On Saturday 4 December we need to vote for people who focus on issues that can be controlled by Council. Candidates claiming they can, and will, make significant and positive contributions to climate change, social housing, transport, arts and small business and the myriad of problems facing us, are fooling you and themselves. They can’t and will not, as a local councillor.
State and federal governments have overriding legislation and public servants in abundance that already have control over these matters. We need local candidates who aim to control the things that local councils are given the responsibility to control; The unexciting monitoring of the general manager, to ensure the proper and equitable fixing of local roads, maintenance of sewer systems, local parks and beaches etc.
We need local councillors who focus on the local development of local land to best please local residents, not developers who take the most profit and leave a mess for locals to live with.
We need local councillors to acknowledge ratepayers who fund a large part of the local budget, by not forcing them to pay extra charges in parking when they come to town and who also live with poor or no services outside of built up areas – eg water and sewer.
There are some candidates who are willing and able to do this. We, as voters, need to put some energy into finding out who they are and then vote for them. The ultimate responsibility for getting who we voted for is ours.
Offshore social media platforms with at least 250,000 Australian account-holders would be required to set up a local company to handle defamation complaints as part of a federal government plan to make tech giants take greater responsibility for defamatory content posted by anonymous users.
An exposure draft of proposed anti-trolling laws, released today, makes clear social media companies will be considered “publishers” of users’ comments made in Australia on their platforms and can be held liable for defamatory comments, while media companies and individuals with public Facebook pages will not be responsible for third-party comments.
The federal government has announced a change to defamation laws to tackle anonymous trolls.Credit:Getty Images
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled the Coalition’s tough-on-tech platform will be a key election pitch to voters ahead of next year’s federal poll.
Characterising the companies as a potential threat to Australians, Mr Morrison said on Wednesday the government was “ripping the mask off” trolls and issuing an edict to the tech giants of: “You built it, you make it safe”.
“When you’re a prime minister, you’ve got to have the strength to stand up to those who threaten Australia. You’ve got to have the strength to stand up to the big tech companies,” Mr Morrison said, as he announced a new Parliamentary inquiry in the toxic impact of social media.
The proposed changes come as Coalition MPs, including Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Victorian senator Sarah Henderson, have shown their willingness to pursue defamation actions over comments on social media.
The proposed laws will reverse a High Court ruling that the owners and operators of public Facebook pages, including mainstream media companies and public figures, are legally responsible as “publishers” for the defamatory comments of third parties. The person posting the comments will continue to be liable alongside the social media companies, and can be sued directly for defamation.
Under existing defamation laws, social media companies are already “publishers” of users’ comments on their platforms and former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is suing Google over allegedly defamatory videos posted by YouTube personality Jordan Shanks.
But there can be jurisdictional issues with bringing defamation proceedings against entities that are not located in Australia. The proposal aims to create an incentive for platforms to set up an Australian “shopfront” by giving them a defence against being held liable for the defamatory comments of users if they meet specific conditions.
Platforms with at least 250,000 Australian users would need to set up a local entity to handle complaints from users about potentially defamatory comments, including dealing with requests for information about the identity of an anonymous commenter to enable an alleged victim of online defamation to sue the person directly.
However, the anonymous commenter must consent to their details being disclosed by the platform.
If consent is not given, a person could apply to the Federal Court for a new order requiring the platform to disclose the identity of the anonymous commenter. This appears similar to an existing process in Australia known as preliminary discovery, and it is not yet clear how this would be cheaper or easier than this process.
To escape liability for the defamatory comments of users, the social media companies would need to reveal the identity of the anonymous commenter, either because the person agreed to their details being provided or the court order was made.
Professor David Rolph, an expert in defamation law from the University of Sydney, said: “The reason why social media companies have not been defendants in Australian defamation cases until now is due to problems of jurisdiction and enforcement.
“A reform to require social media companies to have a presence in Australia for the purposes of jurisdiction and enforcement will overcome a significant impediment that plaintiffs have faced.”
Facebook, which also owns Instagram, and Twitter have been contacted for comment.
The proposed changes follow the High Court’s decision in former Northern Territory youth detainee Dylan Voller’s defamation case against media outlets over allegedly defamatory comments posted by third parties on their public Facebook pages.
The High Court ruled the media outlets were legally responsible as “publishers” of those comments, even if they were not aware of them. The case will now proceed to a NSW Supreme Court trial to determine if the comments were in fact defamatory and if the media outlets have any defences.
The change proposed by the federal government would mean operators of Facebook pages would have no legal responsibility for comments on their pages and would not have a duty to monitor comments.
Lisa Visentin is a federal political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, covering education and communications.Connect via Twitter or email.
The audit from the Office of the Auditor General Western Australia assessed a sample of 15 local government entities
A cyber security audit of local government entities in Western Australia showed vulnerabilities in some systems dating back to over 15 years.
The audit from the Office of the Auditor General Western Australia assessed a sample of 15 local government entities to determine how they manage cyber security risks and respond to cyber threats.
Caroline Spencer, Auditor General of Western Australia, said local government entities use key systems to deliver services to their communities and collect information about residents.
“This information is attractive to cybercriminals. LG entities need to understand and mitigate their cyber security risks,” she said in the report.
“In doing so, entity capability and public confidence in digital initiatives and government processes will be strengthened.”
Conducting simulated attacks
For the audit, the team carried out black box simulated cyber-attacks and sent test phishing emails to local government entities without their knowledge.
The black box approach is used to simulate a real-world scenario where tests are undertaken without any inside knowledge of the organisation’s IT environment or systems.
The team then worked with the Security Research Institute at Edith Cowan University to analyse the audit results.
Outdated policies
The audit found that only three local government entities had adequate cyber security policies to govern and manage cyber security.
Nine local government entities had policies that were out of date or did not cover important areas, and the remaining three did not have a policy or framework.
“Without policies that clearly outline the principles and expectations of systems and employees, entities are at higher risk of compromise by cyber threats,” the report said.
“This may result in financial loss, reputational damage or disruption to the delivery of important services to their communities.”
The audit also found that only two local government entities had identified all their cyber risks, ten had considered some but not all, and three had not identified any.
“If LG entities are not aware of their cyber risks, they cannot mitigate them,” the report said.
“This exposes them to higher risk of compromise which may adversely impact their business plans and objectives.”
No process for managing vulnerabilities
Most of the local government entities also did not have a process to manage vulnerabilities. Only three had a process in place and none of these were fully effective, according to the audit.
A penetration test is a simulated cyber-attack that organisations can perform against their computer systems to check for vulnerabilities.
Only five of the local government entities had recently tested their security controls, two had not conducted tests since 2015 and one had never tested at all.
As part of the audit, the team used basic open-source tools to simulate cyber-attacks on the local government entities to test their response strategies.
Only three had their systems configured to detect and block the simulated attacks in a timely manner.
“It was concerning that nine LG entities did not detect nor respond to our simulations, and three LG entities took up to 14 days to detect the simulations, and only did so after the simulation intensity increased significantly,” the report said.
Ongoing training needed
Training staff to increase awareness of cyber security was not enough to prevent cyber-attacks, according to the audit, which showed that seven staff who had undergone training still clicked on links in the test phishing emails, with some even submitting their username and password.
“This type of information can be used to compromise key systems or deliver malware to maintain long-term access into entity networks,” the report said.
“Cyber security awareness programs should be ongoing and focus on current trends.
“Further, if awareness programs are overly technical, individuals will not understand the cyber risks posed to their entity and their personal responsibilities.”
The audit set out seven recommendations for local government entities to adopt, including having processes to identify and address cyber security risks, ongoing awareness programs and technical controls to detect and prevent phishing emails.
All of the 15 local government entities have accepted the recommendations.
Key local manufacturer Austin Engineering delivers 1,000 iron ore truck bodies to Rio Tinto
Partnership between the two companies first commenced in 1988
100 per cent local content in truck bodies, supporting hundreds of WA jobs
Kewdale manufacturing facility is one of Austin Engineering's two major manufacturing sites in the Asia-Pacific region
The McGowan Government has welcomed local Austin Engineering's milestone achievement of delivering 1,000 locally manufactured iron ore truck bodies to Rio Tinto.
In a partnership that first commenced in 1988, Rio Tinto has purchased approximately $300 million worth of equipment from Austin Engineering.
With 100 per cent local content in the truck bodies, the manufacturing program supports hundreds of Western Australian jobs.
The milestone comes as the McGowan Government's continued efforts drive more initiatives as part of its WA Jobs Plan to capitalise on WA's manufacturing sector.
This has resulted in State Government investment of $126 million into the following programs:
critical iron ore rail wagon parts;
stand-alone power systems;
wind turbine manufacturing; and
precursor cathode materials manufacturing for battery industries.
Last month, the McGowan Labor Government welcomed Rio Tinto's commitment to use local suppliers to build iron ore railcars for its Pilbara mining operations.
Rio Tinto's announcement includes a commitment to the initial purchase of 50 iron ore railcars, followed by an ongoing commitment of 10 ore cars a year for at least the following five years.
The announcement reflects the State Government's commitment to boost local manufacturing and secure an ongoing pipeline of WA jobs through its establishment of the Iron Ore Railcar Wagons Manufacturing and Maintenance Action Group.
Austin Engineering's Kewdale facility is currently receiving its first manufacturing upgrade, with Austin Engineering investing heavily into the facility to implement new advanced manufacturing processes.
Austin Engineering's Kewdale facility is one of two of the company's major manufacturing sites in the Asia-Pacific region.
Comments attributed to Premier Mark McGowan:
"Congratulations to Austin Engineering and Rio Tinto for their 30 year partnership, which has now seen 1,000 WA-made truck bodies roll off the production line.
"It is fantastic to see our major resources companies investing heavily in our local manufacturing businesses, which is incredibly important for local jobs.
"As part of our WA Jobs Plan, we're investing in initiatives that bolster local jobs and local content to reinforce our strong manufacturing sector.
"The State Government is committed to creating more opportunities for Western Australian manufacturers to help boost our economy and create WA jobs harnessing local skills and training."
Comments attributed to State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook:
"Our local manufacturing sector is going from strength to strength, and today's milestone is just another indication of what WA is capable of.
"Austin Engineering has forged a relationship with Rio Tinto that should be the envy of the industry, and we're encouraging other key players to strike while the iron is hot and choose WA manufacturers and invest locally."
Premier's office - 6552 5200
State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister's office - 6552 6500
Peel Regional Skills Summit being held in Mandurah
More than 40 business leaders, peak bodies, unions and training representatives attending
State Government supporting unique workforce needs of regional WA
Low fee course enrolments up by 27 per cent in the Peel region
Local business and government leaders are meeting in Mandurah today to generate innovative ideas and practical actions to grow the skilled workforce in the Peel region.
The Mandurah-Peel Regional Skills Summit is the ninth in a series of 10 Regional Skills Summits hosted by the McGowan Government since August 2021.
Insights from the Mandurah-Peel Regional Skills Summit will form the basis of a local action plan to meet the region's unique workforce needs.
More than 40 government and regional business leaders from a range of sectors are attending the Mandurah Summit, including the region's biggest employing industries of retail, health care and social assistance, construction, education and training, manufacturing and accommodation and food services.
Recognising the importance of training to build a skilled workforce and retain people in regional areas, the McGowan Government has been working to ensure its investment in training initiatives reaches all corners of the State.
Peel locals are snapping up affordable training opportunities offered through the State Government's Lower fees, local skills (LFLS) initiative, with a 27 per cent increase in LFLS enrolments in the region this year.
Employers have responded by taking on more apprentices and trainees in the Peel region in 2021, with commencements up by more than 75 per cent in the 12 months to September 30, 2021.
The McGowan Government recently expanded the LFLS program by a further 30 courses from 2022, to include a total of 210 courses with heavily reduced course fees in priority industry areas including hospitality, health care, construction, retail and others.
Workers in industries which have a critical need to upskill workers - including childcare, aged and disability care, and civil construction - will be able to access low fee existing worker traineeship places to help meet the skills needs of these sectors.
The new initiatives respond to workforce issues raised by industry leaders at the Perth and regional skills summits held to date, and are jointly funded through a $103.5 million agreement between the State and Commonwealth Governments under the expanded JobTrainer Fund agreement.
Other initiatives progressing from the Perth Skills Summit include attracting onshore skilled migrants to fill jobs in demand in Western Australia; supporting mature age apprentices; promoting the tourism and hospitality industry to school students to grow the workforce; extending the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Re-engagement Incentive; freezing regional Government rental accommodation to attract public sector workers to the regions; and boosting Aboriginal youth employment opportunities.
The State Government is also providing support for jobseekers experiencing disadvantage to obtain a driver's licence; progressing targeted advertising campaigns to attract interstate workers and increase participation of under-represented groups in WA; has smoothed the pipeline of construction work; and is running a series of 10 Regional Skills Summits, including the one being held today.
Comments attributed to Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"Through Skills Summits our Government and industry leaders are working together to increase the capability of local workforces across the State.
"Ideas and discussions captured at the Mandurah Skills Summit will inform local action plans to address changing workforce needs in the Peel region, with a focus on local solutions for local issues."
Comments attributed to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training Terry Healy:
"Our Government is keen to hear from business leaders about practical actions that can be taken in the Peel to help fill local jobs.
"I know from having hosted many of these that they have been well received and I look forward to meeting with the Peel community."
Comments attributed to Mandurah MLA David Templeman:
"I am thrilled to be able to host one of the Skills Summits in Mandurah.
"The region has unique skills needs and I am interested in hearing about new ways of ensuring we can continue to grow our local workforce to support local jobs."
