The Australian government has announced that it will create a National Office for Cyber Security within the Department of Home Affairs and appoint a cybersecurity coordinator to head it.
The move comes after a string of major data breaches, including those at Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, and telecommunications company Optus. The new cybersecurity coordinator will be responsible for directing the government’s cybersecurity spending and managing cyber incidents.
The government aims to transform Australia into “the world’s most cyber-secure country by 2030” and is seeking input from business leaders and independent experts to develop its new cybersecurity strategy.
Clare O’Neil, Minister for Home Affairs and Cybersecurity, announced the appointment of the cybersecurity coordinator and said the government was advertising for the role, which it hopes to fill in the next month.
emphasized the need for a “whole-of-nation approach” to cybersecurity and criticized the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018, which she said was “bloody useless” in the face of a cyber incident.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on business leaders and independent experts to contribute their views on a discussion paper that will be used to develop the new cybersecurity strategy.
The government’s move to centralize its approach to cybersecurity comes after a period in which different parts of government and the private sector were “rowing in different directions,” according to O’Neil.
Albanese emphasized the importance of cybersecurity for businesses and customers alike, saying that “cybersecurity is as important and essential as the shop having a lock on the door.”
The government’s ambition to become the world’s most cyber-secure country by 2030 reflects a growing global concern about cybersecurity risks and the need for coordinated and effective responses to cyber threats.
