Samenvatting

This paper takes Australia as a case study and asks specifically where, how, and why Australia's critical infrastructure might be at risk. By examining the core elements of the National Information Infrastructure (NII), such as power distributions systems, telecommunications and financial networks, it is possible to gauge whether the system is vulnerable. The evident vulnerabilities are then juxaposed against a selection of threats, thereby creating a risk assessment. The paper ends with suggestions as to future policy options available to the Australian Government. It should be noted however that this paper does not claim to provide an exhausting survey of either vulnerabilities or threats. The criteria for selection were focused on the most serious threats and vulnerabilities that were evident in the open source literature at the time.