CyberPath | Professionalisation Pilot Consultation Update: What We Heard and What Comes Next

Throughout March and April 2026, the CyberPath team, led by AISA in collaboration with consortium lead ACS, and partners AWSN and Aus3C, held a series of town hall consultation sessions across all Australian states and territories. These sessions brought together the cyber community to explore how cyber professionalisation could work in practice in Australia. Participants raised thoughtful and at times challenging questions about capability, inclusion, governance, workforce pathways and the role of professional standards in a fast‑evolving cyber environment. The diversity and depth of engagement across jurisdictions reinforced the importance of designing a nationally coherent framework, while remaining flexible enough to reflect industry, regional and workforce realities.

What We Heard

Across all sessions, participants consistently engaged with questions such as:

what problem cyber professionalisation is intended to solve
how capability should be recognised and assessed
how to avoid unnecessary barriers to entry
which roles should (and should not) fall within scope
how employers, boards and practitioners would practically use the framework

Rather than seeking a one‑size‑fits‑all solution, participants emphasised the need for:

capability‑based approaches, rather than credential accumulation
recognition of diverse career pathways, including experience and non‑traditional entry routes
strong, independent governance and clear safeguards against unintended consequences

You can access a detailed report on questions and responses through this LINK. These questions are now informing the next stage of framework design.

CyberPath Is Still in Design

CyberPath is currently in a design phase. Foundational work on Governance and Program Foundations has been completed, establishing the principles and guardrails for the program. CyberPath is now progressing the Occupations Framework, which is informing how cyber roles are defined and scoped in a consistent, risk‑based way. The diagram below illustrates the six core pillars of CyberPath and highlights where design activity is currently focused, with subsequent pillars to be developed as the program progresses.

Workshops are being facilitated at all AISA SecDays to gather industry input into the CyberPath Framework. BrisSec will host a workshop to support industry consultation, helping shape the first professional roles as part of the Occupations Framework of the CyberPath pilot.

Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, and contributed perspectives from across industry, government, education and the broader community.

What Happens Next

The Cyber Community input remains central to this work, and future opportunities to engage will be communicated as they arise.
As the work progresses, AISA remains committed to transparent communication and continued engagement with our members and the cyber community.

AISA Professionalisation Sub Committee

In March 2026, the CyberPath Professionalisation Subcommittee met to commence its advisory role in supporting the development of the CyberPath Pilot Program. The subcommittee operates as a formal advisory body to the AISA Board, providing structured advice to inform the design and implementation of the pilot. We thank members for the time and expertise they are committing to this work.

Professionalisation Subcommittee members:

Scarlett McDermott (Chair)
Suelette Dreyfus (AISA Director)
Neelima Karra
Lyal Collins
Christopher Mennen
Sarah McAvoy
Angela Champion
Stefan Martins

We thank the subcommittee members for their commitment and for their advisory role in supporting the AISA Board.

CyberPath Microsite

AISA members can find out more about CyberPath from the consortium lead through the ACS CyberPath microsite at https://cyberpath.acs.org.au/

On the ACS CyberPath microsite, members will find:

an overview of the CyberPath pilot program and its national purpose
information on the government backed, industry led consortium delivering CyberPath
context on the national consultation program and its current status
high level insight into how CyberPath aims to support capability, pathways and workforce mobility
options to register for updates as the pilot progresses