Parliament wasn’t sitting this week, but some interesting reports hit the table — including a couple of Commonwealth Ombudsman reports on electronic surveillance activities.
Here are the digital developments from Canberra I’ve noticed since the previous edition on 12 November.
- We have the government response to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security report: Advisory Report on the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 1) Bill 2021. For all the background here’s the review home page.
- We have the Commonwealth Ombudsman Report to the Attorney-General on agencies’ compliance with Part 15 of the Telecommunications Act 1997.
- Also, the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Report on Agencies’ Compliance with the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 for the period 1 January to 30 June 2022.
- “The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is recommending the government legislate tougher regulations that require digital platforms to establish verification of businesses, to minimise the likelihood of scams.”
- The Digital Transformation Agency’s CEO Chris Fechner has been appointed head of the Digital Profession, with the responsibility to grow the digital capability of the public service.
- Finally, you’re probably not at all surprised that New delays strike My Health Record app.
Please let me know if I’ve missed anything, or if there’s any specific items you’d like me to follow.
Parliament resumes on Monday, running Monday to Thursday for two weeks. These are currently the last sessions scheduled for 2022.
Update 21 November 2022: According to the draft legislation program for the House of Representatives, this week we can expect to see debate on the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation and the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Information Disclosure, National Interest and Other Measures)Â Bill 2022, among other things.
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[Photo: Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson.]