Australian Cyber Security Centre approved

On the one-year anniversary of the government’s Cyber Security Strategy, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security Dan Tehan has announced approval for the $38.8 million relocation of the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

The new centre will be built at Brindabella Business Park in Canberra. It will be home to the intelligence agencies the Australian Signals Directorate and ASIO, as well as cyber divisions of the Attorney-General’s Department, the AFP and the Australian Crime Commission.

The centre is being moved from its current location at the ASIO offices at the Ben Chifley Building in a bid to encourage stronger engagement between key government and business players.

Construction of the new centre is scheduled to commence this month and be completed by the end of the year.

Tehan also announced the launch of the new ASX 100 Cyber Health Check, produced in collaboration with the ASX, ASIC, the Prime Minister’s department and professional services companies Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.

For the research, Australia’s largest businesses by market cap were asked how they approached cybersecurity. The survey found that while 80% of companies expect an increase in cyber risk over the next year, 45% are very confident in their organisation’s ability to detect, respond to and manage a cyber intrusion.

In addition, two-thirds of companies report they have assigned adequate levels of investment to cybersecurity, but plan to do more as the threat landscape expands.

Our leading businesses have demonstrated the value of collaboration in enhancing Australia’s cybersecurity,” Tehan said.

“More than two-thirds of directors in companies contributing to the report consider cybersecurity to be an important issue. Companies are taking cyber-security seriously and they recognise the importance of continual improvement — if you are standing still on cybersecurity you are going backwards.”

Another initiative of the strategy involves hosting cybersecurity exercises at Parliament House aimed at exploring how Australia would respond to serious cyber threats.

The first of these exercises has now been completed, and it involved representatives from the federal and state governments, industry groups and New Zealand visitors to evaluate a hypothetical case study involving threats to aviation cybersecurity.

“To respond effectively to the evolving cyber threat, government and industry have to build trust and be willing to work closely together,” Tehan said. “War gaming a potential serious cyber incident helped identify our strengths and areas where we can improve.”

Overall, Tehan said the government has now completed six initiatives as part of the strategy and is well underway with 11 more.

“The government’s priority is to protect our national security and ensure every Australian has the highest cybersecurity protection. We have put cybersecurity on the national agenda and have encouraged governments, businesses and individuals to work together to strengthen our cybersecurity,” he said.

“The government also recognises that cybersecurity offers incredible opportunities, with the Australian cybersecurity industry predicted to triple in size over the next decade, with revenues soaring to $6 billion by 2026, from around $2 billion today. We are well on the way to developing the next generation of home-grown cyber enterprises through initiatives such as the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (ACSGN) and Academic Centres of Cyber Security Excellence.”

Pictured: Minister Dan Tehan.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook