Australia should harness the capability provided by civilians and develop volunteer cyber forces as part of a whole-of-society approach to national defence and cyber resilience. In addition to cybersecurity functions, volunteer cyber forces may be eYectively utilised in relation to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), information and cognitive conflict, as well as espionage and proactive cyber activities.

n 2019 and 2020, sixteen Australian and international researchers looked closely at the subject of civil defence from the perspective of  cyber emergencies in Australia, Europe, Israel, Canada and the US.

“The single most important characteristic of Australian cyber diplomacy has been the contrast between the professionalism of the… officials… and their relative lack of enthusiasm for the full potential of the globalised information society.”