Govt picks WA to host cyber research centre HQ

Perth's Edith Cowan University has been chosen to house a joint public-private co-operative cyber security research centre.

The CRC is part of the federal government's ongoing efforts to shore up Australia's cyber security capability.

The Commonwealth has invested $50 million over in the centre, which will be led by industry.

The private sector chipped in $84.4 million to the initiative, and the WA government has offered up $5.6 million. The total pool will fund the centre for seven years.

The CRC is intended to provide "advancements that will build Australia’s cyber security capability and deliver solutions to ensure the safety of Australians and Australian businesses online", according to the federal government.

These will take the form of "frameworks, products and approaches ... across a broad range of platforms and operating systems".

Today the WA government said the CRC would focus on three key areas:

• improving the security of critical infrastructure;
• building the next generation of cyber security leaders and increasing the sector's maturity; and
• improving cyber security awareness so as to make Australia a "safe and trusted place to do business".

The centre's headquarters will be located inside the government's Joondalup innovation hub within Edith Cowan, which also houses the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network and the university's own cyber security team.

The university said the CRC would have nodes in all mainland states. It plans to recruit a "significant number" of "international postdoctoral researchers, as well as PhD students, Masters students and Honours students" to the centre.

"Australia must be, and be recognised as, a secure and trusted place to do business. This will benefit the economy by enabling industry to attract and increase investment, trade and commerce," the government states.

"Industry is increasingly cyber connected and reliant on a secure cyber experience. The cyber security CRC will deliver solutions that increase the security of critical infrastructure and provide cyber security solutions that benefit businesses and their customers."