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 will consult on both initiatives until 1 May 2026.
The department is running concurrent consultation processes for both initiatives. 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,
virtual town halls will be held to support the consultation. More information on the townhalls can be found on the department’s website.
Providing a submission
You can provide a submission for either initiative at the departments website. Should entities wish to provide feedback on both initiatives, separate submissions will be needed for each of the initiatives.
More information
For information on these consultations, including when we are holding town halls and how to provide submissions, see
Consultation on proposed amendments to Ministerial Directions Powers and the Exposure Draft of the enhancements to the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program Rules under the SOCI Act.
