Article Summary
- The Australian Prime Minister is ramping up efforts to combat cybercrime.
- A new Minister of Cyber Security has been Elected.
- Australians lost around $33 billion to cyber criminals from FY 2020-to 2021.
With an increase in cybersecurity threats and incidents happening over the past few years, the Australian Prime Minister has officially appointed a Cyber Security Minister. The goal of the new position is to help equip the country with better defense against cyber attacks.
Antiviruses are starting to lose their grip as more and more people start to fall victim to cyberattacks. Despite having an antivirus installed, hackers have started to become more and more crafty in an attempt to destroy, steal, or ransom stolen data.
Australians, like anyone else using computers, are still vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These attacks do not just target individuals, they also target governments, businesses, and even organizations.
Aside from different initiatives like trying to urge citizens to choose renewable energy as their source of power, the government is also trying to increase its efforts in protecting its citizens from the risk of cyber crimes.
As the public has seen, these cyberattacks can result in catastrophic damages if they are not prevented properly. The risks of damage from these cyberattacks have grown over the years with individuals looking for government intervention to help prevent these attacks.
Australian Prime Minister Appoints Clare O’Niel as Cyber Security Minister
The Australian Prime Minister has recognized these risks and has decided to do something about the ongoing threat. The PM appointed Clare O’Neil as the Ministry for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security.
This, however, isn’t the first time that Australia has had cyber security in its portfolio in the cabinet. Karen Andrews, the Former Minister for Home Affairs, was previously in charge of implementing most of the previous government’s policies when it came to cyber security.
Duties were also shared with Andrew Hastie, the former Assistant Defence Minister. Australia now differs as no other government within the G20 has actually had a “dedicated minister for cyber security.”
O’Neil was found fitting for the role due to her experience with the Shadow Minister for Innovation, TEchnology, and the Future of Work. O’Neil reportedly had enough educational history, law and public policy, and even experience with management consulting at the McKinsey & Company for the role.
The Growth of Cyber Crimes in Australia
Reports have seen an increase of about 13% in cybercrime reports from the financial year 2020 to 2021 when compared to the year before. With 67,500 reports, it was estimated that the total losses resulted in over $33 billion AUD with a continuously rising number.
The government is increasing its budget when it comes to cybersecurity from $1.67 billion in 2020 to a massive $9.9 billion budget for this year in order to implement the REDSPICE program. Aside from a growing budget, policies are also expected to change with the implementation of the new Minister of Cyber Security.
