Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced his government’s first full ministry, with Victorian member Clare O’Neil appointed Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security. It’s the first time cyber security has had its own portfolio in the Australian cabinet.
Former Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews was in charge of most of the implementation of the previous government’s cyber security policies, and often shared these duties with former Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie. No other government in the G20 has a dedicated minister for cyber security.
Albanese anticipated this move prior to the election. During an address at the Lowy Institute on March 10, he hinted his intent to appoint a dedicated cyber security role. Details on the role are yet to be defined, as is the associated budget.
O’Neil was previously Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work. With education in history, law and public policy, and a previous stint in management consulting with McKinsey & Company, she has a multifaceted background.
This puts her in a good position to promote a multidisciplinary approach to cyber security – something that has been called upon for a long time. Her appointment is expected to strengthen Australia’s commitment to cyber security, which was first systematically set out in the 2016 Cyber Security Strategy, and re-emphasised in the 2020 strategy.
According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, there had been a nearly 13% increase in cyber crime reports in the 2020-21 financial year, compared to the year prior. With some 67,500 reports, that’s one incident reported nearly every eight minutes. Self-reported losses totalled more than A$33 billion, with more than a quarter of the incidents associated with critical infrastructure. Year to year, these numbers are on the rise
