GovTech Review

AI-generated code introduces an average of 15 confirmed vulnerabilities per codebase, research published by Secure Code Warrior indicates. An evaluation of 1760 complete codebases generated by 16 popular AI models found that on average, 4.3 of these vulnerabilities are considered severe. The analysis identified 86 unique Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) vulnerabilities, with the most common CWEs involving logging failures, injection vulnerabilities, insecure design and broken access control.

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has announced that the Australian Government has ranked first in Intermedium’s 2026 Digital Government Maturity Indicator, and says this recognises the progress made to build a secure, connected and more user-focused public service. The federal government received a score of 88.3. “The result reflects a decade of work to strengthen the foundations of digital government,” said Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, DTA.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is urging care in the deployment of agentic AI in the wake of news that testing conducted by OpenAI last week resulted in an AI system autonomously accessing a third-party company’s systems. ASD says the event highlights both the significant opportunities and emerging risks associated with increasingly capable agentic AI systems.

Long Service Corporation (LSC), a New South Wales Government statutory body, has launched a new digital application built on the Appian Platform to help community services workers across the state more easily access long service leave entitlements across multiple employers.

Macquarie Government, part of Macquarie Technology Group, has announced the launch of a new Microsoft Azure cloud, security, and AI services practice purpose-built for Australian federal and state government agencies. Built on the Azure managed services model delivered by Macquarie Cloud Services to Australian businesses for seven years, the Government practice using Azure has been adapted to meet government security classifications, including Protected-level requirements.

The federal government has announced a series of AI safety priorities to help ensure AI works better for Australians, following on from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech last week on the government’s plan to introduce AI policy guardrails. The National AI Plan makes clear that to fully realise the benefits that AI offers, Australians must have confidence that AI is being developed and deployed safely.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has released new guidance to help organisations assess vendor readiness for post-quantum cryptography, saying vendor readiness may be one of the biggest factors influencing an organisation’s ability to transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) within recommended timeframes.

Local councils say they want a greater say in the building and managing of data centre developments. The Australian Local Government Association says that while the federal government’s announcement of a new national framework for artificial intelligence and large data centres is an important step, councils must be formally involved in decisions about where data centres are built, how their communities can benefit and how their impacts are managed.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has taken part in releasing a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) warning that Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16 cyber actors continue to exploit poorly configured and vulnerable networking devices worldwide, opportunistically compromising multiple critical infrastructure sector networks.

Australia’s 2035 emissions target will be set nationally; however, the proof will be local. The practical test will sit in council buildings, streetlights, depots, water assets, transport infrastructure and precinct planning decisions. These are the assets communities rely on every day and where emissions reduction can become visible, measurable and accountable. Australia has committed to reducing emissions by 62–70% below 2005 levels by 2035.