ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

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Awards and Recognition

• At RMIT university, SCG Partner Adam Henry received the RMITO Outstanding Practice Award for Exemplary Educators. The award celebrates exceptional contributions and for setting such a high standard of excellence in education. At the Australian National University, SCG Co-founder, Professor Glenn Withers. was appointed Emeritus Professor of Economics in the Crawford School of Public Policy. At the University of Technology Sydney, SCG Co-founder, Greg Austin, was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Australia China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney. SCG Co-founder Lisa Materano has been appointed to the Global Board of the Global Development Learning Network (World Bank) representing the Asia Pacific affiliates of the GDLN.

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Ukraine

• We met with Professor Andrii Paziuk, Executive Director of the Kyiv-based Cyber Diia Platform, and signed an MoU on collaboration across the common interests of the two organisations. Andrii is Lead Adviser on Digital Resilience  to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and a professor at Taras Shevchenko National University.

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Advisory Services

• SGC Partners individually led advisory projects for the UK Ministry of Defence, the Australian Defence Force, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, SEQWater, Victoria University, University of Melbourne, Sydney University, RMIT University and the Australian National University. 

 

• SCG co-founder Professor Glenn Withers, provided a commissioned submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics for its Inquiry into Promoting Economic Dynamism, Competition and Business Formation, jointly with Professor Ian McEwin, Faculty of Law, ANU.

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Academy

• New course on Cyber Organisational Insight The Social Cyber Academy introduced a new professional development course, ‘Cyber Organisational Insight’. This is an opportunity for Cyber Security Professionals, IT Managers and Executives, Business Leaders and Decision Makers, Compliance and Risk Management Professionals, Students and aspiring cyber professionals. The SCG course runs in parallel with the first unit in an ASQA-accredited Graduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership from Blended Learning International that concentrates on cyber policy and management. To learn more, contact lisa.materano@socialcyber.co or M 0438 134 558.

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• SCG Partner, Adam Henry, coordinated a new work-integrated learning pilot project for the Digital Skills Organisation (supported by the Australian federal government and the government of the Australian Capital Territory) . This pilot was developed in collaboration with employers to be able to better place candidates interested in a career in cyber security in training while they gain workplace skills. Adam Henry presented an international webinar for OneHE on “Chat GPT and Beyond – an Educational Perspective”. The mission of OneHE is support faculty and higher education institutions to improve student outcomes through effective teaching.  Adam will also present at the Independent Tertiary Education Council of Australia Conference (ITECA) from 7-9 June on Cyber Risk to Independent Education Providers.

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• Professor Glenn Withers provided presentations for the consultation process for the Universities Accord Panel chaired by Professor Mary O'Kane. This has included work on university - industry links through new paid internship initiatives, in which cyber work could be a lead case. A related submission was provided by Professor Withers to the Australian Treasury for a National Internship Scheme for consideration in the 2024 Employment White paper.

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Institute

• Estimating Loss from Cyber Attack: Professor Glenn Withers has continued his research with UNSW colleagues into the impact of cyber attacks on corporate valuations. The follows the earlier work of Greg Austin and Glenn Withers on cyber impacts on public value for public transport.

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• Australian Cyber Policy: In April, we made two submissions to the government review panel on a new cyber security strategy for Australia.  The first submission by Dr Greg Austin addressed a specific request from the panel for a standing framework for evaluating the successes and shortcomings of national cyber policy. The second submission was our own SCG offering of a Six Point Institutional Plan for Revitalising Australian Cyber Policy.

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• Cyber Warfare: Greg Austin co-authored a paper for IISS on Impact of the Russia -Ukraine War on National Cyber Planning: A Survey of Ten Countries, released in January 2024.

 

• Cyber Power: Greg Austin co-led work in  a consulting capacity for the IISS on ‘Cyber Capabilities and National Power Volume 2’, reviewing ten countries, as a follow-on Volume to the 2021 report, ‘Cyber Capabilities and National Power: A Net Assessment’, reviewing 15 countries for which he was co-editor and a contributing author.

 

• A new Research Paper by Greg Austin and Glenn Withers entitled Valuation of Reputation Damage for Transport Cyber Attack: Methods and Findings is now posted for open access online on the Social Cyber Group website as Research paper 1/23.

 

• AISA Conference Presentations: Co-founders Greg Austin and Glenn Withers delivered a session at the Australian Cyber Security Conference in Melbourne from 17-19 October on the topic of ‘Cyber Organisational Insight’. Their perspectives drew  on their foundational paper on social cyber security. SCG Partner Adman Henry presented at the conference on the topic of ‘Revolutionising the essential cyber workforce - Developing a secure Australia’. Co-founder Greg Austin halso presented at the Australian Cyber Security Conference in Canberra from 20-22 March on the subject of ‘Evaluating Cyber Policy Reform: Towards Urgency, Coherence and Depth’.

 

• Co-founder Professor Glenn Withers provided cybersecurity perspectives at a Regional Australia Institute Research Forum on 16 May 2023. Glenn Withers also participated in the Phenomics Australia Scientific Retreat on 28-29 August 2023 to discuss the cyber security aspects of precision medicine in universities and medical research centres. Likewise at the Global Development Learning Network meetings in Seoul, September 5-7,  Professor Glenn Withers chaired meetings including for development of policies on cybersecurity for new GDLN micro-credentials. Professor Greg Austin participated in policy research-related conferences at MIT, the Hague Centre for Security Studies, IISS Europe, IISS Asia and the Centre for Security Studies at ETH Zurich.