Remarks at the launch of the national cyber security awareness week

Melbourne

6 June 2010

First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on – and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.

The Internet is an indispensable part of daily life for many Australians. We use it to keep in touch with family and friends, for studying, shopping or paying bills. We also use it to conduct business.

While the Internet offers many benefits, it can bring risks. We often see and hear about these in the daily media. Tragically, some of these risks can involve threats to personal safety. Regrettably, there are criminals who seek to use the Internet’s anonymity to scam or steal our identities and resources or to make contact for ulterior purposes.

The Australian Government is committed to ensuring the security of Australians and Australian businesses online. This is a necessity if we are to protect the systems of communication that underpin our economy and national security, but also, importantly, our social interaction and well being.

The Government has a range of strategies and policies aimed at delivering on that commitment.

Last year, I launched Australia’s first ever Cyber Security Strategy. The Strategy aims to maintain a secure, resilient and trusted electronic environment that supports Australia’s national security and maximises the benefits of the digital economy. It raises awareness of various online threats and promotes sensible online practices to increase computer users’ security and privacy. It also reminds us that our actions are the first line of defence against online threats.

The Cyber Security Strategy is supported by two new capabilities:

The Strategy cannot, however, address all online risks, so it must, necessarily, work in harmony with policies on other key areas including cyber safety. The Government’s cyber safety policy focuses on protecting individuals, especially children, online from exposure to such things as illegal and offensive content and cyber-bullying.

It promotes a number of safe online habits, such as:

In all of the Government’s efforts in relation to cyber security, one thing is clear – ensuring Australia’s cyber security is a joint and shared responsibility amongst all internet users.

Cyber strategies are great on paper, but if the information they provide or the advice they promote is not taken up by internet users, they will have minimal effect. That is why National Cyber Security Awareness Week is so vitally important to our efforts to get the message out about safe and secure online practices. It is through events such as this that governments, industry, small business and home users can demonstrate our strong commitment to working together.

I am also pleased today to be launching with my colleague, the Minister for Communication, Stephen Conroy, the Government’s newly produced publication entitled ‘Protecting Yourself Online - What Everyone Needs to Know’.

This booklet contains key information and advice on:

It also points to where users of the internet can find more information, and where they can go to report problems or incidents, including such sites as the ‘Thinkuknow’ website that was recently launched by my colleague, the Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor.

‘Thinkuknow’ is a program to educate parents, carers and teachers about how to create a safe online experience for Australia’s youth. The program is run by the Australian Federal Police and Microsoft, along with Ninemsn, and presentations are being delivered to schools around the country. The website offers online seminars, which explain the various technologies and online applications that young people use on the internet, the potential risks and also how to report issues. This is a great initiative and I urge carers everyone to make full use of it.

The ‘Protecting Yourself Online’ booklet has links to a great many helpful resources such as this. We have endeavoured to create a one-stop-shop for all information relevant to Australia’s cyber environment. I trust this booklet will be a worthy point of reference for all Internet users throughout Australia.

I would like to acknowledge the support of our industry and community partners, who are working with the Government to make this week, publications like ‘Protecting Yourself Online’, and initiatives such as ‘Thinkuknow’, a success.

Together, we can raise awareness of the various risks encountered online, be they scams that offer get rich quick schemes, pharmaceuticals or university degrees. I’m sure we would all definitely think twice about these offers in the real world, and we need to apply this same real world commonsense to the online environment. This is particularly important given the risks encountered on some social network sites, risks highlighted recently in a tragic and terrible way.

This year’s Cyber Security Awareness Week promises to be a rewarding one and I look forward to engaging with stakeholders on this important issue.

Later this week I will be hosting a lunch with a number of CEOs of Australia’s major companies. The event will be a demonstration of the strong business-government partnership that supports the protection of Australia’s vital systems.

In closing, I would make the observation that the Internet is not inherently safe or inherently dangerous. It merely reflects the best and the worst of those people, groups and organisations that use it.

By following the simple tips set out in ‘Protecting Yourself Online’, Australians can minimise cyber safety and security risks, whilst still enjoying the benefits of living, working and playing online.

I am now very pleased to launch National Cyber Security Awareness Week and the new publication ‘Protecting Yourself Online – What Everyone Needs to Know’.

Thank you.