The Department of Home Affairs’ cybersecurity guru owns a six-figure shareholding in one of the country’s biggest tech supply companies, CyberCX, which is a major contractor to government departments, including his own.
The department said in its response to questions that it did not comment on staff members’ conflict of interest declarations, but that it had “policies and procedures in place to manage probity throughout the procurement process”. The Australian Public Service code of conduct requires its employees to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest, which are defined as a conflict between the public duty and personal interests of employees.
CyberCX also has multimillion-dollar contracts with the Department of Defence, the Australian Federal Police, the Attorney-General’s department, and spy agency the Australian Signals Directorate.“It is our understanding that Mr Anstee fully disclosed his shareholding to the Department of Home Affairs upon commencing employment … and has not had any involvement in any tendering or contracts awarded to CyberCX by the department.
Anstee was a senior adviser to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and led policy development, strategy and communications in national security policy, including cybersecurity, counterterrorism, immigration and criminal justice. He left shortly after Scott Morrison became prime minister and joined CyberCX the following year.