The UK and Australia enjoy a historic relationship and modern partnership. It is a unique and enduring bond built on friendship and shared values; one underpinned by strong security, prosperity and people-to-people links; one more relevant than ever as we work together advancing common interests and tackling global issues, including in cyberspace. We recognise that the pace and development of new technologies and applications, in conjunction with greater access, is delivering significant opportunities for both economic and social development. While bringing great advantages, the reliance on increasingly interconnected networks also exposes states to new vulnerabilities. Irresponsible or illegal exploitation of those vulnerabilities can have both profound impact on the victim and, in the most egregious cases, risk international stability.

We confirm our joint commitment to promoting an international stability framework for cyberspace based on the application of existing international law, agreed voluntary norms of responsible state behaviour and confidence building measures, supported by co-ordinated capacity building programmes.

Australia and the UK will co-operate to deter, mitigate and attribute malicious cyber attacks by criminals, state actors and their proxies, including those that seek to interfere in the internal democratic processes of states. We will work with industry to implement resilient cyber security solutions for their products and services. We will also share lessons learned as we develop measures to provide defences across our governments, and make it easier for individuals and organisations to stay safe online.

We reaffirm our commitment to a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace. The foundation for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace is our mutual commitment to existing international law, including the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the application of international humanitarian law to cyber operations in armed conflict. We reaffirm that the UN Charter applies in its entirety to state actions in cyberspace, including the prohibition of the use of force (Article 2(4)), the peaceful settlement of disputes (Article 33), and the inherent right of states to act in self-defence in response to an armed attack (Article 51). The law of state responsibility applies to cyber operations in peacetime, including the availability of the doctrine of countermeasures in response to internationally wrongful acts.

We recognise that an increasing number of states are developing operational cyber capabilities. We assert states’ legitimate right to develop these capabilities, and emphasise their obligation to ensure their use is governed in accordance with international law. Acknowledgement of these capabilities does not encourage aggression, or contradict our common commitment to maintaining a peaceful ICT environment. Rather, acknowledging the existence of these capabilities fosters the understanding that, just like in the physical domains, states’ activities in cyberspace do not occur in a vacuum – states have rights – but they also have obligations.

We will promote operationalisation of norms of responsible state behaviour recommended in the 2015 report of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security. We will focus on positive practical measures that states can take to put these voluntary norms into practice. We will also implement confidence building measures that can build trust between responsible states. In doing so we recognise that transparency is the first step to establishing mutual trust and provides a foundation for measures available to all states, whatever their stage of development. We are committed to working through the OSCE and ASEAN Regional Forum as a way of contributing to peace and understanding in cyberspace.

We confirm our mutual commitment to cyber security capacity building that directly contributes to international stability: recognising the importance to all our security of states developing responsible legal and governance frameworks, overcoming the barriers to implementing agreed norms, building resilience to cyber threats, and strengthening law enforcement responses in line with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. As the next 1 billion people access the economic and social benefits of cyberspace, it is in all of our interests to ensure that cybersecurity is understood as a key part of the development agenda.

Further information

• £99m of government funding for a National Satellite Testing Facility on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire
• additional £4m announced for a National Space Propulsion Facility to develop and test space engines
• space sector forms a key part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy to spread economic growth across the UK

The £100m package includes £99m of Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund investment to create a National Satellite Testing Facility (NSTF) on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, alongside a £4m investment for a new National Space Propulsion Facility to develop and test space engines at Wescott Venture Park in Buckinghamshire.

Part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, the significant funding boost will enable UK industry to competitively bid for more national and international contracts and ensure we remain a world-leader for space technologies for decades to come.

Visiting the UK Space Gateway on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, where the NSTF will be based, Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said:

“From Cornwall to the Highlands and islands of Scotland, the UK space sector underpins industries worth more than £250 billion to the UK economy, and through our Industrial Strategy we will unlock the sector’s potential to grow further.

“Located in a cluster known for research excellence, these new facilities will help UK companies be more competitive in the global market for space technology and support our ambition to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.”

Due to open in early 2020, the new NSTF will be a world-class facility for the assembly, integration and testing of space instruments and satellites, positioning the UK to capitalise on the estimated 3,500 -10,000 satellites that are due to be launched by 2025. It will also facilitate the build of bigger and more technologically advanced satellites and remove the need for UK companies to use test facilities located abroad.

The NSPF will allow companies and academia to test and develop space propulsion engines, alongside a new facility for Reaction Engines where the revolutionary SABRE air-breathing rocket engine will also be tested and built.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

This investment will enhance the capability of the UK space industry. Having access to a National Satellite Testing Facility will help companies develop and encourage new business to come the UK, while the development of new facilities at Westcott builds on what is already a world-class UK space propulsion sector.

Dr Brian Bowsher, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said:

STFC’s RAL Space team has been chosen as the delivery organisation for this investment and our staff will be responsible for the definition, design, building, fit out and operation of the facility. This is fantastic recognition of the strong reputation we have in the UK and overseas as the go-to team for the assembly, integration and testing of the incredibly complex and unique engineering involved in space payloads and satellites.