Cybersecurity ‘gaps’ exposed by hacks, paper says – as it happened

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Hundreds of Jetstar travellers spent almost seven hours on the tarmac at Alice Springs airport yesterday.

Their flight from Bangkok to Melbourne was diverted to Alice Springs after a passenger experienced a suspected stroke and required urgent medical assistance.

As a domestic airport, Alice Springs does not have customs processing facilities and we worked with Border Agencies, the NT Police and the local Airport Authority to provide passengers with the option to disembark into a specially partitioned section of the Airport.

They were then transferred directly onto the replacement aircraft. We worked with the local Airport to provide passengers with food, drinks and snacks.

We appreciate this has been a lengthy delay and frustrating experience. Safety is always our first priority, and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding as we supported the passenger requiring urgent medical assistance and worked to get everyone else on their way as quickly as possible.

The case for change is clear.

Australia has a patchwork of policies, laws and frameworks that are not keeping up with the challenges presented by the digital age. Voluntary measures and poorly executed plans will not get Australia where we need to be to thrive in the contested environment of 2030.

If we are to lift and sustain cyber resilience and security, it must be an integrated whole-of-nation endeavour. We need a coordinated and concerted effort by governments, individuals, and businesses of all sizes.