Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that last month was Cyber Security Awareness month, so I wanted to take the opportunity today to raise this incredibly important issue here in the Senate chamber. We know that Australia is under sustained cyberattacks, and they are not just from rogue and uncoordinated criminals but also from foreign adversaries exploiting our institutions. Today, I note the government has a sanctioned North Korean entities responsible for industrial scale cyberthreats. These actors stole nearly $2 billion in cryptocurrency last year using fake IT jobs and malware to infiltrate global systems, including in Australian firms, and the coalition certainly welcomes these sanctions. But we need to be looking closer to home when it comes to this threat.

Just today, we heard that Macquarie University is under a national security review for a deal with Chinese firms linked to the People's Liberation Army. Such partnerships risk exposing the sensitive data and intellectual property of universities to foreign control. This isn't a new concern. Experts have been warning universities for years. Indeed, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has flagged over 180 high-risk Chinese institutions, yet some universities have ignored internal advice and public scrutiny and have continued collaborations that potentially compromise our national security.

This isn't some theoretical concern. We have to ask ourselves who has access to Australian networks, Australian students, Australian institutions, our research and why. Cybersecurity isn't just about passwords; it is about protecting our democracy, our economy and our sovereignty. Yet our response remains fragmented, and, frankly, we need to do more.