Hamish Hansford

Hamish Hansford is the Group Manager in the Australian Department of Home Affairs and inaugural Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre. The Centre brings together security regulatory functions covering Australian critical infrastructure including in the aviation and maritime as well as telecommunications sectors. It also undertakes background checking functions through AusCheck.

Immediately prior to this role, Hamish was the First Assistant Secretary of the Cyber, Digital and Technology Policy Division, where he led the delivery and implementation of Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020, cybercrime policy, online harms policy including combating terrorist use of the internet and child exploitation, as well as critical and emerging technology and data security policy.

Hamish also led civil policing and community protection responses to COVID-19 in the Home Affairs COVID-19 Task Force. Prior to this Hamish was the First Assistant Secretary of National Security and Law Enforcement Policy Divisions where he delivered Australia’s first ever modern slavery act, surveillance, investigatory powers and lawful access reforms, as well as hardening of Australia’s counter money laundering, illicit firearms, terrorist financing and child exploitation regimes.

Hamish Hansford Group Manager and Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre Department of Home Affairs Hamish has held Senior Executive positions in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the former Australian Crime Commission. Hamish has also served in a range of intelligence, policy, planning, program delivery roles in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Senate and the Office of Transport Security.