Honouring #InternationalDayOfPeace by recognising incredible women leaders at @dfat and worldwide who utilise diplomacy to drive global peace, security, and stability. I am honored to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those tackling our most critical security hurdles today.

Australia, together with international partners, supports the Japan and US-led technical advisory on malicious activity by DPRK cyber actor WaterPlum. The advisory highlights the increasing risk from DPRK actors posing as legitimate employers of IT workers and complements previous advice and sanctions related to the cyber risks of DPRK IT workers to Australian businesses. Australia remains committed to promoting responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and strengthening collective cyber resilience cyber.gov.au/about-us/view-a…

What a joy to moderate today’s panel on AI adoption across the Indo-Pacific at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s AI Masterclass, alongside colleagues Steven Matainaho, Vidushi Chaturvedi and Amit Shukla, representing perspectives from PNG and India. Our conversation underscored the importance of regional collaboration and shared experience as countries navigate the AI adoption, balancing innovation, security and economic prosperity. India’s experience demonstrates the transformative impact of technology deployed at scale, reflecting on the latest AI Impact Summit and the practical work-streams, while PNG’s emerging AI leadership reflects a clear commitment getting the principles in place for secure adoption to be bolder than only consumers. By sharing practical use cases, strengthening partnerships and pragmatism about unique value add aspects of the AI tech stack, the Indo-Pacific is already shaping its AI-enabled future that is inclusive, practical and delivers real benefits for our communities. Thank you to our panellists and participants for such a thoughtful and forward-looking conversation

Secure seas need secure networks. Our partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard continues to go from strength to strength. As maritime nations, Australia and the Philippines share a commitment to a safe, secure and prosperous region, and we each have valuable experience to contribute in both cyber and maritime domains. Over the past year, we’ve worked together to strengthen resilience, test incident preparedness and response, and deepen cooperation on the challenges facing the maritime environment. This practical collaboration reflects our shared commitment to ensuring our maritime institutions are equipped to navigate an increasingly complex and connected world. I look forward to continuing this important partnership in the years ahead

Australia and the Philippines continue to deepen a partnership built on trust, friendship and a shared commitment to regional security. As close partners and even closer friends, our cooperation continues to grow across the digital domain. At the second Philippines-Australia Cyber Dialogue in Manila, officials discussed practical ways to strengthen cyber resilience, enhance operational information sharing, support the secure adoption of emerging technologies, and deepen cooperation on threat intelligence, incident response, AI security and maritime cyber resilience. A key focus was moving from dialogue to delivery, advancing practical cooperation to support the resilience of critical digital infrastructure, strengthened information sharing, subsea cable protection and maritime visibility and tracking. The dialogue also highlighted Australia's ongoing support to uplift the cyber capabilities of Philippine maritime agencies through technical training, cyber security partnerships, and enhanced protection of critical networks. Together, Australia and the Philippines are strengthening shared security, prosperity and resilience across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. We wish Philippines continued success in their ASEAN chairmanship year.

Pleased to have been in Brisbane for the final Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) preparatory meeting ahead of the International Telecommunication Union's 2026 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26). From Geneva Digital Week, to Pacific Cyber Week in Papua New Guinea, and now Brisbane, one message has been consistent: the Pacific's voice matters in shaping our shared digital future. For the Pacific, these discussions matter. Connectivity is more than infrastructure. It is access to education, healthcare, government services, economic opportunity and community. Across a region of many islands, telecommunications help keep people connected, informed and safe. As we heard in the opening remarks: "Bringing diverse perspectives together isn't easy, but it gives our contributions credibility on the global stage." From the world's largest digital economies to its smallest island states, the Asia-Pacific region brings together a wide range of perspectives, but we share a common goal: ensuring everyone can benefit from safe, secure, resilient and affordable connectivity. I was encouraged to hear from campaigning delegates for ITU leadership positions, and an opportunity to articulate Australia's vision for our ITU Council campaign. As preparations continue for PP-26, I have been encouraged by the commitment across the APT to find common ground and develop practical solutions that deliver real benefits for our communities.

It was great to catch up with Jocelinn Kang today to celebrate the launch of her joint research on Australia’s submarine cable resilience. ​Protecting our subsea infrastructure is a critical priority for Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre and our cyber partners and a recurring theme in many of our recent strategic engagements. As our reliance on digital connectivity grows, focused research like this is vital to ensuring we maintain a secure and resilient network. ​Brilliant work by Jocelinn and the team on driving this important conversation forward.

Wonderful to join the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) Symposium, where professionals from across the security community came together to learn, connect and inspire. The message was clear: women in security are alive and kicking. Through practical workshops, conversations on harnessing AI, and a strong focus on fostering the next generation of leaders, the future of the sector is in good hands. In my keynote, I spoke about believing in yourself, borrowing confidence from those who believe in you, and the importance of building trusted ecosystems. I was also proud to share stories of inspiring women across the Pacific whose leadership is driving change in their communities. A special shout out to Jacqui Loustau,the AWSN team and Narelle Devine CSM for championing women's participation in STEM and creating opportunities for the next generation of intersectional leaders. #AWSNSymposium2026 #AWSN #CyberSecurity #WomenInSecurity #WomenInCyber #InfoSec #Sydney

A new chapter in Australia-Singapore cooperation. The inaugural Australia-Singapore Cyber and Digital Dialogue reinforced our shared commitment to strengthening cyber security, advancing AI collaboration, and building regional capability to support a secure, resilient and digitally connected Indo-Pacific. The Dialogue also marked Singapore's first bilateral cyber and digital dialogue since Ms Gwenda Fong commenced as Chief Executive of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), providing an opportunity to deepen our partnership and explore new avenues for cooperation on cyber resilience, emerging technologies and regional capacity building.

Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) ICT Ministers and Senior Officials Meeting, Pacific Cyber Week, DTS, PACSON, Hack-a-thon  - That’s a wrap!!! 39 Industry Partners 16 Pacific Island countries, 28 countries total 31 panels 26 keynotes 9 Hack-a-thon incubator capabilities We collaborated, we coordinated, we supported each other, we designed the future of secure, trusted technology. Thank you to EVERYONE who made these two weeks possible – with a huge shout out to our hosts, Papua New Guinea leadership, in particular @stevenmatainaho for your leadership and vision in bringing us all together.

Feel the energy of the Pacific Cyber Security Operational Network (PaCSON). The AGM has officially commenced, bringing together operational cyber security experts and industry from across the Pacific to strengthen response capabilities, share threat intelligence and stay ahead of evolving, malicious cyber threats. Cyber resilience is a shared challenge and a shared opportunity for the Pacific. Industry has played a vital role throughout Pacific Cyber Week, the Digital Transformation Summit (DTS) and the hackathons – this critical collaboration continues through PaCSON. We were inspired to see so many senior industry partners joining us on stage, sharing their expertise through engaging panel discussions and roundtables. Their innovation, practical experience and global perspectives are helping to strengthen Pacific-led approaches and drive a safer, more resilient digital future for the region. Together, we're building stronger partnerships, enhancing cyber resilience, and shaping a more secure Pacific.

Online safety for our next generation - it starts with us Pacific Cyber Week brought together specialists from across the Pacific with a focus on protecting our most vulnerable online. With great connectivity comes great opportunity for connections - but we need to build in safety. Bringing together Fiji Filipe B. and Australia’s Online and ESafety Commission Ella Serry , sharing practical tips for and launching an eSafety toolkit to assist our Pacific family to support our citizens, increase digital literacy including for our children, connecting online. The workshop explored key themes including coordination and collaboration, really bringing to life the working relationship between the pacific. It’s so important to have all our nations being present, to explore how we can regionally come together to support each other. We are stronger together. Filipe also shared some existing websites takeitdown.org and stopncii.org where survivors of image based abuse can go to for support and flag inappropriate materials(s)… today!

Australia joins international partners in exposing malicious cyber activity targeting users of Zimbra Collaboration Suite through phishing campaigns. The advisory highlights the increasing sophistication of state-sponsored cyber actors and underscores the importance of patching vulnerabilities, maintaining vigilance, and strengthening cyber resilience. Australia calls on all states and actors to act responsibly in cyberspace.

At Pacific Cyber Week’s Women in Cyber Networking Breakfast hosted by PaCSON, we celebrated and honoured the contributions of our amazing women who make up the ICT and cyber security industry. In particular, we commemorated Ms Georgina Kiele from PNG Department of ICT, who was committed to PNG’s cyber resilience. The inspirational women who joined me on my panel shared their experiences and commitment to uplifting women and creating inclusive spaces now and into the next generation. Tonga Attorney-General and Chair of the PILON Cybercrime Working Group Linda Folaumoetui shared her own experience of finding creative ways to network, which is respectful of local cultures. Georgina Naigulevu from Fiji reminded us to build accessibility considerations into our approaches, our technology and our Digital Public Infrastructure solutions for the future – a timely reminder of the importance of inclusivity for persons with a disability. Czech Cyber Attache to the Indo-Pacific Veronika Kolek Netolická shared her journey over her career in cyber, and her establishment of the first women in cyber network in the Czech Republic. Diane Kambanei outlined her advocacy for women’s rights in online spaces, and the PNG Government’s commitments to combatting technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Honoured to highlight the contributions and leadership by women in cyber in our Pacific.

The economic and societal benefits of DPI are real. Following a Pacific DPI study tour to India, we continue our discussions at Pacific Cyber Week on the opportunities and challenges of building secure and resilient Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) across our Pacific. We heard that technology is only a small part of the story. As @Rudra_81 highlighted, successful DPI begins with understanding the problems governments are trying to solve for their populations and then designing the right foundations to address them. The panel also emphasised that security must be embedded from the outset. Cisco’s Sarah Sloan noted that DPI is increasingly attracting adversaries, with governments facing growing challenges around vulnerability management, patching and emerging AI-related risks. She highlighted the importance of modernising ageing systems, noting that a significant proportion of government infrastructure has reached end of life and can create exploitable vulnerabilities if not properly managed. Estonia’s Nele Leosk reinforced trusted digital identity, visibility of data flows and secure, legally binding data-sharing arrangements are the building blocks upon which digital services can be built – particularly for smaller nations. She highlighted three starting questions: “who you are, what you need to move and how you need to move it”. PNG Secretary for ICT @stevenmatainaho shared Papua New Guinea’s digital transformation journey and the move towards a whole-of-government approach. After identifying significant duplication in ICT investments across agencies, PNG has focused on shared cloud infrastructure and modular digital building blocks that can support service delivery across government. For Pacific countries, DPI offers a practical opportunity to leapfrog traditional development pathways, create economies of scale and build more efficient and connected digital services for citizens. All these discussions then moved into a DPI Workshop, facilitated by COSS @ekant28, bringing to life use cases and opportunities.

Our Pacific is actively engaging and raising their voices on how to enable safe, secure and trustworthy AI adoption for the benefit of citizens. Yesterday’s discussions with expert panels with industry, government and civil society focused on “where to start” the AI journey. We spoke about digitisation capabilities to ensure AI adoption represents our Pacific way and our Pacific values. Responsible AI adoption requires practical and accessible guidance. The Australian Government was proud to launch, in partnership between Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Standards Australia, an AI toolkit tailored, co-designed and developed for the Pacific. The toolkit will help Pacific partners assess risks, strengthen governance and shape AI use in ways that reflect local needs, values and aspirations. The first pilot commences with six Pacific partners to focus on foundations for AI readiness, looking at AI policy, AI standards and AI adoption aligned to the proposed PIF Digital and AI Technology Principles being considered by Leaders in our region. In the panel I moderated on AI for a secure Pacific alongside @Tupoutuah , SANS Institute's Daniel Fowell and IBM's Toshiro Baum, we explored practical first steps on the AI adoption journey, including engaging vendors to explain inbuilt AI functionality to optimise today, in particular, to support cyber defenders with scalable detection and defence tools. Looking forward to seeing the toolkits in action to empower our region to be AI shapers – not just adopters – for our technology future.

🇵🇬 has a huge opportunity for secure and trustworthy digital transformation. Cyber security plays a major role. The Honourable Prime Minister Marape spoke about the importance of AI to grow and scale digital transformation and enable government services. But cyber doesn’t stop at national borders, and we want to work with our Pacific family to uplift the resilience of our region.

The power of our Pacific partnerships. We finished the week of UN AI discussions in Geneva having worked together to shape trustworthy AI, amplify Pacific voices and languages, and advance trusted technology. It has been a genuine privilege to learn, laugh and deepen our collective understanding alongside our Pacific family from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji. Our journey is only just beginning. This week, we take this shared energy and momentum to Papua New Guinea for Pacific Cyber Week, the Digital Transformation Summit (DTS) and the PIF ICT Ministers Meeting. Together with government, industry and civil society, we’ll continue turning dialogue into action—shaping a digital future for the Pacific that reflects our values, respects our languages, and responds to our unique energy, climate and development priorities. Cyber, online safety, digital public infrastructure (DPI) and AI wait for no one. Let’s be the shapers for our digital future together.