Australia extends Pacific Women in Cyber program through 2028

By Atlas Watchline Staff · News · August 6, 2026

Australia’s foreign affairs department has awarded Cambridge Global Advisors a second phase of its Pacific Women in Cyber initiative to expand training and mentoring in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has awarded Cambridge Global Advisors a second phase of its Pacific Women in Cyber initiative to expand cybersecurity training, mentoring and outreach in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji through July 30, 2028.

What happened

The release says the second phase is funded through DFAT’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Cyber Program, known as SEA-PAC Cyber. It says the program will continue work in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, with plans to extend into additional Pacific countries.

Why it matters

The initiative is meant to widen access to cybersecurity careers for women and girls in the Pacific and to build a larger regional cyber workforce. The release says the next phase is designed to support workforce pipelines through training, mentoring, institutional partnerships and career pathways.

Context and background

According to the release, planned activities include additional cybersecurity trainings in each country, secondary school outreach through career seminars and ambassador engagement, and expanded mentorship. It also says the project builds on Cambridge Global Advisors’ cybersecurity training work for the U.S. State Department in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

The release describes SEA-PAC Cyber as Australia’s flagship initiative for cyber capacity building across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, tied to the Australian Government’s 2023-2030 Cyber Security Strategy.

What officials said

Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Jessica Hunter, said the Pacific Women in Cyber initiative is “a step toward a more inclusive and resilient cybersecurity workforce in the Pacific” and said it equips women and girls with digital skills and pathways into the cyber industry.

Douglas Lute, identified in the release as Cambridge Global Advisors chairman, said the work in Tonga, Fiji and Samoa is already changing perceptions of cybersecurity careers. He said the next phase will add internships, mentors and institutional partners.

What happens next

Cambridge Global Advisors said it will implement the program in consultation with in-country stakeholders. The release says the second phase runs through July 30, 2028, and that the work is expected to expand to additional Pacific countries.

Sources

• PR Newswire release

Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and includes source attribution for reader review.

This is the AMP version of the article. Read the full article on Atlas Watchline.