The first agency to sign up is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). The project is part of the government’s Lead Agency Secure Internet Gateway (LASIG) program, aimed at minimising the risk of malicious cyber attacks against government agencies by reducing the number of Internet gateways across government from 124 to 8.
DAFF acted as a lead agency in the negotiations, representing eleven other federal agencies. DDD CIO Graham Gathercole said negotiations involved identifying the best value option that also met the Australian Government’s cyber security needs. “The negotiations resulted in an outstanding commercial and technological proposal for the Australian Government and DAFF that all parties are happy with,” said Gathercole.
As a lead agency, DAFF made sure the requirements of client agencies were met. Aidan Tudehope, Managing Director – Hosting, Macquarie Telecom, said he was impressed by the way DAFF has sought to ensure any agency joining will be supported in its own right.
“DAFF has set a precedent on the inclusive role that lead agencies can take with their client agencies. We anticipate other agencies may choose to leverage DAFF’s leadership to their advantage,” said Mr Tudehope.
The Australian Government’s Internet Gateway Reduction program is managed by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) and affects all agencies governed by the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. A reduced number of gateways provides improved security through a more consistent approach to gateway management, accreditation, monitoring and incident response. The other government agencies represented by DAFF include
- Australian Antarctic Division
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
- Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
- Department of Innovation Industry, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
- Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
- Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
- Fair Work Australia; Geoscience Australia
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- Wheat Exports Australia.
