GIW Federal 2025: The trust equation: Balancing innovation and security in a connected world with Nicole Henry

Drawing on her two decades in the Australian Public Service, Henry reflects on how cybersecurity has shifted from a technical speciality to a shared national responsibility, one that requires genuine alignment between government, industry, and infrastructure operators. Her message builds directly on themes raised earlier in the day: that innovation can only scale when organisations and citizens have confidence in the systems underpinning it. As she puts it, cybersecurity is not a brake on progress but “the foundation for digital systems to scale safely and productively.”

Henry highlights how boards are already responding, translating guidance into investment guardrails and factoring cyber resilience directly into executive decision-making. But she stresses that this shift must go further—into policy, procurement, grants, investment decisions, and every program aimed at national growth. “Every single public dollar should harden capability and de-risk investment,” she notes, emphasising that resilience demands real trade-offs in time, cost, and opportunity.

A key theme is partnership. Effective collaboration, she argues, begins with clarity:

• Government setting direction and accountability

• Industry contributing depth, capability, and innovation

• Operators ensuring frontline resilience where threats are felt daily

“It’s a partnership based on trust and alignment,” she says—one that is already proving its worth globally.

Henry cites a powerful example: Interpol’s Operation Serengeti 2.0, which united law enforcement agencies from 18 African nations, the UK, and nine private-sector partners—including Fortinet. The operation resulted in over 1,200 arrests, the dismantling of nearly 11,000 malicious infrastructures, and the recovery of nearly USD 100 million. The impact, she notes, demonstrates how trusted public-private partnerships and intelligence sharing can deliver real, measurable outcomes at scale.

She stresses that the same model of joined-up capability is needed at home across Australian governments and agencies—not just to withstand threats, but to enable the next wave of innovation.

Henry closes with three core takeaways:

1. Cybersecurity enables innovation—it builds confidence and allows digital systems to scale safely.

2. Resilience requires alignment—policy, procurement, and partnership must move together to strengthen performance and national security.

3. Trust is a shared asset—and as systems mature, so must the maturity of partnerships that underpin them.

She reinforces the economic stakes too, pointing to Australia’s low long-run productivity assumptions and its ranking of 105 out of 145 on the Economic Complexity Index. The conclusion is clear: “Resilience keeps Australia investable. Trust keeps us growing.”

Henry ends with a message that encapsulates her entire keynote:
“Cyber security is a team sport—and with that, we’re stronger together.”