Internal Audit 27001 in Australia: From Compliance Exercise
Organizations in Australia have new ISO regulatory compliance expectations pertaining to workplace safety in addition to cybersecurity driven by workplace safety concerns and how they can affect sensitive data. ISO 27001 and 45001 are typically viewed as distinct and treated as such in internal audits. However, an internal audit focusing on synergy of both systems can demonstrate compliance for both systems.
Need for New Strategies in Internal Audit
As most internal audits ensure compliance, they have ritualistic attributes associated with them. For instance, in ISO 27001 it is about access controls and data encryption as well as risk management, while for ISO 45001, it pertains to hazards, incident reporting and safety management systems. Particularly, in an evolving regulatory and risk environment in Australia, such siloed compliance ritual audits have a high risk of being obsolete.
Regulatory breaches in cyber security and workplace safety have real and direct operational safety ramifications. Internal audits are most effective when they see and unite these disparate domains. The evolving approach calls for audits in ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 to be viewed as integrated and not disparate.
Growing Expectations in Australia
Australian regulatory compliance expectations for workplace safety and digital resilience are becoming increasingly stringent.
The OAIC is keeping an eye on data breach incidents while Safe Work Australia is broadening its scope regarding psychosocial risk issues.
As a consequence for organisations, internal audits aren’t just about “getting a pass,” but rather about demonstrating some ‘integrated resilience’ capability. Transparency regarding information security, data safety, and psychosocial risk safety is expected from investors, employees, and regulators. Bridging internal audits for ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 standards demonstrates that.
The Overlap: Human Factors in Security and Safety
One of the factors between the standards that is most often overlooked is the human element. In the world of cybersecurity, human error is the top cause of a breach, whether it’s weak passwords, foolish clickers on a phishing email, or improper data disposition. Safety of employees at work is also about human behavior, a result of fatigue, stress or insufficient training involved in the work.
These audits may miss the human element but will most likely discover other systemic problems. If workplace stress is high, that will increase workplace incidents and also increase the vulnerability of the staff to social engineering. The kind of issues that audits conducted in silos fail to identify.
Moving from Compliance to Culture
Australian organisations have traditionally believed that the framework for compliance is the foundation for resilience. More recently it has become clear that the framework of compliance is a hindrance to resilience.
Culture does. Internal audits of ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 provide the basis and tools for measuring and shaping culture.
Rather than focusing on the technical controls or the hazard registers, audits should look at whether employees feel enabled to report risks, whether leaders take ownership, and whether the training delivered impacts the desired behavior. This cultural perspective converts internal audits from box-ticking activities to primary contributors to resilience.
Integrated Reporting: The New Horizons
Integrated reporting is on the rise, and Australia is no exception. Stakeholders want to see integrated risk management. Internal audits where ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 have been integrated can be used to show both digital and physical resilience in integrated reports.
This meets the ESG expectations in Australia. Investors include cyber security and the safety of employees in the “social” and “governance” aspects of sustainability. Internal audits that integrate these standards can elevate an organisation to be responsible business leader.
Practical Implications for Australian Organisations
· Efficiency: Integrated internal audits save effort and audit fatigue.
· Risk Visibility: Integrated audits provide visibility of cross-domain risks that siloed audits overlook.
· Credibility: Evidence of resilience in both information security and safety provides trust to regulators and stakeholders.
· Future-ready: Regarding Australia’s evolving regulatory environment, integrated audits offer organizations more comprehensive compliance anticipations.
Conclusion: A Call for Integration
In Australia, internal audits for ISO 27001 and internal audits for ISO 45001 are normally seen as separate compliance activities. The true potential is found in integration. Organizations can maximize internal audits as resilience-oriented, considering the commonality of human, cultural, and stakeholder overlaps.
Australia’s future demands digitally secure and physically safe organizations. The internal audits that integrate ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 are more than compliance; they are an imperative advantage.
