According to BlackBerry officials, the PlayBook is the first tablet to be approved by the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD). The PlayBook must be connected to an approved BlackBerry smartphone and running the Bridge application for the approval to hold.

It can be used with information classified up to and including 'restricted' or 'protected'.

"RIM continues to set the benchmark for government security and now with DSD approval the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet to be certified for deployment in Australian government departments. This again demonstrates our leadership in the government sector and our commitment and investment in secure mobile technology," said Scott Deacon, manager security certifications, Asia Pacific BlackBerry security, RIM.

"The BlackBerry PlayBook is the only tablet to be awarded this certification from the Australian Government, meeting its strict security requirements for use by government representatives with data classifications of up to and including RESTRICTED/ PROTECTED. We will continue to work with government departments and organisations locally and internationally to ensure that employees can access and share information with ease and in the knowledge that their information is protected at the highest level," added Deacon.