The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (NZDIA) have signed a revamped anti-spam memorandum of understanding.
The non-binding MoU commits the two agencies to co-operating in the fight against spam, including by exchanging information and aiding each other's enforcement efforts.
The MoU expires in five years and is based on the original agreement signed in April 2009.
New to this version is an agreement to share modifications to the ACMA’s Spam Intelligence Database (SID), which includes samples of spam email, and a commitment to sharing data on phishing, malware and botnets.
“Spam, phishing and malware are problems that don’t pay attention to national borders. Increasingly, the only way to tackle these problems is through co-operation between countries,” ACMA chairperson Chris Chapman said in a statement.
“The new agreement lifts the already close cooperation between New Zealand and Australia on spam and cyber security matters to a new level.”