Cybercrime to cyberwar: changing strategic perceptions of cyber security in Australia

Over the past 20 years, there have been significant changes in Australia's approach to cyber security policy. While information security had been a concern for Defence and industry across the late 20th century, the 2000 Defence White Paper was the first policy to address cyber crime as an issue for national security. Since 2000, cyber capability has taken a leading role, with both offensive and defensive cyber capability at the forefront of Australia's long-term defence planning. Drawing on an analysis of Australia's publicly available Federal Government policies, this thesis argues that between 2000 and 2019 there has been a major shift in discourses around cyber security, from that of a policing framework, to a national security framework. Furthermore, this thesis argues that these discourses actively shape law enforcement responses to cyber threats across both industry and government. This is demonstrated through a comparative analysis of two case studies, the Joint Banking and Finance Sector Investigations Team of 2004 and the Joint Cyber Security Centre initiative of 2018.