Cybersecurity hotline to change
Australia’s national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has announced that its hotline for reporting cybersecurity incidents has changed.
CERT Australia’s hotline is now 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371).
Calls to the current hotline will be diverted to this number temporarily, but it will cease being operational on 30 August.
Cyber incidents can also be reported through www.acsc.gov.au.
Newspaper apologises to ABC
The Australian newspaper has apologised to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for publishing a call to burn down the broadcaster’s office in Ultimo, in Sydney.
The call was made in a reader’s comment posted under a story titled “ABC warned of cladding dangers at Ultimo HQ” and joked about the building becoming a towering inferno and asked for someone to “hurry up with the matches”.
The Ultimo building has been found to be clad in material no longer compliant with Fire Safety Standards.
Crackdown catches dodgy day care
A six-month blitz by the Department of Human Services against dodgy providers of family day care services has led to enforcement action against 151 services and savings of about $1 billion for taxpayers.
Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham said family day care providers who doctored paperwork, exaggerated the hours of care or even claimed subsidies for “invisible” children would be caught.
“Australian parents should have confidence they are entrusting the care of their children to high-quality and reputable providers and that taxpayer funds are being spent on legitimate services,” Senator Birmingham said.
Leasing paper issued
The Department of Finance has published a Position Paper on the application of a new accounting standard for reporting operating and finance leases, AASB 16.
The 17-page Paper identifies Finance’s position on the options available for implementation of AASB 16 and can be accessed at this PS News link.
Inquiry into airport regulation
The Productivity Commission has been asked to review the economic regulation of airport services.
The inquiry will review the efficiency and effectiveness of the economic regulation of airport services where scheduled airline services are provided.
It will also review the provision of passenger and freight transport services at the main passenger airports in major cities.
The Productivity Commission will report to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport within 12 months.
Air route liberalised
Liberalised air service arrangements between Australia and India are expected to boost ties between the two countries.
The new arrangements will enable Australian airlines to operate unlimited services between Australia and the six major metropolitan airports in India and Indian airlines to operate unlimited services between India and six airports in Australia.
They provide a foundation for airlines to increase direct flights between Australia and India, in line with the growing scale and profile of the Indian market over the long term.
ABC Scholarship winner announced
The first recipient of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Caroline Jones Scholarship has been announced.
The winner is Bindi Bryce, a Barkindji woman from Western NSW.
After completing an internship with ABC Melbourne, Ms Bryce has been working on Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program.
The Scholarship was created to honour ABC journalist Caroline Jones and provides financial and on-the-job development for a talented young Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander journalist, working with various ABC news and current affairs teams.
