cyber security

We need a smarter economy in a modern, digital world

So I’m off to Israel tonight for the first time. There is no doubt that Trump will change America but that doesn’t mean it has to change Australia.

Israel is a remarkable nation. Rising out of the ashes of World War II, it now has a population of 8 million people crammed into an area one-third the size of Tasmania.

It is also a world leader in cyber security and our delegation is part of building Australia and Victoria’s capacity as a cyber security powerhouse.

It’s going to be a fascinating week in Israel with a packed agenda of cyber security organisations, universities and start-up companies.

I’m sure that I’ll come back with the view that Australia is not doing enough. And certainly not as much as Israel which spends 4.3 per cent of GDP on R&D, well ahead of our dismal 2.1 per cent. Their high-tech goods and services account for one-eighth of their GDP and half of their industrial exports. And it’s all paying off. The cyber security industry is now worth around $70 billion a year and growing at a rate of 10 per cent. Israel cyber-related export products now amount to about $6 billion a year and that’s up from $3 billion in 2013.

Today, Be’er Sheva is a high-tech hub for Israel’s thriving cyber security industry.  The world’s leading cyber players are all there in a technology park set up alongside Ben Gurion University.

Read the full article by Harold Mitchell in The Sydney Morning Herald