>  ”The draft Security of Critical Infrastructure bill now in parliament"
>
> https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/ex-army-boss-wants-tougher-cyber-laws-asap/
>
> The defence force's former head of information warfare says new laws to 
> toughen cyber
> security "can't come soon enough". Retired Major General Marcus Thompson has 
> told AAP
> "The threat is real, the threat is active, the threat wishes us harm," he 
> said. Our critical data
> should be stored in Australian sovereign territory.


Union in fight against new laws that would force 2 million workers to turnover 
internet history, emails

Electrical Trades Union Public Release  9 JUL 2021 6:16 AM 
https://www.miragenews.com/union-in-fight-against-new-laws-that-would-592823/


Public hearings into new national laws that could allow employers to snoop on 
the private lives of their employees will be held today.

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has strong concerns about the Security 
Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 which could see 
employees forced to submit to ASIO checks, security background checks and 
historical reviews of their personal internet and email usage.

ETU National Secretary Allen Hicks said the lack of consultation in the 
development of the draconian legislation will lead to a serious erosion of 
civil liberties for workers.

“In its current form, the Bill creates a vastly expanded range of ‘critical 
infrastructure’ so broad, it could require more than two million workers to 
hand over their internet history and emails in industries such as energy, food 
and grocery, health, higher education and public transport,” Mr Hicks said.

“We understand security clearances and checks are required in sensitive 
industries, particularly in public service and defence, but it doesn’t pass the 
pub test to have apprentice electricians held to the same security standards as 
ASIO officers.

“Workers are already subject to strict industry checks. These new provisions 
are unnecessary and go too far.

“Workers should not have their professional lives put on the line by their 
internet history, which could reveal to their employers they had been looking 
at other jobs.

“There is also no case to justify the claimed heightened risk to the critical 
infrastructure ETU and CEPU members work on, and there is no evidence that 
existing industry legislation is inadequate.

“This is an attack on civil rights, will create onerous requirements for 
industry, and increase Big Brother-style monitoring of law abiding citizens.

“Despite the Department of Home Affairs assertions of deep and wide 
consultation, our members, their representatives and other unions were never 
engaged, consulted or notified during the Bill’s development.

“There has been an abject failure to consult with workers or their 
representatives.”

The ETU welcomes the opportunity to discuss these issues further at the public 
hearing today to ensure the Bill “appropriately and proportionally balances the 
individual rights of workers against plans to manage the security and 
resilience of critical infrastructure”.

The ETU is the Electrical, Energy and Services Division of the Communications, 
Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied 
Services Union of Australia (CEPU). The ETU represents more than 61,000 
electrical and electronic workers nationally, while the CEPU, in total, 
represents about 90,000.

/Public Release. This material comes from the originating organization and may 
be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length.

--


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