Submission to the House of Representatives committee

[Greg 'groggy' Lehey]

The Commonwealth Parliament Joint Committee of Public Accounts and
Audit are conducting an inquiry into the management and integrity of
electronic information in the Commonwealth.

AUUG has had a request for a submission to this committee.  I'm
attaching the message I received.  Note that the submissions are due
in by CoB 18 December.

The commission will accept submissions from anybody, so if you wish,
you can send in your own personal submission.  On the other hand, a
submission from AUUG will carry a lot more weight.  I'd like to ask
for interested members to get together to help prepare this
submission.  If you're interested, please reply to me in private (note
that auug-announce is a moderated list) and we'll get something put in
place as quickly as possible.

You'll also note that the message below is dated 28 October.  The
reason for the delay is that we had to discuss it at a board meeting
first, and that was this past weekend.

Greg

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THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENT
JOINT COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT

Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone 02 6277 4615 ~ Facsimile 02 6277 2220 ~ E-mail jcpa at aph.gov.au


28 October 2002


Mr Greg Lehey
AUUG Inc.
PO Box 7071
Baulkham Hills Business Centre  NSW  2153
greg.lehey at auug.org.au


Dear Mr Lehey


Inquiry into the Management and Integrity of Electronic Information in the Commonwealth

As you may be aware, the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and
Audit (JCPAA) has recently resolved to inquire into the management
and integrity of electronic information in the Commonwealth. As part
of the inquiry, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Bob Charles MP, has
called for submissions from all interested parties.

This letter is to invite AUUG Inc. to provide a written submission
to the Committee's inquiry. The deadline for submissions is the close
of business on Wednesday, 18 December 2002. After receipt of
submissions the Committee intends conducting a series of public
hearings in early 2003.

For your information I enclose copies of:
*     the Committee's terms of reference for the inquiry; and
*     a secretariat document providing advice to those making
      submissions.

The preferred form of submissions is in electronic format as this
will facilitate placement on the Committee's website. Submissions can
be e-mailed to jcpa at aph.gov.au or provided on computer disk. Written
submissions should be directed to:
                                      The Secretary
                                      Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit
                                      Parliament House
                                      CANBERRA  ACT  2600

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Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit

Management and Integrity of Electronic Information in the Commonwealth

Terms of Reference

The Committee shall inquire into and report on the potential risks
concerning the management and integrity of the Commonwealth's
electronic information.

The Commonwealth collects, processes and stores a large amount of
private and confidential data about Australians. This information is
held by various Commonwealth agencies and private bodies acting on
behalf of the Commonwealth. For example, the Australian Taxation
Office keeps taxpayer records, the Australian Electoral Commission
keeps electoral roll information and Centrelink keeps social security,
family and health information. The Committee is concerned that the
Commonwealth's electronic information is kept securely and in a manner
that ensures its accuracy.

In conducting its inquiry the Committee will consider:

  the privacy, confidentiality and integrity of the Commonwealth's
  electronic data;

  the management and security of electronic information transmitted by
  Commonwealth agencies;

  the management and security of the Commonwealth's electronic
  information stored on centralised computer architecture and in
  distributed networks; and

  the adequacy of the current legislative and guidance framework.

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Making a submission:
 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
STANDING COMMITTEE ON AGEING
 
Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
 
Telephone 02 6277 4145 ~ Facsimile 02 6277 8469 ~ Email:
ageing.reps at aph.gov.au

NOTES ON MAKING A SUBMISSION


The following advice has been prepared to help you make a written
submission to the Committee's inquiry.

The Committee would like to receive all submissions by the advertised
closing date, but if you need an extension of the time you can request
it by contacting the Committee Secretariat.

Your submission should be relevant to the terms of reference of the
inquiry, although it need not address all of the points raised in the
terms of reference.

Your submission should not consist entirely of previously published
material, although you are welcome to refer to such material or to
include copies as attachments to your submission.

If your submission is lengthy, it is a good idea to provide a one or
two page summary.

Your submission should be signed and sent to the Committee at the  
address opposite.

Once the Committee receives your submission, you may not withdraw,
alter, publish or otherwise disclose it without first receiving the
Committee's approval. However, provided it is presented in a different
form, you may use or publish the information contained in this
submission.

By making a submission to the Committee you will be participating in
the proceedings of the Parliament and the submission you make will be
covered by parliamentary privilege. This means that any statements
contained in your submission cannot be the subject of defamation
proceedings. Nor can they be used in court to attack, or draw
inferences about your motivation, credibility, truthfulness or
honesty.

The Committee usually releases to the public the submissions it
receives. If you would prefer that your submission, or parts of it,
were not released, please let the Committee Secretariat know when you
make your submission. It would be convenient if any confidential
information were presented in an appendix to the submission. This
would allow at least the body of the submission to be made public.

If your submission is disclosed without the approval of the Committee
it may not be covered by parliamentary privilege.

Not every one who makes a submission is called to give evidence in
person. If the Committee feels that it needs additional information
from you, or it wants to explore further the issues you have raised in
your submission, the Committee Secretariat will let you know.

Committee Secretariat
28 October 2002

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