The Australian Department of Home Affairs has established a new national office for cyber security, but with no additional funding from the government.
The office was announced in February by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, and will serve as a coordination point for cyber incident response. However, officials have warned that the department has been burdened with additional responsibilities without additional funding, including in the area of cyber security.
The national office for cyber security will have just five full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, with additional support from at least 50 FTE from across the department. The government is currently recruiting for a new coordinator role, while discussions with the Australian Signals Directorate and the Australian Cyber Security Centre are also ongoing. The national office for cyber security will launch no later than 1 May 2023.
