Local councils call for cyber security support

As such, local councils are calling on the federal government to help assess the gaps in its defences and extend cyber security measures.

Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) president councillor Linda Scott said cyber-attacks mostly emanated from overseas, from national actors or government-sanctioned criminals.

This makes cyber security a national security and federal government issue, she said.

The collective of 537 councils, known as the ALGA, is calling for $10 million in funding to assess "local government's preparedness to deal with cyber-attacks and data breaches".

It comes as Isaac regional council, north of Rockhampton and south of Mackay in Queensland, was targeted by a cyber attack, with the council confirming the security breach on Sunday April 2.

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The extent of the hack was unclear. Isaac regional council CEO Jeff Stewart-Harris said on advice from the cybersecurity experts, systems had been locked down to safeguard information as a precaution.

"Without federal support, there's a danger of local governments being further exposed to data breaches, and community-based data being compromised," ALGA president councillor Scott said.

Victoria's Warrnambool council was targeted by a cyber-attack in early 2022.

The breach didn't result in the theft of financial or personal data, a council spokesperson told the Warrnambool Standard at the time.

"We have robust systems and protocols in place that identify and repel cyber threats, however the sophistication of hackers as well as the speed in which they can exploit any breach present continuous challenges for councils," a Warrnambool council spokesperson told ACM.

"The personal data we collect in order to provide many of our services is desirable for cyber criminals," the spokesperson said.

Warrnambool council would welcome any additional support or resources from the federal government, it said.

ALGA is also seeking the appointment of a dedicated chief information security officer to oversee the tightening of local government cyber security.