Under a security reform proposed on Wednesday in the aftermath of a string of assaults, Australia will provide cyber health checks to small firms, enhance cyber law enforcement funding, and mandate the reporting of ransomware attacks.
To encourage citizens to report issues, the federal government said it will also subject telecom corporations to harsher cyber reporting regulations that apply to essential infrastructure, seek migrants to build up the cyber security staff and limit inter-agency data sharing.
The A$587 million ($382 million) plan shows the center-left Labour government attempting to get back on track after a year in which nearly half of the country's 26 million people had personal information stolen in just two data breaches at companies, while a cyber attack this month at the country's largest port operator brought supply chains to a halt.
"We cannot continue as we have," Clare O'Neil, Minister for Cyber Security and Home Affairs, told reporters in Sydney.
"We can't have a situation where we have data flying around the country, where we have critical infrastructure starting to fail, and where we have small businesses and citizens who are continually telling us they feel vulnerable and unable to cope with the cyber threats themselves."
Cybercrime complaints in Australia increased by nearly a quarter in the year to June, with the average cost to victims increasing by 14%, according to a study released this month by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, which observed that a new defense deal with the United States and the United Kingdom had made the country a more attractive target.