New centre to manage asset security risks

The federal government has set up a new team to help assess national security risks around Australia's electricity, water and port assets.

The Critical Infrastructure Centre, operating within the Attorney-General's Department, will work with all levels of government and owners and operators.

"With increased privatisation, supply chain arrangements being outsourced and offshored, and the shift in our international investment profile, Australia's national critical infrastructure is more exposed than ever to sabotage, espionage and coercion," Attorney-General George Brandis and Treasurer Scott Morrison said in a joint statement on Monday.