Mike Burgess, Director-General ASD
Date of Speech: 4 May 2019
Body:
I regret to announce that Alastair MacGibbon has advised me of his resignation from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to return to the private sector.
Alastair leaves a considerable legacy.
During his time both as the National Cyber Security Adviser and as the Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), Alastair has been a fierce advocate for the importance of cyber security for the community, businesses and governments. He is indeed the face of cyber security in Australia and, through his leadership, helped raise the nation’s cyber security standards.
Alastair has been with ASD since January 2018 after Prime Minister Turnbull made the centre a part of ASD and Alastair its head. I’d like to thank Alastair for his work in standing up the new centre including the transition of other parts of government into ASD. I’d also like to recognise and thank Alastair for his tireless work in tackling the challenge of helping those we serve to better understand how to identify and manage the nation’s cyber security risks more effectively.
His work in response to the recent compromise of the Australian Parliament’s computer network is a good example of how Alastair and his team have made an important, practical difference to cyber security in Australia.
One of the biggest challenges for Australia in cyber security sits with the private sector and in particular those who own and operate critical infrastructure. Indeed most of the cyber security heavy lifting is done by the private sector. Alastair’s decision to return to the private sector means he is not lost to this important cause.
Alastair has successfully served government in a variety of cyber-related roles, as the founding director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre in the early 2000’s, to the inaugural eSafety Commissioner commencing in April 2015. Alastair believes the end of the electoral cycle is an appropriate time for renewal.
Alastair’s final day will be May 28.
Thank you, Alastair, and on behalf of your ASD colleagues, I wish you all the very best in the next stage of your career. I’m sure we will be seeing lots of you in the future.
LTGEN John Frewen, DSC, AM, Principal Deputy Director-General ASD, will add leadership of the ACSC to his responsibilities until the role is permanently filled.