On Australia’s Cyber and Critical Technology International Engagement Strategy Towards 6G

In response to the call by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for submissions on the development of Australia’s Cyber and Critical Technology International Engagement Strategy, this paper reviews the most critical technologies; related risks and opportunities; best practices, policies and security frameworks in other countries; relevant government, industry, civil society and academia cooperation initiatives; and proposes how Australia may became a leader in the global Cyberspace. To realise this vision, Australia should play a major role among selected international organizations; support the continuous evolution of critical technologies; adopt a proper technology security assurance scheme; and enforce a certification and accreditation process – against a predetermined set of appropriate security standards and policies – for security authorisation in Australia. This could be achieved with the formulation and implementation of an Australia’s defence-in-depth strategy, augmented by a Zero-Trust model, which enhances security for untrusted domains, and within trusted domains, and meets the baseline requirements of cyber security for the Internet of Things.

Q & A with Paul Paterson

Paul Paterson, recently appointed Chief Economist at the Australian Department of Communications, describes the role of the new Bureau of Communications Research.

Cohort profile: the Australian genetics of depression study

PurposeDepression is the most common psychiatric disorder and the largest contributor to global disability. The Australian Genetics of Depression study was established to recruit a large cohort of individuals who have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime. The purpose of establishing this cohort is to investigate genetic and environmental risk factors for depression and response to commonly prescribed antidepressants.ParticipantsA total of 20 689 participants were recruited through the Australian Department of Human Services and a media campaign, 75% of whom were female. The average age of participants was 43 years±15 years. Participants completed an online questionnaire that consisted of a compulsory module that assessed self-reported psychiatric history, clinical depression using the Composite Interview Diagnostic Interview Short Form and experiences of using commonly prescribed antidepressants. Further voluntary modules assessed a wide range of traits of relevance to psychopathology. Participants who reported they were willing to provide a DNA sample (75%) were sent a saliva kit in the mail.Findings to date95% of participants reported being given a diagnosis of depression by a medical practitioner and 88% met the criteria for a lifetime depressive episode. 68% of the sample report having been diagnosed with another psychiatric disorder in addition to depression. In line with findings from clinical trials, only 33% of the sample report responding well to the first antidepressant they were prescribed.Future plansA number of analyses to investigate the genetic architecture of depression and common comorbidities will be conducted. The cohort will contribute to the global effort to identify genetic variants that increase risk to depression. Furthermore, a thorough investigation of genetic and psychosocial predictors of antidepressant response and side effects is planned.

(De-)Criminalizing Welfare? The Rise and Fall of Social Security Fraud Prosecutions in Australia

The social security fraud prosecution rate has fallen by approximately 74.9 per cent in Australia since 2010. This is remarkable considering the national dialogue continues to propound a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to fraud in the welfare system. Drawing on interviews with compliance staff from the Australian Department of Human Services, documentary research and a Foucauldian governmentality analytic, this article charts and interrogates the declining welfare fraud prosecution rate in the context of neoliberal welfare reform. It argues that this decline is at least partially the result of the reformulation of the objects of prosecution strategies by staff responsible for their enactment. This finding highlights the importance of localized accounts of welfare administration to supplement and complicate macro analyses of the ‘criminalization of welfare’ in Western industrialized nations.