Australia\u2019s critical infrastructure is facing an increasingly complex landscape of threats that no single agency, business or policy can solve alone. That was the message from Hamish Hansford, Head of National Security at the Department of Home Affairs, in his address to the Australian Institute of International Affairs Queensland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Hansford, who also serves as Australia\u2019s Counterterrorism Coordinator and Countering Foreign Interference Coordinator, outlined a decade\u2019s worth of lessons learned from working across cyber, transport and infrastructure security. His seminar traced the evolution of Australia\u2019s national security mission from traditional counterterrorism to managing \u201cconvergent risks\u201d \u2013 the overlapping and accelerating threats posed by cyberattacks, sabotage, insider threats, foreign interference and climate events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cRisk is deeply embedded in our society \u2013 in every system, every piece of technology and every person,\u201d Mr Hansford said. \u201cYou can\u2019t outsource it. It\u2019s part of the fabric in modern Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Era of Converging Threats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Hansford described the current landscape as one where state-based cyber operations, organised crime and physical sabotage are increasingly intertwined. He cited more than 15 incidents of telecommunications tower sabotage in the past two years, from copper theft to deliberate vehicle collisions as evidence of this deterioration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCriminal threats to telecommunications infrastructure are being linked to lucrative activities such as copper theft,\u201d he noted, warning that these patterns indicate a broader erosion of security around essential networks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The digitisation of infrastructure, while driving productivity, has also created new vulnerabilities. Mr Hansford pointed to the threat of intellectual property stored in cloud systems and the growing exposure of operational technology systems, such as SCADA networks which is a control system that monitors and manages industrial processes in real-time. Networks like SCADA are significantly relied on by utilities and transport infrastructure. \u201cOne company admitted that 25 per cent of its holdings were not actually its own,\u201d he said, highlighting the scale of IP leakage and cyber-enabled corporate espionage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoiding a Catastrophic Wake-Up Call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia, Mr Hansford argued, has been \u201cexceptionally fortunate\u201d to have avoided a catastrophic incident \u2013 one that completely shuts down essential systems resulting in disrupted public order. He referenced the 2016 South Australian grid collapse, the foiled 2017 aircraft plot and the string of major cyberattacks on Optus, Medibank and DP World as \u201cnear misses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t yet had an infrastructure asset rendered inoperable,\u201d he cautioned. \u201cBut that day will come \u2013 every day we spend focusing only on data breaches is a day lost in preparing for a national scale crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To that end, Mr Hansford revealed that the Department of Home Affairs has identified 220 systems of national significance \u2013 the most interdependent assets in the economy \u2013 and is working with their operators to build and test incident response plans. \u201cThe worst time to write a crisis plan,\u201d he said, \u201cis in the middle of one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Risk, Resilience, and Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recurring theme of Mr Hansford\u2019s address was the need for a culture of proactive security, extending from cabinet tables to boardrooms and classrooms. \u201cSecurity should be baked into every infrastructure asset from the beginning,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a cost centre \u2014 it\u2019s a productivity enabler.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He warned that many companies still view security as a compliance burden rather than an operational necessity, with some critical assets lacking even basic physical protections or continuity procedures. \u201cWe found one major asset with no written plan for what to do if something went wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother had no idea who actually owned it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, the government has strengthened the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI), introducing a mandatory risk management program for 14 categories of essential service providers. These measures are designed to integrate security into corporate decision-making and elevate risk management to a board-level responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Hansford acknowledged that regulation alone was not enough. \u201cCompliance is the foundation,\u201d he said, \u201cbut we have to move beyond it \u2014 towards curiosity, capability, and collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A National Conversation on Resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond industry and government, Mr Hansford emphasised the role of public resilience. Drawing comparisons with Finland, Sweden, and the UK, he said Australia must begin to engage its population in resilience-building, from digital literacy to disaster preparedness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve built a nation of technology users,\u201d he said, \u201cbut not many who understand how technology works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This extends to the information environment, where misinformation and extremist narratives can amplify instability. Responding to a question about sovereign citizens and the far-right, Mr Hansford noted that digitisation has \u201caccelerated radicalisation and disinformation,\u201d and that foreign interference often operates through \u201ccovert, deceptive or intimidating activity\u201d rather than overt propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australia has already seen three arrests and one successful prosecution under its foreign interference laws, he added \u2014 a signal of how national security threats are evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Road Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Hansford concluded by stressing that security and resilience must become national, non-competitive priorities shared by both government and industry. The Department of Home Affairs\u2019 Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN), which brings together thousands of industry representatives, remains central to that effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cOur goal is to change the national conversation,\u201d he said. \u201cSecurity shouldn\u2019t be a competitive advantage \u2014 it should be a shared mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
His remarks underscored a broader truth: that Australia\u2019s prosperity and productivity depend on the invisible systems that power daily life \u2014 and on the foresight to protect them before the next crisis strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edited by Deborah Bouchez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWritten by Chloe Leung<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently in her third year of a double degree in Communications\/Journalism and International Relations at Griffith University, Chloe Leung is passionate about intersectionality in global development \u2013 particularly centring the voices of marginalised communities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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