[LINK] Early Warning - IPND

[Richard Chirgwin]

Linkers,

Since this has been of much discussion, here's a media release outlining
government agreement on using the IPND for emergency services.

Cheers,
RC

> To: Media Releases
> Subject: JOINT MCCLELLAND/CONROY MEDIA RELEASE - RUDD GOVERNMENT
> IMPLEMENTS COAG AGREEMENT ON TELEPHONE-BASED EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEMS.
> [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
>
>  
>
> RUDD GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTS COAG AGREEMENT ON
>
> TELEPHONE-BASED EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEMS
>
>  
>
> The Rudd Government will today introduce into Parliament amendments to
> the Telecommunications Act 1997 to enable access to the Integrated
> Public Number Database (IPND) for telephone-based emergency warning
> systems established by the States and Territories.
>
>  
>
> Access to the IPND will be provided through a new secure database which
> provides real-time access to up-to-date telephone numbers while
> protecting the identity of individuals.  The Government will provide
> $11.3 million for this purpose.  A request for tender to build the
> database will be issued shortly.
>
>  
>
> Telephone-based emergency warning systems have been the subject of
> discussions between the Commonwealth, States and Territories since 2004.
> Until 2008, no agreement was reached.
>
>  
>
> In 2008, the Rudd Government placed the issue on the COAG agenda.  COAG
> agreed it was a priority and commissioned the work necessary to reach
> agreement by the end of 2008.  This work was completed, and agreement
> was achieved in November 2008.
>
>  
>
> This agreement was necessary to address important concerns such as
> ensuring telephone-based emergency warning systems do not overload and
> disable the telecommunications network (including access to the 000
> emergency hotline) and the security of individuals' personal
> information.
>
>  
>
> In accordance with the agreement, the Government immediately commenced
> drafting legislation to authorise access to the IPND.  The necessary
> legislation and database the Government is putting in place will enable
> the States and Territories to access the data needed to develop their
> own warning systems as soon as possible.
>
>  
>
> The historical advice to the Commonwealth has been that any plan to
> allow the States and Territories access to the IPND as part of any
> emergency warning system would be best secured by a legislative
> amendment.  Nevertheless, in light of the bushfire emergency in Victoria
> the Government has also sought advice from the Solicitor-General on an
> interim measure to allow access.
>
>  
>
> Based on this advice, the Government will today also make a regulation
> under the Telecommunications Act 1997 enabling interim access to the
> IPND.
>
>  
>
> This will enable immediate access to the IPND by individual States and
> Territories who wish to implement a more limited system as soon as
> possible.  It should be emphasized that this is not a long-term solution
> and not a substitute for amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1997
> and the planned future access arrangements for the IPND.
>
>  
>
> Under the COAG agreement, States and Territories retain autonomy about
> the warning systems they choose to implement.  
>
>  
>
> The Commonwealth has today written to the States and Territories
> advising that if they are able to agree to a national system at the next
> possible COAG meeting the Commonwealth will make a further financial
> contribution to establish such a system, to be owned and operated by the
> States and Territories.
>
>  
>
> Whether or not a national system is established, there remain
> technological challenges to overcome to enable any system to communicate
> with all telephones in a threatened area.  Advice to the Government is
> that current technology is limited to communicating with fixed
> landlines, and mobile telephones on the basis of billing address only
> (rather than the location of the handset).  This can mean individuals in
> a threatened area do not receive a warning on their phones, and
> individuals outside a threatened area receive irrelevant warnings.
>
>  
>
> To help address this gap, at the next COAG meeting the Commonwealth will
> offer the States and Territories financial assistance for them to
> conduct collaborative research on the viability of a location-based
> emergency warning system.
>
>  
>
> It should also be remembered that telephone-based emergency warning
> systems are only a supplement to, and not a replacement for, the range
> of measures currently used to warn the public of emergencies, such as
> television and radio, public address systems, doorknocking, sirens,
> signage and the internet.
>
>  
>
> The steps announced by the Rudd Government today will help make
> telephone-based emergency warning systems one part of Australia's
> disaster response capability.
>
>  
>
> Media Contact:                      Adam Sims (McClelland)
> 0419 480 224
>
>                                                 Tim Marshall (Conroy)
> 0408 258 457