Principal Cyber Risk Consulting | Marsh Advisory, Pacific
Liberty is an accomplished Information Security professional and cybersecurity subject matter expert with over eight years of experience in cyber risk management. He is passionate about simplifying cyber risk communication to help business leaders
make effective decisions. His expertise lies in information technology governance,
risk management principles, information security audit, cyber risk quantification, and incident management.
He has supported Australian and global organisations with Cyber Incident Simulations, Cyber Risk Quantifications and Cyber transformation programs.
Liberty will be delivering the LGIS cyber security workshops across October and November this year.
What are the main areas of concern for cyber security in Australia?
The top concerns and issues that organisations or councils are currently facing in Australia include:
Many local government leaders are concerned about their organisation’s cyber vulnerabilities; in the 2024 JLT Risk Report cyber risk was listed as CEOs’ number two concern. However, it’s a complex landscape and it can be daunting to work out where to start or prioritising initiatives. From a leader’s perspective there three areas to focus on, these are:
Tip: Conduct a comprehensive gap assessment to understand the current security posture and allocate resources effectively.
The 2024 WA Local Government Convention over 8 to 10 October was an excellent opportunity to chat with members and talk about the issues that matter to you. Over 650 delegates attended from across the state and we appreciated the effort many made to seek out our team to provide feedback and ask questions.
Members are once again asking questions about fire safety for e-bikes, e-scooters and other light electric vehicles (LEV), alongside the installation of EV charging stations. This is an evolving risk area and members should consider the developing situation.
2023/24 proved an interesting year for the LGIS scheme and our members. There have been inflationary pressures, labour markets have been tight and skilled workers difficult to find, the workforce is ageing, and there has been substantial legislative change including the Local Government Act and a brand-new Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act.
Incident response planning is often missed during the cyber security planning process. Maybe it’s an excess of confidence in cyber controls, but many organisations focus on prevention but neglect preparation for breaches. Even if an organisation has the best-made defences, it’s wise to plan for an incident. Sometimes, it’s not even a malicious act – think back to the CrowdStrike incident this year. Although not the actions of a threat actor it had wide-ranging impacts on businesses across the globe.
Hopefully a rare occurrence, a cyber breach may have a significant impact on all aspects of an organisation including reputation and financial. A well-defined incident response plan can significantly reduce the impact of a cyber incident.
Tip: Designate a dedicated point of contact for cybersecurity management to track risks and implement controls effectively.
There are two clear elements that local governments should consider in preparing for a cyber incident. Firstly, maintain an incident response plan with clear communication protocols. Secondly test your response capabilities, make sure you regularly practice incident management to enhance response skills and protect public trust. Document everything.
Tip: Attend the LGIS workshop ‘Cyber Incident Response Management’ in your region.
I’m very pleased to be visiting WA and delivering the cyber security workshops for LGIS. I’ll make sure that attendees get:
Workshop attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into cybersecurity controls and practices based on the Essential Eight framework, as well as strategies for preparing for cyber incidents. These two workshops aim to provide a comprehensive overview of these critical concepts, offering practical use cases to address potential challenges and issues that participants may encounter. Cybersecurity is an evolving field. These workshops will help local governments understand and apply established guidelines effectively.
Check out page 23 for dates of the LGIS Cyber Security workshop series
The recent WA Local Government Convention was an excellent opportunity to chat with members and talk about the issues that matter to you. LGIS also appreciated the invitation from WALGA to provide members with an update at their AGM on our 2023/24 results and achievements. For more information, our end of financial year reports, A Year in Review and Annual Financial Report, are now available on the LGIS website or you can read the article on page 18.
By their very nature playgrounds have an element of risk, designed to challenge children and deliver development opportunities. They’re valued and sought-after amenities in every local government area across Western Australia. They also come with high levels of expectation from the community that they will be well designed, in appropriate locations and maintained in a condition that ensures safe and enjoyable experiences for children
The claimant (child) was travelling across a bridge in the playground and fell through a confined space causing a broken femur, cuts and bruises. The claimant alleged that the playground was unsafe and had design flaws that didn’t prevent children from injuring themselves.
LGIS is the unifying name for the dedicated suite of risk financing and management services for WA local governments, established by the WA Local Government Association in conjunction with JLT Public Sector (part of the Marsh group of companies). LGIS is managed by JLT Public Sector (ABN 69 009 098 864 AFS Licence 226827).
Risk Matters, via this website, is designed to keep members, their staff and elected members informed on topical risk management and insurance issues and LGIS programs and services.
