Give us a fair go, says Huawei

HUAWEI Australia chairman John Lord has proposed the establishment of a new cyber-security body.

HUAWEI Australia chairman John Lord has called for a level playing field and equal treatment of all technology vendors that supply critical Australian infrastructure projects, proposing the establishment of a new cyber-security body.

Mr Lord has also looked to the government's imminent Asian Century white paper to bolster the teaching of Asian languages and culture, saying this was critical to deepen regional engagement and represented the "future of Australia".

Huawei's submission to the review conducted by former Treasury secretary Ken Henry warns that Australia's policy settings are "inadequate to embrace and fully capitalise" on the opportunities in East Asia.

In a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, Mr Lord suggested a new "cyber-security evaluation centre" could be funded by a range of technology vendors and run by Australians who pass a security clearance test.

"For Australia to protect its critical infrastructure from cyber attacks, then all companies who produce equipment overseas must naturally be subject to the same rigorous security testing procedures," he said.

Government sources yesterday threw cold water on the idea, saying Australia already had independent agencies with responsibility for cyber security, including ASIO.

"The government acts on expert intelligence advice, and all our intelligence agencies are closely scrutinised by the independent Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security," a spokesman for acting Attorney-General Jason Clare said.

The Huawei move is part of a bid to dispel perceptions the telco poses a security threat following the government's decision to exclude it as a supplier to the National Broadband Network. Mr Lord also condemned the US select committee on intelligence which released a report urging US companies against using the telco's equipment.