Govt forms national cybercrime plans

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General has outlined a national response to cybercrime, including establishing a group to review current Australian efforts to combat it.

The agreement will create a national approach to clarifying the responsibilities of state and national law enforcement agencies and improve tools to more easily allow individuals and financial institutions to report cybercrimes.

The announcement has come after Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith announced plans last week to adhere to principals decided on by the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, joining over 40 countries currently involved in the convention, including Canada, Japan, South Africa and the United States.

The convention is the only binding international treaty against cybercrimes and aims to share information about international cyber threats between council members. However, local groups like Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) have suggested Australia's membership could lead to tougher copyright infringement laws.

Other local efforts to regulate cybercrimes have included the Federal Government's Cyber Security Operations Centre, which monitors and details cyber threats within Australia, and coordinates responses to those threatening government and critical infrastructure.