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Govt seeds Oz infosec council with $150K

The Australian Government has announced that it is backing the establishment of an Australian branch of the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST).
Written by Suzanne Tindal, Contributor

The Australian Government has announced that it is backing the establishment of an Australian branch of the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST).

CREST is a not-for-profit organisation that offers certifications of organisations and individuals who provide penetration-testing services, so that organisations can know whether they're hiring the right person or company to help them with their security.

The government is providing $150,000 in seed funding for the organisation. It hopes that by giving CREST a hand with starting a branch in the country, it will provide a way for Australian businesses to be certain that the security professionals they are engaging are top quality.

"CREST Australia will have the important role of establishing clear and agreed standards for cybersecurity testing," Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said in a statement.

"These standards will help the business sector be confident that the work conducted by IT professionals is completed with integrity, accountability and to agreed standards."

Alastair MacGibbon, director of the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra and former director of the AFP's Australian High Tech Crime Centre, will be the first chief executive officer of CREST Australia. The organisation will also receive help from government agencies and CERT Australia which will sit on CREST sub-committees alongside business participants, according to Roxon.

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