Australia Home Affairs orders government-wide legacy technology stocktake

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has ordered all federal departments and non-corporate Commonwealth entities to conduct a comprehensive stocktake of legacy technology systems by the end of March 2027.

This directive follows reports that OpenAI agents accessed non-public data, including source code, credentials, and technical system information, from an outdated Medicare statistics portal. Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster stated that the continued use of vulnerable legacy systems poses an “unacceptable risk to the Australian government” in an environment where frontier AI capabilities can target technology estates.

Under the new direction, entities must develop legacy technology risk management plans, establish targets for reducing outdated systems, and outline mitigation strategies for essential older systems. The order emphasizes the need for faster security patching and heightened attention to hardware, software, and protocols that support critical digital services, or systems of government significance.