Budget 2016: Australian Cyber Strategy implementation broken out
After dealing merely a headline figure of AU$240 million after the launch of its Cyber Security Strategy last month, the Australian government has detailed where most of the money is set to end up.
In the papers for the 2016-17 Budget, the government details where AU$195 million will be spent over the next four years.
Out of the Department of Defence will come AU$38.8 million to relocate the Australian Cyber Security Centre; AU$1.3 million will be used to conduct cyber assessments on Commonwealth entities; and AU$11 million will be used to find vulnerabilities in Commonwealth systems. All up, Defence will hand over AU$51.1 million over four years.
For the Attorney-General's Department over four years, AU$47.3 million will be spent creating Joint Cyber Threat Centres and an online threat sharing portal; AU$21.5 million will be set aside to expand CERT Australia; AU$10 million will be used for a security awareness campaign; and AU$2.0 million will expand the government's exercise program for cyber incidents.
The cyber "health checks" announced for ASX100-listed companies will be funded on a cost-recovery basis.
The Australian Federal Police and Australian Crime Commission will receive AU$20.4 million and AU$16 million over four years to fight cybercrime.
While the Department of Education will establish six "academic centres of cyber security excellence" for a cost of AU$3.5 million over four years.
All of the above spending will be come from the existing funding of the Defence Department.
The role of Cyber Ambassador to liaise between agencies and business, and communicate the cyber strategy internationally will set the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade back AU$2.7 million over four years.
Costings for the grants to small businesses to test their cybersecurity has been rolled together with an expansion of CREST (Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers) Australia, which will cost the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science AU$14.9 million over the four-year period.
During the Cyber Strategy launch, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the role of Special Adviser on Cyber Security within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet would be filled by current e-safety commissioner Alastair MacGibbon. A former Australian Federal Police agent, MacGibbon was "="" rel="follow">appointed as e-safety commissioner in March 2015, and was empowered to investigate and seek to have content removed if it is deemed to be bullying to a specific Australian child.
For its part, the eSafety office received AU$1 million in the current year to create and distribute information encouraging "digital resilience".