A former ASIO director general says Australia’s cybersecurity abilities are “relatively weak and uncoordinated”, because they are spread across the states and Commonwealth.

David Irvine, who has worked as the head of both ASIO and ASIS, has made a submission to a parliamentary inquiry examining the “impact of new and emerging information and communications technology”.

The submission on behalf of the Cyber Security Research Centre (CSRC), suggests a “single Commonwealth-led cooperative agency” be formed to counter cybercrime in Australia.

“Australia's national capacity to counter threats and criminal activity using cyber investigative tools is relatively weak, uncoordinated, and dispersed across a range of agencies in both Commonwealth and state jurisdictions,” the CSRC chair argues.

“Countering cybercrime in Australia will be most effective when investigative support mechanisms are concentrated and coordinated on a national basis, utilising skills and technical capabilities developed in the national security area to strengthen law enforcement activity, and vice versa.”

The CSRC says the agency would provide “expert technical cyber investigative services in support of legal law enforcement and national security investigations carried out by Commonwealth and state agencies”.

The submission says the proposed agency would “support, rather that supplant or duplicate the proper functioning of those agencies”.

“Such an agency might fall within the ambit of the Department of Home Affairs, either as a separate entity or associated with the Australian Cyber Security Centre or the Australian Federal Police and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and with a close working relationship with the skills-intensive Australian Signals Directorate.”

The new Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security, Angus Taylor, says cybersecurity and cybercrime are among “the fastest growing threats to corporations, citizens and governments globally”.

“The rapid pace of technological change means that we need to be prepared to adapt the approaches, tools and techniques that we use in law enforcement and national security,” he said in a statement.

“The Government's Cyber Security Strategy and the recent creation of the Home Affairs portfolio, are delivering the most significant reforms to the Australian national security community in over 40 years.”

The Minister says these changes “will improve the 24/7 capability of the multi-agency Australian Cyber Security Centre to meet the needs of the community, business and government”.