DEC 04, 2019 | AUSTRALIA
BSA Welcomes Ongoing Efforts to Improve Australia’s Assistance and Access Regime
CANBERRA – 4 DECEMBER 2019 – BSA | The Software Alliance welcomes ongoing efforts in Australia to improve the assistance and access framework in Part 15 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Assistance and Access Framework).
BSA continues to acknowledge and support the need for law enforcement to have appropriate tools in the fight against online criminal and terrorist activity, and reiterates the importance of balancing this against the legitimate rights and needs of its citizens, providers of critical infrastructure and third-party stewards of data.
BSA welcomes the ongoing legislative reviews of the Assistance and Access Framework by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. We also commend efforts in the Australian Parliament to improve the Assistance and Access Framework, including recently proposed amendments to implement key recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, and introduce greater transparency and accountability in the issuance of assistance and access instruments under the Framework.
“BSA is encouraged by the ongoing legislative reviews of the Assistance and Access Framework in Australia, and efforts in the Australian Parliament to improve the Framework. We look forward to engaging the Australian Parliament further on the Framework and seeking an improved outcome for citizens, law enforcement and the technology community,” said Jared Ragland, Senior Director, Policy – APAC, BSA | The Software Alliance.
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BSA | The Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the leading advocate for the global software industry before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members are among the world’s most innovative companies, creating software solutions that help businesses of all sizes in every part of the economy to modernize and grow.
With headquarters in Washington, DC, and operations in more than 30 countries, BSA pioneers compliance programs that promote legal software use and advocates for public policies that foster technology innovation and drive growth in the digital economy.