Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed new Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security, with Tony Burke taking on these responsibilities alongside Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Minister for the Arts and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The cabinet changes announced on Sunday come two years after Claire O’Neill was appointed and cyber security was established as a standalone ministry – a period that has also seen a number of cyber attacks and data breaches – the four biggest in Australia’s history – involving Optus, Medibank, Latitude and Medisecure.
Prime Minister Albanese also appointed Andrew Charlton as his special envoy for cyber security and digital resilience. At a press conference, the Prime Minister said: “This is a special assignment that Andrew, Cyber Security Minister Tony Burke and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland have been discussing about how Australia, and the world, can address a range of issues where technology is changing how we relate to each other and how society functions across the board. This is something that requires someone away from the day-to-day business to think about how Australia positions itself to avoid some of the negative outcomes that exist, but also to identify the positive opportunities that exist.”
“Andrew Charlton is a great thinker and someone I wanted in this role,” the prime minister said. “I think the combination of these changes represents a major step forward.”
Claire O’Neill has been appointed Minister for Housing and Homelessness.
