Balancing Security and Innovation: How the Attorney-General’s Department Builds Trust in a Digital Age

Michael Harrison, CIO of the Attorney-General’s Department, describes a highly secure and complex technology environment that supports around 2,200 staff, most of whom are lawyers handling sensitive legal matters. The department operates as a knowledge organisation, managing protected networks, critical information systems, and several public-facing services such as the Marriage Celebrants System. It maintains a hybrid, multi-cloud environment and is gradually migrating workloads from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, guided by risk, cost, and performance considerations. Security underpins every decision, reflecting the department’s responsibility for safeguarding sensitive legal information and maintaining public trust.

Cyber security maturity is a defining achievement for Michael’s team, with the department reaching and maintaining maturity level two against the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight framework. This milestone reflects sustained cultural and operational discipline, supported by clear leadership and communication across the organisation. Michael notes that building and maintaining security maturity requires persistence, collaboration, and continuous…