IAA Newsletters
In March, the IAA team gathered at the Mercure on the NSW Central Coast for our annual Staff Planning Workshop. This is always a valuable opportunity to bring our geographically dispersed team together in one room to align on how we can better serve our Members.
This year’s Workshop focused on aligning our efforts to meet current OKRs, setting measurable goals for the year ahead, improving how we collaborate, and strengthening our approach to security and incident response, all within the framework of our 2024–2027 Strategic Plan.
A highlight of the Workshop was our team-building activity: SolarBuddy’s Hour of Power. SolarBuddy is an impactful organisation working to end extreme energy poverty, which is a major, but often overlooked, global issue. IAA staff worked together to construct some 20 solar powered lights to send to people in need around the world.
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In February, the IAA team travelled to Petaling Jaya, Malaysia for APRICOT 2025. We’re proud to sponsor this key event for the Asia Pacific internet community.
Our Events & Marketing Manager, Sabrina Chang-Rozario, gave a presentation on IAA’s events initiatives and joined a panel discussion on community outreach.
Tech Team Lead, Aaron Chidiac, was also on the ground, catching up with peers, taking part in technical sessions, and flying the flag for IAA.
We had a fantastic time reconnecting with the community, forging new relationships, and bringing back fresh ideas to share with the team.
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We’re proud to support the 2nd annual Data Centre Real Estate Summit – bringing together the big players in tech, real estate, and investment to shape the future of Australia’s data centre landscape.
Date: 19 June 2025
Venue: Doltone House, Sydney
Member discount code: DCRE25IAA
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With the federal election over and a returning Labor Government, we anticipate busy times ahead. Regulatory reform for the telco sector is already well underway with the:
- Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) obligations – commenced 4 April;
- new ACMA rules relating to network outages involving communication requirements and changes to your complaints handling policy – commencing 30 June; and
- changes to the TIO’s complaints handling processes – commencing 1 July.
We’re proud to say that our advocacy work has had some impact in reducing some of the burdens on industry. We’ve managed to ensure the positive security obligations under the SOCI framework will be limited to carriage service providers with over 20,000 services in operation (or those that supply to government). Our consistent engagement with the ACMA has also resulted in the regulator releasing more educative information alongside new regulation.
You can read more about the SOCI obligations in this newsletter article, the ACMA rules on its website and the TIO changes on the TIO Portal. We are also working on developing updated legal templates that are compliant with the new ACMA rules and will make them available on the IAA Member Portal in due course so please keep posted!
In March, a telecommunications consumer protections Bill was tabled at Parliament to introduce the CSP Register, give the ACMA directly enforceable powers and increase penalties for non-compliance. Though this lapsed due to the election, we anticipate this will be prioritised by the new or returning Communications Minister.
Other things to watch out for includes a new domestic, family and sexual violence industry standard for telcos which we think may land any day now, as well as the revised TCP Code which we understand will soon be submitted to the ACMA for registration.
The Public Policy Advisory Panel will be meeting later this month to discuss all the above and more so please let us know if you have any concerns, or if you’d like to join the discussion!
And as always, please get in touch to share any thoughts on any of the open consultations below and/or previous submissions as we really appreciate your feedback.
Open consultations
Completed submissions
March 2025
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The subordinate legislation under the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI Act) and the new Cyber Security Act affecting the telecommunications sector commenced on 4 April 2025.
These instruments introduce new rules for the telco industry, as well as changes to existing obligations, consolidating security regulations that were previously contained under the Telecommunications Act framework into the SOCI legislative framework. Below is a summary of the regulations.
Telecommunications Security and Risk Management Program Rules Telco entities that hold a carrier licence or supply over 20,000 carriage services, or supply services to Commonwealth Government entities are subject to more stringent obligations under the new TSRMP Rules.
This involves:
- implementing and maintaining a risk management program by 4 October 2025;
- compliance with at least maturity level 1 of a cyber security framework by 4 October 2026 (further obligations for carriers to comply with maturity level 2 by 4 October 2027);
- obligation to ‘protect your asset’ as far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.Carriers have further obligations to notify the Department of Home Affairs of any changes to your asset that is likely to have a material adverse effect on your ability to protect your asset
Asset Register and Mandatory Cyber Incident Reporting Rules
Rules requiring telco entities to register their critical assets, and notify the Department of a cyber incident have been folded into the SOCI framework.
However, these rules now only apply to entities with a carrier licence, or meet the ‘relevant carriage service provider asset’ threshold of over 20,000 services in operation, or supply to the Commonwealth Government.
SOCI rules affecting all telcos
Even if you are not a carrier or don’t meet the ‘relevant carriage service provider asset’ threshold, telecommunications assets are still captured under the SOCI Act as critical infrastructure. This means you may still have obligations to:
- notify your data storage or processing provider that it is storing or processing your business critical data; and
- following Ministerial directions in relation to serious incidents affecting your asset.
Subordinate cyber security rules
New security standards for smart devices were introduced in March 2025 with the rules commencing 4 March 2026. The rules apply to both manufacturers and suppliers of ‘relevant connectable products’ and is therefore likely to affect telco entities.
The standards introduce 3 rules for manufacturers in relation to their products, including ensuring each device has a unique password or allowing the consumer to create own password, ways for consumers to report security issues and clearly providing information on the support period for security updates.
The manufacturer must also prepare a Statement of Compliance in respect of the rules. Suppliers must then provide this Statement of Compliance with any relevant connectable products they supply to consumers in Australia and must retain the Statement for at least 5 years.
IAA recently held a webinar on IoT Security on 3 April, which included a discussion on the new rules.
Additionally, from 30 May 2025, all entities with an annual turnover of at least $3 million must report ransomware payments to the Department within 72 hours of the ransom being paid.
Please refer to the below summaries and guidance material provided by the Department in respect of these new rules:
- SOCI Act – Summary of changes;
- SOCI Act – Telecommunications Guidance;
- Smart Devices Standard Guidance; and
- Ransomware Reporting Guidance.
IAA will also soon publish a template risk management plan that Members can utilise to assist with their compliance efforts on the IAA Member Portal.
You can also join the Trusted Information Sharing Network for access to further critical infrastructure information and resources.
Please contact us if you have any questions about these new rules.
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Welcome to our newest Professional Members:
Margaret Boston
Charlie Evans
Donny Gunadi
Kiera Horomia
Hannah Leeder
Gerard O’Leary
Mike O’Connor
Jonathan Patsanas
David Rinaldo
Tarris Thiedecke
Bruce Tonkin
Ming Wong
Welcome to our Corporate Members:
Neptune Internet Pty Ltd
We are pleased to welcome Neptune, the latest ISP to join our peering network. Based in Melbourne, Neptune delivers high-performance internet services, supported by a team of highly skilled Australian experts who are always ready to assist. Their membership stems from both an interest in IX services and the community aspects of IAA.
Vetta Online Ltd
We’re excited to welcome Vetta Online to the peering network under their own port! Vetta has been delivering internet services since 2010, steadily growing from a national provider into one with its own international network backbone, offering some of the fastest and most reliable connectivity in New Zealand.
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Well, here we are in 2025! We’ve got some great plans for the year, with some fabulous events to mark our 30th anniversary. We’re really proud of our history and of the future we have. We have more upgrades and expansion planned, and are actively reviewing our footprint as well as any potential new locations. This year will see the end of our QV1 basement room and that truly will be the end of an era! If you still have kit in our QV1 room, please make sure you talk to the IAA team about its future.
We’re also kicking off the year with a significant change —our Member Portal now allows you to order 100G LR1 optical transceivers across any 100Gbps-enabled site. As the successor to 100GBASE-LR4, LR1 simplifies deployment, reduces failure points, and offers cost savings all round. In fact this is such a benefit we are offering members the optics free of charge on your new 100Gbps port!
Like many of you, over Christmas I had some quality time with the extended family, and part of this was with younger members just starting out in their working lives. These kids (actually young adults) are wondering what to do, and how best to get there, so the dinner table conversation headed to the paths people took in and along their careers.
Of course, I spent some time encouraging them into our industry and their questions followed quickly. What are the skills people need to get in? Where do they best get them?
If we look around, there are numerous pathways in and around the internet industry, and some of them are less available than they were. It seems the engineering degree I completed is no longer running, but there are countless online resources that teach a lot of really useful material for the motivated learner. Microcredentials and TAFE courses too seem pretty solid, and even starting with some of the electrical or cabling certificates which are quite short, will certainly help them along. (Given I seem to be breaking all my home cabling, I might need to re-enrol in one of those myself!) The vendor certificates aren’t the guarantee of a well-paid job they once were, but many do give a good grounding for those starting out. A quick search on Seek also shows a pile of traineeships available: is this a path our Members offer?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about where and how we grow the next generation of talent. Please send them through as this is an area we’ll explore some more this year.
Happy peering!
Narelle
IAA CEO
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The IAA Board met for its Planning Day on 13 November 2024 – it was a packed day of valuable discussions with productive outcomes!
The Planning Day began with an induction session including training on Board and Director responsibilities. The insightful presentation from the Associations Forum set a great tone that stressed the crucial strategic role that the Board plays for the Association, especially as we welcomed two new faces to the IAA Board in 2024.
Next, the Board considered the Association’s objectives, noting that any amendments can only be made with a special resolution passed by a 75% majority of votes cast by Members. The Board agreed that the Association’s objects were still relevant and appropriate, alongside the Association’s tagline, ‘infrastructure for the common good’.
With the IAA 3-Year Strategic Plan having only recently come into place, the Board didn’t conduct a full review, and the Planning Day was instead positioned to be a light touch review and check-in on the ‘Objectives and Key Results’ for 2024-25. This still involved deep dives into each of the Association’s key pillars, with spirited discussions focusing on Membership, Tech and Peering, Marketing and Public Policy.
Membership
The Association’s Management Accountant presented membership numbers, revenue, benefits and objectives to help guide the Board’s discussion on how to grow the Association’s membership. As part of these considerations, the Board established a subcommittee to investigate training issues for Members. We will keep Members updated as this work progresses.
Tech and Peering
Our new Tech Lead provided an update on the Association’s current architecture evolution and planning for switch deployment. The Board agreed to a switch replacement plan to ensure redundancy, proper asset management, and standardisation of LR1 optical connection.
Marketing
The CEO presented strategies to increase take-up of the Association’s services and grow membership. Members will be happy to note that, once again, we will not be raising prices. The Board then endorsed a new 12-month discount on 10Gbps ports for new Members, so feel free to spread the news and encourage peers to join!
Public Policy
On the public policy front, the Board reviewed the Association’s Public Policy Principles, deciding they are still appropriate. As is our current approach to advocacy – representing members in relevant regulatory reform consultations. Led by the Association’s Policy Officer, the Board also considered ways to grow Members’ engagement with the Association’s advocacy work. It was decided that the Association will present more regular regulatory updates alongside our events, so that Members can look forward to those in the coming months. The team will also look at creating a new ‘regulatory’ role within the Portal, so watch out for that too!
All in all, the Board found it to be a very productive day and we’re confident in the future of the Association to ‘operate for the benefit of the internet, and the people who build and operate it’!
