National Security Tech Alliance (NSTA)
Explore the Companies Powering NSTA
Download the prospectus to learn more about our founding members and how they are contributing their expertise, resources, and cutting-edge technologies to advance the NSTA mission.
Securing Australia through technology
The National Security Tech Alliance (NSTA) is a new initiative of the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), designed to ensure Australia’s technology sector plays a frontline role in safeguarding the nation’s future.
Through the NSTA, leading technology companies are partnering with the government to address the most pressing national security and resilience challenges spanning cyber, quantum, advanced communications, AI, and more. The Alliance exists to help translate innovation into preparedness and industrial strength into national resilience.
In a more complex and contested world, prosperity and security are increasingly intertwined. Australia’s ability to remain sovereign and competitive will hinge on how we deploy technology to lift productivity, reduce strategic dependency, and harden critical systems.
The NSTA has two core goals:
Position Australian technology firms to lead in areas of strategic advantage – including cyber security, critical infrastructure, secure AI, and defence capability.
Strengthen sovereign capability, reduce strategic dependency, and help ensure Australia can make its own choices in national life — free from coercion.
The NSTA provides a dedicated platform for collaboration, policy input, and targeted initiatives that support a stronger, more independent industrial base. It is about applying technology with purpose—aligned to the national interest.
Official Launch: 29 July 2025, at the TCA Parliamentary Innovation Showcase VIP Drinks in Canberra
Hon. Tony Burke MP
Minister for Home Affairs | Minister for Immigration and Citizenship | Minister for Cyber Security | Minister for the Arts | Leader of the House of Representatives | Member for Watson
“The security of our technology is one of the most significant national challenges we face.
The threats Australia faces require a holistic approach to managing technology security, one that considers supply chains through to arming consumers with the knowledge required to make informed decisions to maintain their safety.
In recent years Australia has taken significant steps to strengthen technological security, including through significant legislative reform, outreach and enforcement activity.
Further progress is a whole of economy endeavour which requires continued productive engagement between Government, the private sector and civil institutions.”
FOUNDING MEMBERS
NSTA’s founding members represent some of Australia’s most trusted and advanced national security and technology companies. Together, they are strengthening Australia’s sovereignty, resilience, and strategic advantage—contributing critical capabilities across cyber security, AI, defence tech, communications, and advanced manufacturing in support of the nation’s security and economic future.
Founding Members & Partners
Why the Tech
Council created
NSTA
Australia is entering a new phase of national security challenge—characterised by cyber threats, strategic competition, and the accelerating global contest for technological advantage.
In this environment, the technology sector must be seen not just as a set of capabilities to secure, but as a strategic partner in strengthening Australia’s sovereignty, resilience, and economic security.
The Tech Council created the NSTA to provide structure and momentum to this partnership—connecting trusted technology firms with the national security community to help shape the frameworks, strategies, and investments that will determine Australia’s future advantage.
The Alliance is built around four core principles:
- Lead a positive, opportunity-focused policy agenda
- Drive coherence in the national conversation on technology and security
- Support innovation that delivers an asymmetric strategic advantage
- Shape policy that ensures long-term competitiveness and manage risk
Our Co-Chairs
Andrew Downes
Vice President - Strategy, Thales Australia
John Paitardis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CyberCX
Focus Areas
The security of Australia’s digital and physical systems underpins every aspect of national life from energy and water networks to financial services and defence platforms. The NSTA will work to improve collaboration between government and industry on cyber threat detection, incident response, and resilience planning. This includes advancing sector-specific frameworks that support risk management, rapid response capabilities, and investment in critical technology infrastructure.
As AUKUS evolves, Australia must identify and scale the technologies that will give it a credible edge. The NSTA will help Australian tech firms understand and align with trilateral capability priorities under Pillar 2—particularly in emerging areas like artificial intelligence, quantum, and autonomous systems. By clarifying opportunities and removing barriers to entry, the Alliance will help ensure local firms can meaningfully contribute to allied capability development and innovation pipelines.
In an era of strategic competition, supply chains are no longer just an economic concern—they are a national security priority. The NSTA will support work to map vulnerabilities across key technology inputs, develop mitigation strategies, and foster the emergence of trusted supply networks. This includes securing hardware and data flows, encouraging domestic alternatives, and supporting investment in resilient logistics, storage, and manufacturing pathways.
Australia’s long-term resilience depends on growing and retaining domestic capacity in strategically significant technologies. The NSTA will advocate for procurement reform, R&D incentives, and workforce pipelines that help local firms scale in sensitive domains. This also means translating high-impact research into commercial outcomes and supporting investment vehicles that build depth across the national security technology ecosystem.
Initial Priorities
Support the development of a National Security Tech prioritisation framework through targeted workstreams:
Identify where Australia leads, where critical gaps remain, and which technologies matter most. This responds directly to Group 2’s push for mapping, Group 1’s emphasis on AI, cyber and autonomy, and Group 3’s call for sharper scope. Run deep-dive workshops, build a live national capability register, and embed direct feedback loops with Defence, intelligence and critical infrastructure stakeholders.
Use NSTA’s regular meeting rhythm to surface and sharpen national security tech priorities. Integrate short, focused challenge briefs that spotlight real mission problems, and horizon-scanning inputs that flag emerging risks and opportunities. Support this with research products that frame capability gaps and coordination options.
How it will work:
- Monthly Member Forums – Strategy alignment, policy updates, and working group sessions
- Quarterly Strategic Briefings – Senior agency insights from ASD, ASIO, ONI, Defence and others
- Dedicated Projects – e.g. mapping the national security tech industrial base
- TCA-Led Policy Advocacy – Representing member interests in Defence, Home Affairs, and national security forums
How to get involved
NSTA welcomes technology companies founded in Australia, or operating locally in-line with Australia’s national interests in the following fields:
- Cybersecurity and threat intelligence
- Defence and strategic technologies
- Quantum computing and communications
- Critical infrastructure and telecommunications
- AI, autonomous systems, and data sovereignty
- Venture capital and sovereign investment
Together, we are building a more prepared, prosperous, and sovereign Australia.
To participate in the National Security Tech Alliance, a company must be a Tech Council member.
Join the TCA and become a part of the National Security Tech Alliance today.
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- Contact Us: member@techcouncil.com.au