HUAWEI — CYBER
SECURITY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE
81. Hon PETER COLLIER to
the Leader of the House representing the Premier:
I refer to the state government–funded
Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre at Edith Cowan University, which is
the ''location of the WA McGowan Government's first Innovation
Hub focused on cyber security''.
(1) Did the
Department of the Premier and Cabinet or any other government department
consult the centre prior to the decision to award Huawei the $206 million radio
replacement project; and, if not, why not?
(2) If no to (1),
what is the purpose of funding the McGowan government's first
innovation hub focused on cybersecurity if it does not provide advice on
cybersecurity in relation to critical infrastructure, including the Huawei
radio replacement project?
(3) If yes to
(1), what date did the centre provide advice and will the Leader of the House
table that advice; and, if not, why not?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I note that the question was lodged on Thursday,
14 February 2019, so the answer is at that date.
(1)–(3) The
former Office of the Government Chief Information Officer within the Department
of Finance consulted the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre at Edith
Cowan University in relation to this matter. No formal advice was provided by
the CRC. Advice on this issue was requested from and provided by the
commonwealth Department of Home Affairs. Members of the opposition have
previously sighted this advice at a confidential briefing held at Parliament
House on 5 July 2018. As recently as yesterday—that is why I said that
the question was lodged on 14 February—the Department of Home Affairs
reaffirmed its previously stated position that this advice should not be
publicly disclosed.