 7(1)(f) and 7(1)(g)), prescribing assets, or not prescribing assets, for the purposes of the definition of critical infrastructure asset (subclauses 9(1)(f) and 9(2)), the requirements for an electricity generation station to be critical (subclause 10(2)), prescribing a port to be a critical port (subclause 11(u)), prescribing specific gas transmission pipelines or requirements for a gas transmission pipeline (subclause 12(2)), providing that Division 3 of Part 2, or specified provisions of that Division, do not apply in relation to any entity, specified classes of entities, or specified entities either generally or in specified circumstances (clause 27), prescribing that clause 45 does not apply if the making of a record, or the disclosure or use, of the information is required or authorised by or under a law of a State or Territory prescribed by rules (subclause 46(1)(b)), and 23
prescribing provisions of the Corporations Act that do, or another law of the Commonwealth that does not, require or authorise, the making of a record, or the disclosure, of the fact that an asset is declared under clause 51 to be a critical infrastructure asset (subclause 46(2)). 24