Auditor uncovers Customs disaster recovery problems

James Riley
Monday, 16 November 2009 15:29

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The agency responsible for processing 25 million international passengers annually through airports lacked an up-to-date disaster recovery plan and did not adequately track ICT-related problems, an Australian National Audit Office report has found.

While the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service's IT systems and management arrangements were adequate to support the intercept of incoming passengers who posed a risk, the ANAO said its IT problem management needed to be improved.

The report into 'Processing of Incoming International Air Passengers,' which was tabled in Parliament earlier today. It also recommended better information sharing between Customs and Border Protection' and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

"At the time of audit, IT disaster recovery plans were not up to date to reflect the business environment in which Customs and Border Protection operates," the report found.

"Customs and Border Protection advised that the agency is developing nationally consistent arrangements for business continuity, which will be valuable in unifying airport operations across Australia."

In 2007, Customs and Border Protection reported 23.5 million incoming and outgoing passengers to Australia by both sea and air, a number expected to increase to 34.1 million by 2015.

Visitor arrivals by air are expected to grow on average by 4.9 per cent per annum, and notwithstanding the impact of the current economic downturn, the number of international air passengers entering Australia is estimated to increase from 22.9 million in 2005–06 to 29.9 million in 2011–12.

Broadly the Auditor-General concluded the Customs and Border Protection’s management for processing air passengers in the primary line was effective, and risks were processed appropriately.

Customs and Border Protection’s IT systems and control arrangements provide appropriate support to intercept incoming air passengers who pose a risk or may carry prohibited items.

However, the report said better IT problem management could be improves, and recommended that service times for IT incidents be established and documented, especially for those with a significant business impact.

"Although IT incidents and IT problems are tracked, their status is not always clear," the ANAO said. "Further, it is not directly linked to the longevity of open IT incidents or IT problems."

"In the highly operational environment of Customs and Border Protection, there should be clear parameters around the resolution timeframes and monitoring of IT incidents and IT problems."

The Customs and Border Protection Agency accepted the recommendations that it bring its disaster recovery contingency plans up to date and that it put more effective mechanisms in place for tracking IT incidents.