Australian IT leaders urge stronger government cyber action

Australian IT leaders express growing concerns about the adequacy of government action in safeguarding businesses against cyber threats.

A study by cybersecurity firm KnowBe4 has revealed that 81% of Australian IT leaders are of the opinion that the government should intensify its efforts to shield businesses from cyber-attacks. This marks an increase from 73% in 2024, 70% in 2022, and 68% in 2021. Key areas where leaders seek government intervention include increased education and awareness for the general public (59%, up from 48% in 2024), expanded training opportunities for businesses (45%, up from 42% in 2024), and more robust funding for cyber protection measures (36%, up from 31% in 2024).

While calling for government support, IT professionals acknowledge their own responsibilities. Half of the respondents believe that protecting the organisation from cyber threats is a shared responsibility, though the belief that it is primarily an IT department's duty has grown to 36%, up from 20% in 2024. The expectation for government responsibility has dropped to 13%, and a similar decline is observed for employee responsibility, now at 9%.

Enhanced information sharing from the government is a significant demand among IT leaders. Despite some improvements, only 36% feel confident about their understanding of government reporting obligations for cyber incidents, a slight rise from 33% in 2024. However, a large majority of 93% agree that sharing best practices and information regarding data breaches between organisations and with the government would benefit their companies.

Further governmental support is desired in areas such as sharing knowledge from past incidents (52%), boosting overall cybersecurity awareness (51%), aiding in detecting threats early (47%), and improving risk mitigation strategies (45%).

Efforts to enhance incident response capabilities and reduce response times are supported by 37% of IT leaders, as is facilitating collaboration with government agencies and law enforcement. Similarly, there is interest in establishing industry cybersecurity benchmarks and fostering collaborative defence strategies, among other initiatives.

There is also a call for assistance in regulatory compliance (30%), reducing the financial toll of data breaches (30%), and allowing access to anonymised incident data for further analysis (28%).

Dr Martin Kraemer, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, commented on the results, "There is a clear acknowledgement from IT leaders around public and internal responsibility when it comes to managing cyber threats, but it is clear they don't have the capabilities to protect their organisations at the level required. IT leaders are not trying to point the finger at government, but they are struggling to keep up and want to know that higher powers are available to back them up more holistically through collaboration, sharing of information, and public education."