Victoria has strengthened its reputation as Australia’s cyber security leader with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today between the Andrews Labor Government and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Premier Daniel Andrews met with the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, who travelled to Melbourne with a special delegation to personally sign the agreement.
Virginia, largest defence state in the US, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on cyber security. A recent report by the Business Higher Education Forum showed the state has the second highest concentration of cyber job postings behind only California, the world’s biggest tech hub.
The MoU, conceived on the back of a Victorian-lead cyber security delegation to the US in September, will allow the two states to work closely together and share research on combating cybercrime, protecting online privacy and safeguarding the digital economy.
Victoria is now home to Australia’s largest cyber security cluster collocating in the Goods Shed, Docklands including the newly opened Oceania Cyber Security Centre and Data61’s Cyber Security and Innovation Hub, who hosted the Governor’s delegation.
The MoU adds to our global reach on cyber security, with the cluster already working with global research powerhouses including Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre and Israel’s Tel Aviv University.
International collaboration on cyber security is vital in the growing fight against cybercrime – which affected 46 per cent of small and medium Australian businesses in 2015 and costs the economy around $17 billion a year.
As a global industry, cyber security is now worth US$71 billion annually. The Labor Government is investing heavily to boost skills and better prepare Victorian companies to protect their online assets, safeguarding the state’s digital economy into the future.
Quotes attributable to Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews
“We’re getting behind Victoria’s cyber security industry to put people first, put high skilled Victorians to work and boost our economy.”
“Our cyber security industry is growing at a phenomenal rate, with our companies outnumbering every other state – and partnering with another world leader will be invaluable to the local industry.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis
“Victoria is fast becoming the number one tech destination in the Asia Pacific but to be bigger we need to think bigger – collaborating with the world’s best will help protect our booming digital economy and drive new jobs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020