{"id":26952,"date":"2016-06-03T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T01:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=26952"},"modified":"2016-06-08T17:40:44","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T07:40:44","slug":"agenda-change-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/agenda-change-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Agenda for Change 2016: cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"
This piece is drawn from<\/i> Agenda for Change 2016: strategic choices for the next government<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of their political stripes, the next Australian government has a solid foundation from which to approach cyber policy, comprised of the new Australian Cyber Security Strategy, the National Innovation and Science Agenda and 2016 Defence White Paper. Alongside the release of the Strategy was the announcement of a four-year $230 million investment to enhance Australian cybersecurity capabilities and launch new cyber initiatives. The Australian government hasn\u2019t invested in this area since 2009, so it\u2019s well overdue.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a significant opportunity to build capacity in our neighbourhood and more actively promote Australia\u2019s vision for the online environment: one which is open, safe and secure, while facilitating economic exchange and innovation. The Strategy sets out a sensible agenda for the next four years and lays the groundwork for expanded engagement. To achieve that, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will appoint Australia\u2019s first Cyber Ambassador, who will play a key role in crafting Australia\u2019s first public International Cyber Strategy. A strong International Cyber Strategy will lay out a more detailed position on key global debates, presenting a carefully considered plan for international engagement, and integrating the private sector into our international strategic thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the next four years, the government has allocated $6.7 million to sustain such work. While it\u2019s a significant improvement on DFAT\u2019s existing shoestring budget for cyber work, it remains a modest figure, particularly when compared to the budgets of our<\/span> key<\/span><\/a> partners<\/span><\/a>. The government must continue to boost the budget allocation for cyber issues in order to keep pace with our lofty international ambitions.<\/span><\/p>\n DWP 2016 gave government an opportunity to answer questions about what kind of defence force and capabilities will be required to respond to cyber threats. Positively, cybersecurity has its own dedicated spending line, with a commitment of $300\u2013$400 million to that effort. The larger $730 million investment in threat research is set to include funding for cyber threat and capability R&D, but it\u2019s not clear exactly how much.<\/span><\/p>\n