Multilateral engagement

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

The department leads Australia's involvement in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum’s Telecommunications and Information Working Group (APEC TEL). The TEL provides an important mechanism among APEC member economies to exchange information, consult on policy and regulatory developments and to develop cooperative projects in the telecommunications sector. The forward work agenda of the TEL is determined by its sectorial ministerial meeting, which is held every second to third year.

The most recent ministerial meeting, the Eighth APEC Ministerial Meeting on Telecommunications and Information Industry (TELMIN 8) was held 30 to 31 October, 2010, in Okinawa, Japan. The key outcomes for this meeting were the Okinawa Declaration and the Strategic Action Plan, which outlines the TEL’s work priorities for 2010 to 2015.

APEC TEL holds a working group meeting biannually, with the most recent meeting, APEC TEL 44, being held 22-28 September 2011, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The next meeting, APEC TEL 45, is expected to be held in Da Nang, Viet Nam, during the first half of 2012.

Access

APEC assists in improving access to and the quality of telecommunications infrastructure in developing countries within the region. It aims to facilitate effective cooperation, free trade and investment and sustainable development. The Cybersecurity and Asia-Pacific Engagement Branch within the department assists in this process by participating in APEC TEL projects, as well as those held by the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The department’s Spectrum and Wireless Services branch is responsible for Australia’s involvement in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

See more information about these bodies at:

APEC:	www.apec.org
APEC TEL:	APEC TEL page on APEC website
Asia-Pacific Telecommunity:	www.aptsec.org
ITU:	www.itu.int

E-commerce

E-commerce is a key to growth of the Asia-Pacific trading network. The department assists neighbouring countries with cooperative projects and activities, including through the APEC TEL which assists our trading partners to expand business opportunities, reduce costs, increase efficiency and facilitate the greater participation of small businesses in global commerce.

APEC aids in the global expansion of electronic commerce activities by:

promoting e-commerce for use by business and consumers
contributing to the harmonisation of the region's e-commerce policies
enhancing the development of e-commerce infrastructure
facilitating the electronic delivery of government services.

Security

The department cooperates with APEC to increase consumer confidence in the security of the online environment. Security work is undertaken by the APEC TEL Security and Prosperity Steering Group (SPSG), which has a strong collaborative relationship with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (OECD WPISP).

Australia is currently leading a project on the protection of submarine communication cables in the SPSG and has also recently led projects on:

cybersecurity voluntary internet service providers codes of practice
prevention of child sexual exploitation facilitated through the internet

In 2010, the department worked with APEC TEL to support the inaugural APEC Cyber Security Awareness Day on 29 October and to promote secure online practices.

Capacity-building in the region

The department supports capacity-building projects in the Asia-Pacific region in its work with the APT and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

For example, the department contributes to the APT Policy and Regulation Forum for the Pacific, which explores initiatives to accelerate telecommunication development in Pacific Island countries.

The department also hosted the Workshop on Disaster Management in Geelong in July, 2010. This workshop brought together government and industry responsible for emergency communications and warning systems to share experiences on making effective emergency communications and equipment available in times of need.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is at the forefront of international cooperation to promote economic development based on sound economic principles and policy in its 31 member countries. The OECD provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies. One of the main advantages for the department in its OECD participation is to access global know-how in relevant areas of policy, while also supporting and projecting Australia’s profile amongst OECD member countries.

In addition to Australia's annual contribution to the OECD's administration (approximately $11 million in 2010), various agencies contribute to programs that have particular portfolio interest. Most Australian Government departments, including this department, and relevant industry participants are involved in the various working groups of the OECD. Currently, the department is involved in three working parties of the OECD and participates according to the issues under discussion. The department chairs the Working Party on Internet Security and Privacy.

Current areas of work include:

best practice guidelines/OECD recommendation on cybersafety strategies
the role of potential internet intermediaries as a consequence of the Future of Internet Declaration, signed by all members in 2008
the appropriate role of government in cloud computing
30th anniversary of OECD privacy guidelines and related work
best practice guidelines for ISPs
unique work on the economics of malicious software.

See also the OECD activities page elsewhere on this site and the OECD home page.

European Commission

The department and the Minister have pursued informal bilateral discussions with the European Commission on areas of mutual interest, including:

the EU Telecommunications Reform Package announced in November 2009
the 12 most important reforms of the EU Telecommunications Reform Package

The portfolio responsibilities of the next European Commission were announced in November 2009.

Internet governance

The department participates in a number of domestic and international forums that have a role in internet governance—such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned names and numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Governance Forum. These consider issues such as domain name allocation, technical standards, intellectual property and internet security.

See more information on the internet governance page.