Defence to foot the bill for cyber security strategy

The federal government has funded more than half of the cost of its $230 million cyber security strategy by reallocating funds out of the Department of Defence's budget.

Budget papers, released tonight, reveal that just over $122 million of the $230 million plan will come out of existing Defence coffers.

The papers justify the funding reallocation by stating the cyber security strategy will "complement the initiatives of the 2016 Defence white paper to enhance Australia's cyber capabilities and inrease the cyber workforce".

Of the strategy's remaining $230 million-odd price tag, $38 millon has already been committed out of the government's national innovation and science agenda. The rest will the paid for variously by the nine portfolios with a role to play in its implementation.

A total of $82.3 million of former Defence funding will be handed over to the Attorney-General's Department to pay for the establishment of joint cyber threat centres, the expansion of the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a cyber security awareness campaign, and the development of best practice cyber security guidance.

Only $51 million of the funding allocated in the budget papers will go back into the Depatment of Defence to oversee the relocation of the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Defence will also assume responsibility for assessing the security and vulnerabilities of Commonwealth entities and their systems.

The Prime Minister officially launched the new cyber security strategy late last month. The strategy was first revealed by iTnews in early April.

It is the first revision of the critical program since 2009.