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Australia and New Zealand’s prime ministers have announced that a major cyber attack on either country could ignite a defence response from both.
Speaking in Canberra earlier today (16 August), both Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon discussed the partnership the two nations have, particularly in defence.
Both Albanese and Luxon said that a cyber security incident could lead to a defence response under the ANZUS Treaty, an agreement signed between the two countries originally in 1951.
“We also discussed the increasingly important role that cyber space plays to enhance cooperation in tackling cyber attacks,” said Albanese, as reported by 9News.
“We reaffirmed that international law applies in cyber space and that a cyber attack on either country could, depending on its nature, constitute an attack under article four of the treaty.”
Article four of the treaty says that both nations would respond to an armed attack in the Pacific in defence of both nations and the region.
“Each party recognises that an armed attack in the Pacific area on any of the parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes,” added Luxon.
“We are recognising, obviously, today, modern warfare has moved into the cyber space, and should New Zealand come under a severe cyber attack, both countries, we would invoke the arrangement under our arrangements.”
Albanese said that whether or not a cyber attack would trigger article four of the treaty would be evaluated on a “case-by-case basis”.
“A cyber attack can have as great an impact as an attack from traditional means,” he said.
“The way we have viewed warfare is changing. An attack on the economy can bring down the operation of an entire society.”
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