Qld to set up $12.5m Cyber Security Unit

The Queensland government will spend $12.5 million over four years to establish a specialised cybersecurity unit to combat potential threats made against the state’s government IT infrastructure.

The whole of government Cyber Security Unit will operate from the Queensland government CIO office.

It will seek to enhance the current protection of government IT systems, and to respond to major cybersecurity incidents.

The unit will be working with agencies to address any security challenges they may face, but individual agencies will stay responsible for their own information security.

Announcing the move, the Queensland Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said it is critical to augment defences against modern cybercriminals.

“A safeguard is needed to continue the protection of the government’s data and systems into the future because we are not immune to this sort of crime. In fact, governments globally are often a target for perpetrators,” she said.

“We want to protect against future cyber attacks of government systems and data, provide leadership and support to agencies and strengthen their capability to respond to potential security threats.”

Enoch said the unit will also aim to monitor future trends in cybercrime from around the world to ensure the government is prepared for emerging threats.

“These are not necessarily criminals from our own backyard; potential threats could come from anywhere in the world and we need to understand these threats as they arise.”

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