AUSTRALIAN CYBER CONFERENCE 2022
Session: Working in partnership to address cyber threats
Video message
11 October 2022
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Hello everyone,
Firstly, I’d like to thank the Australian Cyber Conference for inviting me to provide this address. This is an important event for the Australian cyber community, and I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person. But I think my ability to record this message demonstrates just how powerful cyberspace is as an enabling capability for working with partners across all sorts of boundaries.
I would like to acknowledge that today I am recording today on Ngunnawal land. I pay my respects to Ngunnawal Elders past and present, and I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.
Cyber is everything and everywhere. A resilient cyber eco-system is fundamental to all of our futures. And cyber security underpins economic growth, both here in Australia and in the Asia-Pacific region more broadly. It provides confidence in the services and infrastructure that enable business activity, support our economy and enable our way of life.
We’ve had some powerful examples recently on just how important partnerships are for building resilience in cyberspace. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown us that cyberspace can be both a powerful tool of war, and of national resilience. It demonstrates the importance of partnerships between industry and civil society, and the evolving roles of government.
This crisis marked a strategic shift in which the private sector has become a protector in times of conflict, and an important strategic partner for government.
And the past month has shown us the cyber threats aren’t just a problem for other countries. We know that attacks will continue and large shocks are inevitable everywhere. Australia is working hard to build and sustain resilience to such attacks through strong partnerships and collaboration.
But there is also so much more to do. In August this year, I announced that Australia would develop a new cyber security strategy to re-boot our security settings and lift resilience for the digital age.
Everyone has a role to play in developing and maintaining a secure and prosperous cyberspace. That’s why our strategy will take a whole-of-nation approach. It will put in place measures to deliver an assured, sovereign and resilient Australian cyber eco-system that can meet both the challenges – and the opportunities – of the future.
We all know that we need to build our collective resilience against malicious actors and focus on unlocking the shared prosperity that a stable and secure digital ecosystem provides.
And the truth is, none of us can do this on our own.
That’s why I’m excited to continue working together across the cyber community – to working with you – to tackle future challenges and get our cyber settings right. That’s why I’m excited about Australia’s digital future.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the Australian Cyber Conference – the AISA team have put together an incredible program. I look forward to working with you all. Thank you.
