Australia's security industry-the forgotten partner in national security

Release of ASPI Special Report Advancing Australian homeland security: Leveraging the Private Sector

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new Special Report on the security industry and the role it could play in protecting Australia’s homeland security.

The report finds that the integration of effective security across all sectors of Australia is being hindered by a general lack of mutual understanding and respect between those who define security requirements and services and those who provide these goods and services.

The paper suggests five measures that would allow public and private sector customers access to a wider spectrum of advanced security capability and leverage leading edge security thinking from industry and the research community.

First, governments should produce clear statements of capability to provide guidance as to the requirements, expectations and desired level of security.

Second, in partnership with suppliers, governments should develop standards for security requirements for the guidance of security managers in the public and private sectors.

Third, the federal government should facilitate impartial testing arrangements for emerging security technologies and oversee and assess the uptake of such technologies.

Fourth, to allow the maximum number of customers access to all those potentially providing relevant technologies and services, a national customer group should be established that would bring together key Australian government agencies to develop and discuss broad capability requirements.

And at the state level, security buyers and sellers could be assisted in business matching by the Industry Capability Network Limited, that assists businesses to maximise opportunities that arise from purchasing requirements from both the government and private sector.

Dr Anthony Bergin, ASPI’s research director and co-author of the report, said ‘These measures would better integrate customers and sellers in our security market and enhance the ability of Australia to protect itself at all levels from all hazards.’

‘Our security industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Security spending will continue to expand, driven by risk perceptions of terrorism, the hosting of major events and the on-going need to protect critical infrastructure.’