Australia’s cyber security strategy has entered its second phase, with the federal government launching “Horizon 2” and outlining a new program of work running from 2026 to the end of 2028.
Minister for Cyber Security Tony Burke said the next phase aims to address vulnerabilities beyond major businesses, with a focus on small business and staff-targeted social engineering. “Effectively, what we’re doing in Horizon 2 is building a human firewall and making sure that we uplift, not just the technical capacity of organisations against cyber security, to be able to do that the whole way through the economy,” Burke said.
Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness said Horizon 2 will include expanding cyber exercise programs to test readiness across supply chains supporting government and critical infrastructure. “When we exercise, we build our resilience, we build trust and understanding. We also identify vulnerabilities that then we can remediate before those incidents happen,” McGuinness said.
The government said Horizon 2 of the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy was developed in response to changes in the threat environment since the strategy’s launch in November 2023, taking into account technological, economic and geopolitical trends.
According to the government, the Horizon 2 Action Plan includes 19 actions and 64 initiatives scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2028, led or co-led by 12 Australian Government agencies with support from contributing agencies. The plan’s stated objectives are to strengthen workforce cyber resilience, continue uplifting cyber security for critical infrastructure and government systems, and support the secure uptake of new and emerging technologies.
Horizon 2 has been developed through consultation that the government said included more than 170 public submissions, three public town halls and 12 co-design roundtables with industry partners and stakeholders.
The government is also planning an online public town hall on Thursday 2 July 2026 to discuss delivery of the Horizon 2 Action Plan, with a transcript and recording to be uploaded afterwards for those unable to attend.
In a reactive statement provided after the announcement, Netskope APAC CIO and CSO David Fairman said sustained government funding and regulatory agility would be needed as AI accelerates both defensive and offensive cyber capabilities, and as critical infrastructure and government agencies expand their digital environments and supply chains.
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