February 28, 2023
A NATIONAL office for cybersecurity will be established within the Home Affairs Department as the federal government bolsters Australia's cyber defences in the wake of recent, large-scale data breaches.
The national security hub will also gain a cyber security co-ordinator to oversee the work being done to prevent online attacks, as well as help manage data breaches when they take place.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the changes on Monday ahead of a cybersecurity roundtable between business and government leaders.
A discussion paper, also released Monday, outlines a seven-year strategy designed to make Australia a leading country in cybersecurity by the end of the decade.
"Strengthening Australia's cybersecurity is a fundamental priority for our government," he said in his opening remarks.
"It's absolutely critical as well for maintaining trust in our public institutions, and our public service."
Clearly, as it stands, government policies and regulations, business sectors' systems and measures, and our general awareness and capacity as a nation are simply not at the level that we need them to be.
"This is a fast-moving, rapidly-evolving threat and for too many years, Australiahas been off the pace. Our government is determined to change that."
Mr Albanese was joined by Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil and department secretary Mike Pezzullo during Monday's discussions along with cybersecurity advisory board chair, former Telstra chief executive Andy Penn.
Ms O'Neil told ABC on Monday morning the new co-ordinator role, which is yet to be advertised, will help centralise the government's response.
She added it would have been a useful addition during the large-scale Optus and Medibank data breaches last year."
[One part of] this person's job will be to help manage cyber incidents in a proper, seamless strategic way across the Australian government," she said.
The paper will open up discussions between business and government to make rules "fit for purpose" and flags potential reforms to critical infrastructure laws, which could make personal data a critical asset.
Liberal cybersecurity spokesperson James Paterson said if the government believed "extreme emergency powers" were needed in relation to businesses, it should explain why.
He said the government had made policy co-ordination worse by dividing responsibility for cybercrime between home affairs and the attorney-general's department.
