About the TISN
The TISN is a forum where the owners and operators of critical infrastructure work together, sharing information on the security issues that affect them.
It provides a safe environment where industry and government can share vital information on critical infrastructure protection and organisational resilience.
The TISN has established a truly collaborative relationship between business and government, based on trust, that is helping to build a more resilient Australia.
TISN membership
TISN members include businesses and Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies concerned with protecting critical infrastructure.
How to join the TISN
Owners and operators of critical infrastructure and Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies directly associated with critical infrastructure protection can become members of the TISN Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Groups.
If you believe your organisation is eligible to join the TISN, please contact the Critical Infrastructure Protection Branch of the Attorney-General’s Department.
TISN structure
The TISN is made up of nine different business sector groups, called 'Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Groups', which are overseen by the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council. As the Council reports to the Attorney-General, it gives critical infrastructure owners and operators a way of communicating with the Australian Government at a high level. It also feeds into Australia's counter-terrorism arrangements.
The Council has set up two permanent Expert Advisory Groups—one for IT security and the other looking at issues likely to affect Critical Infrastructure Protection in the future. It can set up other Expert Advisory Groups to provide advice as it thinks necessary.
TISN has also formed ‘communities of interest’, which bring together members from different sectors to work on common issues in relation to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisiton (SCADA) systems, pandemic planning and business resilience.
History of the TISN
In November 2001, the Australian Government announced the formation of the Business–Government Task Force on Critical Infrastructure. The task force meeting in March 2002 recommended forming a trusted information sharing network and advisory council.
Since the TISN was launched in 2003, governments around the world have realised that terrorism is just one threat to critical infrastructure. The TISN has been instrumental in promoting the ‘all hazards’ approach to critical infrastructure protection. This takes into account all possibilities, natural or manmade—from fire, criminal activity or cyclone to terrorism, flood or pandemic.
The nine sectors represented in the TISN today know that protecting infrastructure is not just about protecting physical structures but about making their business resilient to major interruption—whatever its cause.
How to contact the TISN
For information on how to contact theTISN, go to the Contact us page.
Useful references
To find out more, you can: