‘Teach cyber security in school’, says Telstra boss Andy Penn

Telstra boss Andy Penn has called for cyber security skills to be included in Australia’s curriculum and taught in schools across the country.

Telstra chief executive Andy Penn at the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Telstra boss Andy Penn has called for cyber security skills to be included in Australia’s curriculum and taught in schools across the country as part of a ­national approach to combating rising threats online.

In his last address as head of the telco, Mr Penn said there had been “insufficient progress” in areas of the former government’s cyber security strategy and urged that the work be ­“accelerated”.

“A lot of the work under the strategy to date has been focused on what business needs to do to improve its cyber defences, particularly critical infrastructure operators. At the same time, it is important government makes progress to harden its own systems and cyber defences,” he told the National Press Club.

“In asking Australians and Australian businesses to support the strategy, government needs to be a role model in its own operations … and improving the security of increasingly digital government service delivery.”

Mr Penn said the country faced more risk of attack, including in the cyber sphere, than ever before.

“We are going to need to do this right the way across the spectrum from deep cyber expertise to basic cyber hygiene practices, through our schools and universities, governments and industry, and we are going to need to do it fast,” he said.