“Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull presenting at the SME Conference”
Amidst tight security around Darling Harbour and the International Convention Centre, the Australian Prime Minister called it “a new era of engagement with ASEAN” with the first ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held in Sydney last week. With meetings and conferences held across the domains of business, industry, economics and security, the region’s leaders and government representatives created agreements and MOUs to address an equally wide range of issues.
In a security and technology context, there was ASEAN-Australia Joint
“High Security Posture present”
Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism, supported by a package of counter-terrorism initiatives intended to strengthen regional efforts to counter terrorist activity, assets and funding. This includes technical and regulatory assistance to develop best practice counter-terrorism legislation, and regional dialogues and workshops on topics such as electronic evidence, financial intelligence, and countering online radicalisation.
MySecurity Media attended the ASEAN-Australia AUSTRAC Codeathon and interviewed the always entertaining and informative Adam Spencer, MC and Chief Innovation Officer Leanne Fry and Direct of Innovation, Rajesh Walton.
“Minister for Law Enforcement & Cyber Security, Angus Taylor MP announcing the winners of the Austrac ASEAN-Australia codeathon”
The Codeathon presented six challenges for participants from across the region to solve in 32 hours:
- Using big data to combat terrorism financing
- Disrupting money launderers, terrorists and cyber criminals across ASEAN-Australia
- Exploiting financial data to gain insights into crime and terrorism risks
- Applying artificial intelligence to improve Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) compliance and suspicious matter reporting
- Applying blockchain technologies to improve financial services, AML compliance or secure intelligence sharing
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing to combat cybercrime, money laundering and terrorism
PODCAST interviews are available at www.australiancybersecuritymagazine.com.au
“L-R – Adrian Turner, CEO of Data61, Vernon Wills, founder of Site Group International, Sila Chy Thmor, CEO and founder of Sabay Digital Group and Dr Stephanie Fahey, CEO of Austrade”
On Friday, MySecurity Media attended the SME Conference, where the Australian Prime Minister announced the ASEAN-Australia Digital Standards which will aim to build regional regulatory consistency and a framework for Australia and ASEAN countries to cooperate in developing, adopting and using international standards that promotes digital trade and support inclusive economic growth in the region.
Following the SME Conference, the CSIRO’s Data61 CEO Adrian Turner released a study, ‘Sunrise Industries’ report which has identified the top seven emerging industries within ASEAN and neighbouring nations that will fuel future regional growth, international collaboration and job creation. Importantly, of these industries, Cyber-physical systems security is identified.
The report states, “While cyber-physical systems (i.e. systems which have intertwined software and physical components) are becoming increasingly widespread, they can be vulnerable to hacking, creating new opportunities for the cyber-physical systems security industry. The Sunrise Industries report aims to inform government and industry on potential future areas for growth – ranging from AI to energy storage – and help decision makers capitalise on opportunities for the region. The release and report is available here: http://aseantechsec.com/sunrise-industries-to-transform-the-asean-region/
“Sunrise Industries Report, Data61”
Additional security cooperation agreements include:
- The ASEAN-Australia Maritime Cooperation package of initiatives to strengthen the protection of regional fish stocks, civil maritime and border protection, maritime domain awareness, and maritime law and its applications.
- An ASEAN-Australia Cyber Cooperation will improve joint efforts to harness the opportunities that cyberspace enables, promote peace and stability in cyberspace, and guard against growing threats online.
- The ASEAN-Australia Postgraduate Defence Scholarships will bring together emerging defence and security leaders from ASEAN countries and Australia; creating an alumni and fostering future cooperation on regional security challenges.
- ASEAN-Australia Counter-Trafficking will strengthen criminal justice responses and victim rights protection in ASEAN and support the region’s agenda to stamp out trafficking in persons.
- An ASEAN-Australia Women, Peace and Security dialogue will strengthen cooperation in the areas of peacekeeping, protection of human rights and promotion of gender equality in contributing to stability, peace and security.
- The Health Security ASEAN Fellows will increase capacity in the region by fostering professional development of field epidemiologists to address disease outbreaks across the region creating opportunities to build links between our communities so that our region is equipped with a
health workforce well placed to prevent and respond to infectious diseases.
For a full list and further information on the ASEAN-Australia Summit initiatives and outcomes, visit:
https://aseanaustralia.pmc.gov.au/asean-australia-special-summit-initiatives
