Termed the Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package, prime minister Scott Morrison said he hopes it will allow the country to identify threats and disrupt international cyber criminals.
“The federal government’s top priority is protecting our nation’s economy, national security and sovereignty. Malicious cyber activity undermines that,” said Morrison while announcing the investment.
Totalling $1.35bn (£750m), the announcement comes less than a fortnight after the prime minister said a “sophisticated state-based cyber-actor” had attacked “all levels of government” as well as the country’s main political parties and industry.
The package includes a $470m investment in expanding the cyber security workforce by 500 jobs, $118m for the government’s information security agency to “expand its data science and intelligence capabilities”, and $62m to improve awareness of cyber threats in vulnerable sectors.
CESAR dwarfs the government’s previous cyber security packages of investment – $230m in 2016 and $156m in 2019 – and is part of a wider $15bn programme to improve Australia’s cyber and information warfare capabilities.
