House Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Organisations — hearing of 2 November 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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House Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Organisations

1 November 2026

Contents updated on 2 Nov 2026

Appearance of representatives from QBE Insurance, Marsh Australia and the Insurance Council of Australia before the Cyber Security Select Committee to give evidence on small and medium‑sized business cyber resilience and insurance.

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Insurance industry witnesses — QBE, Marsh and Insurance Council of Australia

15:27

Opening statements

15:27

Sally Sitou, Chair — opening of hearing and procedural remarks

15:27

Serene Davies (QBE) — self-introduction

17:07

Reilly Jagbeer (Marsh) — self-introduction

17:16

Alexandra Hordern (Insurance Council of Australia) — self-introduction

17:26

Eamonn Sloane (Insurance Council of Australia) — self-introduction

17:37

Sally Sitou, Chair — explanation of parliamentary status and invitation for openings

17:44

Serene Davies (QBE) — opening statement

18:27

Reilly Jagbeer (Marsh) — opening statement

20:29

Alexandra Hordern (Insurance Council of Australia) — opening statement

20:55

Questions from committee on SME cyber insurance and claims behaviour

24:51

Question from Chair (for Ms Aldred) on SME reluctance to report cyber attacks

24:51

Questions from Mr Abdo on cyber incident response process and premium trends

28:16

Questions from Ms Templeman on SME cyber insurance purchase journey and decision triggers

34:04

Question from Ms Clutterham on what cyber insurance actually covers for SMEs

42:43

Questions from Kate Chaney on AI frontier models and impact on cyber risk and premiums

47:27

Questions from Intervenant 1 on baseline cyber controls, premium incentives, MSPs and group schemes

55:01

Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and NECA — evidence on SME cyber security issues

01:04:03

Opening statements

01:04:03

Chair — welcome and procedural remarks for Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and NECA

01:04:03

Mr Johns (NECA) — opening statement

01:06:40

Ms McCarthy (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman) — opening statement

01:09:07

Questions from committee on SME cyber security disputes, digital platforms and procurement

01:12:16

Question from Chair to NECA on cascading cyber security and insurance obligations in procurement

01:12:16

Question from Chair to TIO on digital platforms’ dispute resolution obligations and ombudsman jurisdiction

01:15:54

Question from Mr Abdo to TIO on customer communication after data breaches and regulatory requirements

01:19:14

Question from Ms Templeman on a single escalation and support pathway for SME cyber incidents

01:21:56

Question from Ms Clutterham on NECA recommendation 14 and a national SME cyber maturity mechanism

01:27:45

Question from Ms Chaney on SME cyber security baseline and Essential Eight checklist approach

01:34:44

Question from Chair on NECA’s level of involvement in members’ cyber security and insurance

01:40:36

Safer Footprint, Montu Group and Independent Higher Education Australia — evidence on SME cyber security

01:59:46

Opening statements

01:59:46

Chair Sally Sitou — introduction of new panel and procedural reminders

01:59:46

Niels Wouters (Safer Footprint) — opening statement on childcare software and children’s data

02:02:01

Myles Lawler (Montu Australia) — opening statement on cyber security in digital health care

02:05:23

James Hart (Independent Higher Education Australia) — opening statement on SME higher education cyber needs

02:09:05

Questions from committee on child data, digital health and higher education cyber security

02:11:00

Question from Ms Scrymgour on prevalence of childcare data hacks and cyber resilience gap

02:11:00

Question from Chair Sally Sitou on design of a government-backed cyber security baseline and trustmark

02:20:57

Question from Chair Sally Sitou on incentives and capabilities to meet a cyber security baseline and trustmark

02:26:55

Question from Ms Kate Chaney on roles of government, ASD and industry associations in interpreting cyber standards

02:34:24

Question from Chair Sally Sitou on maintaining security of secure-by-design products for SMEs

02:43:47

Question from Chair Sally Sitou on data minimisation and government retention requirements

02:49:32

Australian Computer Society and Australian Information Industry Association — evidence on SME cyber security workforce and standards

02:55:14

Opening statements

02:55:14

Chair Sally Sitou — introduction of ACS and AIIA panel and request for identifications

02:55:14

Jakub Szwarcenbart (Australian Computer Society) — introduction and role

02:55:45

Elizabeth Whiteclock (AIIA) — introduction and role

02:55:58

Chair Sally Sitou — procedural remarks and invitation for opening statements

02:56:10

ACS representative — opening statement on CyberPath and professionalising the cyber workforce

02:56:46

AIIA representative — opening statement on making cyber security practical and affordable for SMEs

03:02:23

Questions from committee on government support, cyber providers and SME awareness

03:07:42

Question from Chair Sally Sitou on government support and assuring quality cyber providers for SMEs

03:07:42

Question from Intervenant 14 on how SMEs can find trustworthy IT and cyber providers

03:14:10

Question from Intervenant 19 on a community-led cyber guild model and interaction with regulators

03:21:09

Question from Intervenant 19 on the role of regulation and compliance in SME cyber security

03:27:46

Cyber Readiness Institute, Australian School of Employment, HACT Now and SurePath Cyber — evidence on SME cyber security

04:00:10

Opening statements

04:00:10

Chair Sally Sitou — resumption of hearing and request for introductions

04:00:10

Sasha Pale‑Tskhovrebov (Cyber Readiness Institute) — introduction

04:00:53

Taj Pabari (Australian School of Employment) — introduction

04:01:04

Kenny Choong (HACT Now) — introduction

04:01:17

Daniel Watkins (SurePath Cyber) — introduction

04:01:34

Chair Sally Sitou — procedural remarks and invitation for opening statements

04:01:39

Sasha Pale‑Tskhovrebov (Cyber Readiness Institute) — opening statement

04:02:30

Taj Pabari (Australian School of Employment) — opening statement

04:03:16

Daniel Buckton (SurePath Cyber) — opening statement on staged SME cyber uplift

04:05:36

Kenny Choong (HACT Now) — opening statement on incentives and ongoing SME resilience

04:07:44

Questions from committee on responsibility for cyber risk and SME uplift

04:10:03

Question of Chair Sally Sitou on allocating cyber risk responsibility and uplifting SMEs

04:10:03

Question of Intervenant 108 on feasibility of the Core 4 baseline for small businesses

04:24:20

Questions of Ms Kate Chaney on global applicability of Core 4, AI‑driven risks and trusted provider directories

04:32:01

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House Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Organisations

1 November 2026

House Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Organisations Mon, 2 Nov 2026 Parliament of Australia

Follow its sittings

15:26 - 17:07

Speaker 1

hearing of the Select Committee on Cyber Security for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses and Organisations. I'm Sally Sitou, the Chair of the Committee, and I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners on the land on which we meet and are calling in from today, and pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging.

This hearing will be broadcast on the parliament's website and the official transcripts and proof of the proceedings will be published on the committee's web page. I'd like to take this opportunity to note that the committee has put out a survey to hear from small businesses and organisations about their experiences with cybersecurity. This is an easy way for small business owners to make their voices heard by the committee, and the survey is still open and available on the inquiry website. I now call, I now welcome representatives from the Insurance Council of Australia, Marsh Australia, and QBE Australia to give evidence today. For the Hansard record, would you please state your name and the capacity in which you appear before the committee.

So, I might invite people by way of which they appear on my screen. So, Ms Davies, Ms Jagbeer, Ms Hordern, and Mr Sloane, if you would like to introduce yourselves in that order?

17:07 - 17:16

Speaker 5

Hi, I'm Serene Davies, the global head of cyber at QBE Insurance.

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