The recently released October 2022-23 Federal Budget is focusing on easing Australia’s workforce skills shortage and improving cyber security. 

Under the budget, the 2022-23 Migration Program will increase to 195,000 places to ease workforce skills shortage. The federal government will also be focusing more on the program’s Skill stream, which is estimated to have a positive impact of $448 million over four years. 

Aside from the extra $36.1 million for the Department of Home Affairs to recruit an additional 500 staff to boost its processing capacity, another $6.2 million will be provided for outreach and communications. This is said to include an international marketing campaign to promote migration to Australia. 

The federal government will also be introducing a Pacific Engagement visa (PEV) next year to boost Pacific permanent migration to Australia. 

This project will see 3,000 places available each year through a ballot process for eligible migrants. 

$20 million in additional funding was also promised in the budget for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), which will support individual learners with flexible delivery and case management. 

Aside from the plans to address Australia’s skills shortage with migration, the federal government has also laid out their plans for the nation’s cyber security. 

The October 2022-23 Federal Budget revealed that the federal government will be providing $31.3 million in additional funding to improve cyber security services. 

As part of its whole-of-Government Cyber Hub program uplift package, the additional funding will provide cyber security services to agencies with fewer resources. 

Aside from this, the federal government will also be giving additional funding of $2 million to assist scam victims in recovering their identities in light of recent data breaches to critical infrastructures.  

The $2 million funding allocation is part of fulfilling the federal government’s election commitment to combat scams and online fraud. 

Some experts, however, state that the $31 million additional funding was not enough to overcome the needs within a globally competitive security capability. 

StickmanCyber CEO Ajay Unni said the funding to combat scams and online fraud won’t go far. 

“How many breaches need to occur before the government realises the seriousness of cybersecurity?” he said 

“Penalties are not a deterrent for these breaches if there is a lack of standards and knowledge that leads to these insufficient practices in the first place.” 

Others say that that the federal government’s cyber security strategy could undermine any well-meaning investment.  

Source: Minister for Home Affairs media release. Content has been edited for style and length.

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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