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The Australian government has employed some of the world’s leading cybersecurity experts to implement a new strategy to make Australia a global leader in cybersecurity.
In light of recent high-profile cyber attacks against Australian companies, the country plans to develop a new cyber security strategy to strengthen its critical infrastructure.
Clare O’Neil, Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, announced at the National Press Club that a new cyber security strategy would be headed by Rachael Falk (CEO of Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre), Andy Penn (former Telstra CEO), and Mel Hupfeld (former Chief of Air Force).
The expert panel will be composed of people from various countries and led by Ciaran Martin, who used to work as the CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and is now an Oxford University professor.
“I am worried about a series of disasters happening one after the other,” said O’Neil. “What if, come January, we see a bushfire as large as Black Saturday in the southeast, a major flood up north, and then—to top it all off—a cyber attack on a hospital system out west?
“With so many domestic crises, how could our country handle a security issue in our region?”
As O’Neil points out, ex-prime minister Scott Morrison got rid of the cyber security ministry when he became PM, which is indicative of Australia’s “cyber slumber.”
The recent Optus and Medibank breaches were a harsh wake-up call for many people. “My family was involved in both of the incidents, so it rocked me to my core,” said O’Neil. “Now it falls on me to take what happened and use it as an opportunity to change how we view cyber security in this country, once and for all.”
It would be unfair to demand concrete policy measures, as the minister only presented work aiming to create a strategy–not the strategy itself. However, she declared objective is to make Australia “the world’s most cyber-secure country by 2030”.
O’Neil provided four ways that the government plans to make that happen:
- Enlisting the nation to protect citizens and the economy.
- Fortifying international engagements so Australia can become a global cyber leader.
- Constructing robust critical infrastructure and government networks and growing sovereign cyber security capabilities.
After the address, O’Neil was asked questions regarding her stance on cyber defence. She replied that, currently, more is needed to defend against potential threats and that she is working on ways to change this. O’Neil said that protecting government infrastructure will come at a high cost.
When the minister said, “Many in the opposition are good, thoughtful people who know that the approach we are taking – strong, serious, depoliticised – is how we make our country safer,” it appeared as though she was asking for bipartisan support in developing and implementing this strategy.
The announcement was met with approval by at least some parts of the IT industry.
“The release of the federal government’s new cyber security strategy is both well-timed and needed,” said Adrian Covich, Proofpoint’s senior director in Asia-Pacific and Japan. “We are hopeful it will play a key role in improving Australia’s cyber resilience.”
“We must work together as a nation – government, enterprises, industry partners and educational institutions – to have the skilled resources required to protect Australia online.”
“We are optimistic that Australia will be better equipped to handle future cyber security threats with the government’s new strategy.”
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