The Independent Review into the
Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act) was delivered on 31 January 2026 by Dr Jill Slay AM. The review found that the SOCI Act has laid a strong foundation for safeguarding Australia’s most important infrastructure assets. It has significantly strengthened national security and resilience, established a risk-based regulatory framework, and improved partnerships between Government and industry. However, as Dr Slay AM notes, “the threat environment continues to evolve, as infrastructure systems become more interconnected and complex, and as new sectors and technologies emerge as nationally significant, the framework will require continuous refinement”.
The Independent Review’s recommendations are principally directed at reducing complexity and improving the agility and responsiveness of the SOCI Act, including through pursuing legislative reforms. In line with these recommendations, the Department of Home Affairs (the department) is progressing the first tranche of initiatives, including:
- proposed amendments to Ministerial Directions Powers in Part 3 of the SOCI Act
- the Exposure Draft of the enhancements of the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program Rules
The department ran concurrent consultation processes for both initiatives until 1 May 2026. This is due to the initiatives being at different stages of the consultation process and contain unrelated content.
Town Halls to support consultation
During the consultation period, the department hosted public virtual town halls on 7 April, 8 April and 20 April 2026, to support the consultations. These sessions provided information on the Ministerial Directions Powers Consultation Paper and the Exposure Draft of the CIRMP Rules.
We recorded these town halls, and they can be accessed through
Town halls and awareness sessions.
Providing a submission
Submissions are now closed. Should you wish to provide further information on the Ministerial Directions Powers Consultation Paper please contact:
CI.REFORMS@homeaffairs.gov.au
Should you wish to provide further information on the Exposure Draft of the enhanced CIRMP Rules please contact:
ci.strategy.guidance@homeaffairs.gov.au.
The department will publish submissions on its website, unless advised that a submission is confidential.
More information
For more information on the proposed changes to Ministerial Directions Powers contact
CI.REFORMS@homeaffairs.gov.au.
For more information on the Exposure Draft on enhancements to the CIRMP Rules contact
ci.strategy.guidance@homeaffairs.gov.au.
