Last year, cyberattacks on Optus, Medibank, and Telstra exposed the sensitive data of millions of Australians.
Consequently, as small businesses continue to rapidly digitise, they become increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cybercrime attacks
To address this issue, the government will invest $23.4 million over the next three years to train in-house cyber experts through the small business ‘Cyber Wardens’ program.
This program, delivered by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, will provide cyber safety workplace certification for up to 50,000 small businesses.
Coordinator for Cyber Security
The funding is part of the government's $101.6 million plan to support and uplift cybersecurity in Australia.
This includes $19.5 million to improve the security of critical infrastructure assets and help businesses respond to significant cyberattacks, and $46.5 million to establish the Coordinator for Cyber Security.
The Coordinator will be supported by the National Office of Cyber Security and dedicated resources from within the Department of Home Affairs and other Commonwealth entities, with the capacity to surge further in the event of a cyber incident.
This year's Budget is getting to work to make Australia the most cyber-secure country by 2030. pic.twitter.com/kQKpZM2rgs— Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) May 9, 2023