Credit: Dreamstime
The federal government’s 2022-23 Budget has penned $9.9 billion investment in the next decade for new national cyber and intelligence capabilities.
The project - Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers (REDSPICE) - is the largest investment in the cyber capabilities of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).
“REDSPICE will substantially increase ASD’s offensive cyber capabilities, its ability to detect and respond to cyber attacks and introduce new intelligence capabilities,” Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said.
“REDSPICE ensures Australia keeps pace with the rapid growth of cyber capabilities of potential adversaries. It provides new intelligence capabilities, new cyber defences to protect our most critical systems, and is a real increase in the potency of ASD’s ability to strike back in cyberspace.”
The investment will also create 1,900 new jobs in the form of data analysts, computer programmers and software engineers, almost doubling ASD’s current size.
Also in Budget 2022-23 was $1.6 billion set towards tax relief for small businesses to go digital and upskill staff as part of the ‘Technology Investment Boost’.
More than 3.6 million small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $50 million will be able to claim a bonus 20 per cent deduction for the cost of expense and depreciating assets up to $100,000 of expenditure per year.
Portable payment devices, cyber security systems and cloud-based service subscriptions will all be eligible and applies to expenditure from 29 March 2022 to 30 June 2023.
A $1.3 billion telecommunications package to expand mobile coverage across 8,000 kilometres of regional transport routes was also touched on in Budget 2022-23.
As part of the government’s investment in skills and training, a $3.9 million program was introduced to support more women to take up roles in the digital technology sector.
“This program will include access to resources, online training, coaching and mentoring to support women pursue a mid-career transition into the tech workforce, to be undertaken in partnership with industry,” Minister for Employment, Workforce and Skills Stuart Robert said.
