At the 2011 Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting on Wednesday 13th July 2011 Attorney General, Robert McClelland and Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor discussed Australia’s experience in combating cyber crime with First Law Officers from more than 40 countries at the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting (CLMM) being held in Sydney.

As part of the discussion, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) also provided an update on the cyber threat faced by nations across the Commonwealth. Delegates received a briefing from cyber crime expert, Associate Professor, Dr Jonathan Clough, about the threat posed by cyber crime to national security and law enforcement agencies.

Mr McClelland said that cyber crime is a global problem that cannot be tackled by any individual country. It has been estimated by the Australian Federal Police that cyber crime costs Australia over $1 billion a year with billions more lost across the world. It is therefore important that all countries work together to tackle this difficult issue.