Massive investment in cyber policy a welcome move, says ANU

One of Australia’s leading cyber experts, Professor Lesley Seebeck, has welcomed the Government’s largest ever investment in cyber security.

The Government has today announced $1.35 billion over the next decade as part of the Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response Package, or CESAR.

Professor Seebeck, CEO of the Cyber Institute at The Australian National University (ANU) says the funding will enhance the nation’s cyber security capabilities.

“This is an important step forward, and it is good to see a substantial investment backing the policy, especially as Australia is having to step up and take on more responsibility for its own and regional security as the number and sources of threats increases,” Dr Seebeck said.

“However, while the emphasis of this spending is for Defence, and that is important, we need more investment in the broader civilian apparatus and community.

“Essentially we need a clearer civilian and societal approach to these issues. We need to develop muscles that we haven’t had to use before.

“Cyber touches everything. It shapes world events and the future of our society and economy, so investing in people, not just systems and infrastructure, is vital.”

The ANU’s Cyber Institute was created in 2018 with Professor Seebeck, a former senior government employee, CIO of the year (2017), and academic, as its inaugural CEO. The Institute runs specialised professional development courses and will commence its Cyber Mastery postgraduate courses in 2021.

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