ADF Share department parntership to strength its national interests

Policy reforms to enable the roadmap across ABF, Home Affairs, Defense, and partners

Australia has the governance scaffolding to start—Home Affairs’ corporate plan and ABF’s Strategy & Border Modernization provide the program streams and outcome focus. To fully deliver autonomous surveillance, integrated border platforms, quantum‑safe infrastructure, resilience, and education pipelines, the policies below need reform, change, or implementation.

 

Border, immigration, and customs

• Legal authority for autonomous surveillance and ISR data sharing:

  • Update border surveillance and privacy statutes to explicitly permit unmanned vessels/UAS, persistent sensing, and interagency data fusion with Defense and ACSC under audited safeguards.

  • Embed proportionality, audit trails, and ethics requirements in regulations to maintain public trust.

• Integrated border platforms and data fabric policy:

  • Establish a whole‑of‑government border data standard linking customs, immigration, cargo, and intelligence; mandate real‑time risk scoring and API interoperability across agencies.

  • Align with the Border Controls Whole‑of‑Government Policy Framework to operationalize integrated controls and joint outcomes.

• Trusted trade and travelled modernization refresh:

  • Expand Smart Gate, Trusted Trader analytics, and cargo pre‑clearance authorities; codify risk‑based processing thresholds to lift throughput and deter unlawful activity.

  • Use ABF’s modernization streams (traveler and trade frameworks) as the delivery vehicle.

• Migration system performance settings:

  • Legislate service levels, digital triage rules, and integrity safeguards for visa decisioning; publish outcome metrics in PBS for transparency.

  • Enable targeted, multi‑year appropriations to sustain backlog reduction and integrity uplift, building on recent Home Affairs/ABF investment commitments.

 

Cyber, data, and quantum security

• Quantum‑safe migration mandate for critical systems:

  • Set timelines and standards for post‑quantum cryptography across border, immigration, and port systems; require independent validation and incident reporting.

• Sovereign cloud and data residency policy:

  • Mandate sovereign hosting for core border/cargo/identity services; define cross‑agency data sharing rules with zero‑trust architectures and audit logging.

• National cyber education pipeline accreditation:

  • Create accredited pathways (certificate to postgraduate) with placement quotas for government and critical infrastructure operators, tie grants to completion and employment outcomes. Collaboration through governmental departments.

 

Transport, infrastructure, and climate resilience

• All‑hazards resilience code for ports and logistics:

  • Update transport security legislation to require redundancy in fuel, power, and data; mandate biometric cargo screening and tamper‑evident supply chains.

• Resilience financing instruments:

  • Authorize resilience bonds and sovereign infrastructure financing for climate‑proofing of ports, flood mitigation, and emergency shelters; require public reporting on resilience ROI.

• Predictive emergency operations policy:

  • Standardize hazard modelling and interagency activation protocols (NEMA, ABF, Defense) with data sharing requirements and rehearsal cycles.

 

Governance, coordination, and funding

• National Resilience Implementation Office (statutory basis):

  • Establish within PM&C with powers to set milestones, enforce interagency gates, and publish open dashboards on outcomes and spend.

• Strategic Investment Board (cross‑portfolio):

  • Formalize a board spanning Defense, Home Affairs/ABF, ACSC, NEMA, Finance, Education, Infrastructure to approve tranche funding and risk‑weighted portfolio shifts.

• Outcome‑linked appropriations and transparency:

  • Tie multi‑year capital envelopes to measurable PBS outcomes (throughput, deterrence, resilience, integrity); publish benefit realisation plans and post‑project reviews.

  • Leverage Home Affairs’ corporate plan transformation and ABF program streams to align delivery with outcomes.

 

Education, cohesion, and ethics

• Cybersecurity Academy legislation and funding model:

  • Create a national program with Commonwealth‑university‑industry co‑funding; set annual graduate targets and government placement ratios.

• Emergency leadership accreditation standard:

  • Define national competencies for cross‑jurisdiction incident leadership; link accreditation to NEMA and Defense support operations.

• Multicultural resilience curriculum framework:

  • Develop nationally consistent civic identity and cohesion modules, fund community partnerships and measure impact on inclusion and resilience.

• Mandatory AI governance and ethics CPD:

  • Require continuing professional development for public servants in AI risk, procurement integrity, and data protection; embed into APS career frameworks.

 

Direct actions to operationalize reforms

 

• Pass enabling legislation and standards: Autonomous surveillance authority; border data standards; quantum‑safe deadlines; all‑hazards port security; resilience financing instruments.

• Stand up cross‑agency governance: PM&C implementation office; Strategic Investment Board; public scorecards.

• Lock multi‑year funding: Tranche capital for fleet/ISR, integrated platforms, quantum‑safe migration, resilience infrastructure, and education pipelines; protect delivery capacity through PBS outcomes and performance gates.

• Execute via existing streams: Use ABF Strategy & Border Modernization and Home Affairs transformation actions as the delivery spine for platform integration, trade/traveler modernization, and integrity uplift.

These reforms build on existing plans and frameworks within Home Affairs and ABF, which already emphasize whole‑of‑government border integration, outcome‑based delivery, and modernization—your policy work should focus on the enabling authorities, standards, and financing to scale them nationally

 

Current Collaboration Highlights

🛡️ Defence + Home Affairs

• Cyber Security Strategy 2023–2030: Led by Home Affairs, with Defense and ASD contributing to national cyber posture, threat response, and resilience uplift.

• Sovereign Cyber Plan: A proposed initiative to transition ADF members and families into the cybersecurity workforce — directly linking Defense and Home Affairs with education and employment pathways.

• Joint deterrence and ISR coordination: Defense and ABF collaborate on maritime domain awareness and border operations under Operation Sovereign Borders and broader strategic planning.

🧠 Education + Home Affairs

• Cyber education pipeline (in development): Home Affairs is consulting on national cyber education frameworks, with input from universities and training providers.

• Emergency management and resilience training: Education departments and NEMA are involved in scenario-based leadership development, though not yet formalized as a national curriculum.

🧩 Whole-of-Government Cyber Partnerships

• Australian Signals Directorate’s Cyber Security Partnership Program: Includes Defense, Home Affairs, and Education stakeholders to lift national cyber capability through shared training, threat intelligence, and outreach.

 

🚧 Gaps in Current Collaboration

While foundational partnerships exist, the following areas still need structured joint implementation:

• Autonomous surveillance and fleet renewal: No formal Defense–ABF–Education program yet for unmanned systems, ISR integration, or ethics training.

• Quantum-safe infrastructure and sovereign cloud: Collaboration is underway in policy, but not yet in delivery or education pipelines.

• Multicultural resilience curriculum: Education and Home Affairs have not yet launched a national framework or embedded civic cohesion modules.

• AI governance and ethics training: No mandatory cross-agency CPD program exists yet for public servants or Defense personnel.

 

🛠 What’s Needed to Scale Collaboration

• Formalize the Sovereign Cyber Plan: Transition ADF personnel into cyber roles via accredited education pathways and Home Affairs placements.

• Create a Strategic Investment Board: Include Defense, Home Affairs, Education, Finance, and PM&C to align funding, milestones, and workforce pipelines.

• Launch national education programs: Cyber Academy, Emergency Leadership, Multicultural Curriculum, and AI Ethics — co-funded and co-delivered.

• Embed joint scenario planning: Defense, NEMA, Police, and Education should co-design resilience exercises and leadership labs.