{"id":947965,"date":"2026-10-31T20:20:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T20:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947965\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T20:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T20:20:18","slug":"major-risk-to-australias-essential-services-as-stockpiling-advice-grows-overseas-paralyse-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947965\/","title":{"rendered":"Major risk to Australia’s essential services as stockpiling advice grows overseas: ‘Paralyse the country’"},"content":{"rendered":"

From filling up the car to buying groceries, Australians rely on a complex network of digital systems to keep everyday life running smoothly<\/a> \u2014 often without giving them a second thought.<\/p>\n

But recent disruptions to supermarket deliveries and shipping operations<\/a> have highlighted just how interconnected these essential services have become, with a leading cybersecurity expert pointing to vulnerabilities Australia needs to address<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The issue comes amid a growing focus on emergency preparedness overseas<\/a>, where households in the UK and Europe have been encouraged to keep basic supplies on hand in case of unexpected disruptions, including extreme weather, power outages and cyber incidents.<\/p>\n

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Ahead of the cyclone season in northern Australia, Woolworths,<\/a> in conjunction with state governments in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, is marketing an emergency kit checklist.<\/p>\n

While traditional warnings focused on natural disasters, leading security experts warn Australia’s modern vulnerability lies in its digital backbone.<\/p>\n

What would be impacted by a cyberattack on Australia?<\/p>\n

Dr Jill Slay, who was appointed by the federal government to review Australia’s critical infrastructure security laws this year, warned the consequences of a major cyberattack could extend far beyond electricity<\/a> and water supplies.<\/p>\n

“If you wanted to paralyse the country, there are so many ways to do it,” she told Yahoo News Australia.<\/p>\n

“You can stop the electricity. You can stop the water. You can stop the cars.<\/p>\n

“It’s a kind of an acceptance of an inevitability that one day there will be such a breach that you’ll have nothing left.”<\/p>\n

The warning comes as the Australian Signals Directorate’s latest cyber threat report reveals authorities responded to 154 cybersecurity incidents<\/a> involving critical infrastructure during the 2025\u201326 financial year.<\/p>\n

Do you have a hacking story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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Items for emergency supply kits include soap, rice, nappies, tinned food and first aid. Source: Queensland Government<\/p>\n

How the whole supply chain could break down<\/p>\n

With over 25 years spent researching digital threats, Slay warned a targeted strike on the power grid would reach far beyond blacked-out living rooms.<\/p>\n

“Because there’s no electricity, there’s no petrol and because there’s no electricity, there’s no water, there’s no gas,” she explained of a worst-case scenario.<\/p>\n

“Because there’s no petrol, you can’t supply shops \u2014 the whole supply chain breaks down.”<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

Modern grocery supply chains depend heavily on digital infrastructure, meaning small disruptions trigger major delays.<\/p>\n

In July 2024, a faulty CrowdStrike update crippled Woolworths distribution centres<\/a> for 48 hours, causing a delivery backlog across NSW, Queensland, and South Australia that took a week to clear. <\/p>\n

A year earlier, a cyberattack on DP World froze major Australian ports<\/a>, stranding over 30,000 containers for 10 days.<\/p>\n

While neither event knocked out the entire power grid of the country, both exposed how rapidly digital disruptions can choke the supply of essential goods.<\/p>\n

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Modern grocery supply chains depend heavily on digital infrastructure. Source: Getty<\/p>\n

Smaller businesses exposed to growing cyber threats<\/p>\n

While Australia’s cybersecurity protections focus heavily on major electricity providers, telecommunications networks and other critical infrastructure, Slay warned smaller businesses and regional operators risk being overlooked.<\/p>\n

“There’s nobody looking after farmers or small businesses, or any of the kind of petrol stations,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Once you get out of big towns and sort of the defence and those big sectors, you see. So we haven’t got anything set up to look after it.”<\/p>\n

Slay warned that expanding protections across the country would require enormous investment, particularly as emerging technologies create new vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

“Everything will cost so much money if the government is to take this all seriously,” she said.<\/p>\n

She also urged Australia to update critical infrastructure laws for emerging threats like AI, quantum computing, and space tech.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think that’s science fiction. I think that’s a potential reality,” she said.<\/p>\n

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