14 November 2026 - For Immediate Release
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) says Australia needs proof its critical systems can keep running when overseas technology fails, following two major outages in two days that disrupted Australian businesses and travellers.
On Saturday, a US air traffic control outage grounded some US-bound flights in Sydney and delayed departures from Melbourne and Brisbane. Just a day earlier, Microsoft’s global outage left thousands of Australians without access to email and other workplace tools.
“Yesterday, a Microsoft failure hit government agencies including AFP and ASIO, Australia Post, and businesses across the country,” ACS CEO Dr Prins Ralston said. “Today, a communications failure in the United States grounded flights there and left Australians stuck at the gate.”
“They are separate incidents with separate causes but they leave Australia with the same question: what happens here when the systems we depend on fail, and who is accountable for keeping the country running?”
“Stopping departures to protect passengers was the right call, and the controllers, pilots and technical teams managing that disruption deserve credit,” Dr Ralston said.
“But once planes are flying again and email is back on, the hard questions can’t be shelved. Neither outage was a cyber attack. That should concern us more. It means ordinary technical failures can still bring essential services to a halt.”
ACS is not attributing the US aviation disruption to the FAA’s SMART AI planning tool. No causal link has been established, and the tool’s developer has denied involvement.
“Whether it’s cloud software, air traffic networks or new AI tools, Australia needs more than a vendor’s promise that a system is reliable,” Dr Ralston said.
“For critical services, we need tested backup arrangements, independent checks before major changes go live, and qualified people here in Australia with the authority to act.”
“That responsibility can’t disappear between a contract, a subcontractor and an overseas help desk.”
ACS is calling on the Federal Government to commission a national review of sovereign risk in Australian IT, and to:
- Test continuity arrangements for critical digital services through realistic failure exercises, not paper assurances.
- Require independent assurance before major changes, including AI deployments, go live on critical systems, with the people who run those systems involved in testing.
- Mandate resident senior accountable professionals with assessed capability and clear authority to coordinate Australian incident response.
- Require timely, local updates for affected customers and the public during an outage, followed by public post-incident reporting on causes and fixes.
“Government should commission the review, set a reporting date and require a formal response,” Dr Ralston said. “Businesses and agencies should be ready to show their backup plans work and name the people responsible for them.”
“The test isn’t whether a supplier promises 99.9 per cent uptime. It’s whether essential services keep running when something goes wrong.”
ENDS
Further information
Troy Steer
Director of Member Engagement & Public Affairs
M – 0417 173 740
E – troy.steer@acs.org.au
About ACS
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the professional body for Australia’s technology profession. Since 1966, we have championed a trusted, skilled, and world-class profession, representing 42,000 members across business, government and education, with branches in every Australian state and territory. Our work strengthens Australia’s digital sovereignty, responsible AI adoption, cyber resilience, workforce capability and digital trust. We set professional standards, accredit education, certify practitioners and advocate for the skills and capabilities Australia needs. ACS is committed to advancing the profession and ensuring technology serves Australia’s national interests and delivers lasting public value.
About Cyberpath
CyberPath is a Commonwealth grant-funded cyber professionalisation pilot led by ACS which brings together industry, government and education to standardise career and education pathways, skills requirements and recognition frameworks for cyber security.