Govt seeks telco feedback on security

The government wants to know what telcos think of proposed new laws which would require them to take special precautions against sabotage and espionage.

Attorney-General George Brandis said the government had been working with the telecommunications sector to improve this bill which has already been modified following consultations.

This establishes a security obligation on carriage service providers to do their best to protect their networks from unauthorised access and interference.

It obliges them to notify security authorities of changes which could compromise their security obligation.

The Attorney-General will have the power to direct to take certain action to manage security risks.

Senator Brandis said the government had already made some changes and the proposed bill now provided greater safeguards for industry.

"The government welcomes further feedback from industry as we finalise the legislation," he said in a statement.