The Hon Clare O'Neil MP
Minister for Home Affairs

The 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, released today, puts Australia on track to being a world leader in cyber security by 2030.

We need to act now to defend Australia from cyber threats.

Australia is an advanced economy and a rapid adopter of new technologies, making us an attractive target for cyber criminals. Millions of Australians have had their data stolen and released online in the past year. Cyber also presents major opportunities for Australia – the global cyber industry is growing rapidly, and it is here to stay. That’s why cyber security must be an urgent national priority.

When our Government came to office, Australia was in a cyber slumber. We were lagging behind our trading partners and allies, and Australian citizens and businesses were left exposed.

But the Albanese Labor Government is determined to act decisively and do what is necessary to protect Australians from the fastest growing threat that we face as a nation.

Our Strategy will make every Australian citizen, business, government agency and organisation a harder target. It will enable us to bounce back faster from attacks that we cannot prevent. We will put cyber criminals on notice, and we will fight back against the threat.

Through our Strategy, we’re building six national cyber shields. Each of these shields will provide an additional layer of defence against cyber attacks:

1. Strong businesses and citizens
2. Safe technology
3. World-class threat sharing and blocking
4. Protected critical infrastructure
5. Sovereign capabilities
6. Resilient region and global leadership

Under these six shields, we will be making game-changing reforms to lift our cyber security to the next level.

Today, we announce that the Albanese Labor Government has committed $586.9 million to the Cyber Security Strategy out to 2030. This includes:

•  Protecting our businesses and citizens by investing $290.8m including support for small and medium business, building public awareness, fighting cybercrime, breaking the ransomware business model, and strengthening the security of Australians’ identities 
• Keeping Australians safe in their homes and workplaces by investing $4.8m in establishing long-overdue consumer standards for smart devices and software 
• Uplifting the cyber security of Australia’s health system by investing $9.4m to build a threat sharing platform for the health sector 
• Defending our critical infrastructure by investing $143.6m in strengthening our critical infrastructure protections and uplifting government cyber security 
• Growing our sovereign cyber capabilities by investing $8.6m in professionalising our cyber workforce and accelerating the cyber industry in Australia
• Building regional cyber resilience and global leadership by investing $129.7m in regional cooperation, cyber capacity uplift programs, and leadership in cyber governance forums on the international stage

This funding is on top of our commitment to fund $2.3 billion of existing related initiatives that will support the Cyber Security Strategy delivered by ASD out to 2030.

Delivering this strategy requires close collaboration between government and industry. Our Government is committed to consulting closely with industry every step of the way. Years of cooperative effort lie ahead, and we need to work together to help make our country safe.

By 2030, we can reach our vision of becoming a world leader in cyber security. Our Strategy charts the course to get there.

As at 23 November 2023.