Victoria is continuing its push towards becoming the first truly cyber ready city in Australia with the launch of Cyber Victoria, a program that will strengthen Victoria’s position at the centre of Australia’s rapidly growing cyber security ecosystem.
The Cyber Victoria Program will be delivered by LifeJourney, the company credited with driving the Cyber Maryland program – an initiative that has seen Maryland, USA develop a world leading cyber security cluster.
With its Asia Pacific Headquarters now in Melbourne, LifeJourney is partnering with Optus to ensure Victoria has the most skilled cyber workforce in the Asian region and provides companies, both established and startups, with the necessary talent pool to build a cyber-ready workforce.
Cyber Victoria will be rolled out over the coming months with more announcements to be made during that time.
The Victorian Government can also announce that US-based cyber security company HyTrust will establish its new Australian headquarters in Melbourne.
HyTrust creates information security solutions for organisations that use cloud services, and will use its new Melbourne office as a base to expand into the Australian and Asia Pacific markets.
The announcement follows the recent move by Israeli cyber security leader CyberGym to relocate its global headquarters to Melbourne and create 60 new high-skill jobs over the next three years.
Victoria is already home to the largest cyber security cluster in Australia which includes the Government-backed Oceania Cyber Security Centre and the CSIRO’s Data61Cyber Security and Innovation Hub.
The Andrews Labor Government has also secured agreements to work with global research powerhouses including Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre, Israel’s Tel Aviv University and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the biggest defence state in the US.
Cybercrime affected 46 per cent of small and medium Australian businesses in 2015 and costs the economy around $17 billion a year. More expertise in this space will enable Victorians to be better prepared to protect their safety and privacy online.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis
“Cyber security is growing at an astonishing rate across Australia and globally, so it is important that we grow with it so we can capitalise on an industry now worth $US71 billion annually.”
“Not only does cyber security protect our businesses from crime, it’s also a vital part of our future economy and is creating jobs for Victorians.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020