Held in Sydney last Friday (15 July), Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland hosted the third quintet, which meets annually to share ideas and deal with issues of mutual concern, such as counter-terrorism, national security, countering extremism, organised crime and legal cooperation.

At the quintet, the attorneys-general discussed how to effectively work together to combat cyber threats, including harnessing the opportunities offered by the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, working with industry to combat cyber threats and ensuring domestic laws keep pace with technological change.

"The global nature of cyber crime is such that no nation can fight the problem alone, making international cooperation and working closely with our key allies a critical part of the response," said McClelland.

At the meeting, each attorney-general led discussions on a range of key national security and legal policy issues, including intelligence and evidence in legal proceedings (Canada), disclosure of digitally stored material (UK), extradition (NZ), sentencing (US) and countering violent extremism (Australia).