The federal labor government has been accused of putting Australians in a cybersecurity crisis after it allegedly removed 27 cybersecurity roles from its list of preferred immigration professions.
The Australian Cyber Security Center (ACSC) said it received one report every eight minutes, compared to one report every seven minutes last fiscal year. .
Dan Tehan and James Patterson, shadow ministers for immigration and citizenship and cybersecurity and foreign interference, called on the government to reverse the decision.
and joint media release On November 2, a shadow minister said it was unusual for the federal government to remove 27 cyber-related roles from its list “as Australia faces increasing threats from cybercriminals and fraudsters”. “It has made it more difficult for companies to bring in,” he said. Sending competent cyber experts to work in this country. ”
Patterson claimed the cybersecurity and technology industry was shocked by the decision.
“Australia’s major cyber challenge is a shortage of qualified professionals, and a skilled transition is a key part of meeting that challenge,” says Paterson.
Internet use is dangerous for Australians
Tehan, meanwhile, said the decision made it more dangerous for Internet users in Australia.
“Once again under cover of darkness, the Labor Party has taken actions that have serious consequences for Australian citizens and businesses, but have failed to explain the reasons for their decisions,” Tehan said.
“Who benefits from Australian companies bringing cyber professionals into the country and making it harder for them to work to protect Australian citizens and their data? should be increased, not decreased.
“We need to enable young highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to come and work and contribute to Australia.”
Patterson, like Tehan, called on the Albanian government to overcome “guaranteed delays and deadlocks to cyber-skilled immigrants.”
“We need to expedite visa processing for cyber professionals to make Australia a more competitive and attractive destination,” Mr Patterson said.
Australia is a hotbed of cyberattacks
Cybersecurity attacks are currently on the rise in Australia, with more than 76,000 cybercrime reports in 2021-22, up nearly 13% from the previous period. report by ACSC.
The report comes after several cyber incidents targeting major public companies like Medibank, Australia’s larger health insurer. Optus, the second largest telecommunications company. EnergyAustralia is he one of his three largest energy companies. The defense sector was also targeted, as were private companies Vinomofo, Woolworths’ MyDeal, and Medlab.
In response to the increase in cyberattacks, governments fix to the October 26 privacy bill.
This amendment significantly increases penalties for organizations for serious or repeated privacy breaches. With this, the Labor government hopes companies will do more with cybersecurity.
It will also strengthen the Notifiable Data Breach scheme to ensure that the Information Commissioner is aware of the incident and the data compromised.
“These amendments are targeted and measured,” said Attorney General Richard Dreyfuss. “They address the most pressing issues arising from the Optus data breach and other recent cyber incidents.”
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Victoria Kelly-Clark is an Australia-based reporter focusing on the national politics and geopolitical environment in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Central Asia.