Heading image for KordaMentha Called for Ethics in Cyber Professionalisation. Thirteen Months Later, It Faced ICAC Scrutiny

KordaMentha was one of only two professional services firms that recommended cyber professionalisation to Home Affairs. (1, 2)

Its April 2023 submission argued that practitioners’ access to sensitive information created a “compelling need” for professionalisation. It called for a code of ethics, professional standards and checks on practitioners’ “background, character and/or ethical standing”. (2)

“The scheme must embed a strong set of professional standards and a code of ethics that strengthens, protects, and promotes public faith in the sector.”

About 13 months after making that case, KordaMentha became involved in a University of Wollongong engagement now being examined for an alleged conflict of interest. (3)

Michael West Media reports that partner John Dewar agreed in evidence that he had used information obtained through his university appointment to advantage KordaMentha and that the tender process was “tainted”. (3)

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether university staff or contractors failed to manage the conflict associated with Dewar’s appointment and KordaMentha’s engagement. (3)

The investigation is ongoing, and ICAC has made no final finding against KordaMentha as a corporate entity. (3)

Opinion

Conflicts of interest have also been raised in discussions about cyber professionalisation. (4)

A review of the views of 40 senior cyber security leaders identified governance, impartiality and conflicts of interest among the concerns surrounding the design of a professionalisation framework, including the position of organisations that may participate in or benefit from accreditation and certification arrangements. (4)

References

  1. Only 6 out of 220 recommended professionalisation to Home Affairs, Benjamin Mosse, April 2025

  2. Response to discussion paper, KordaMentha, April 2023

  3. Uni of Wollongong and KordaMentha: The tangled dollar-webs they weaved, Michael West Media, August 2026

  4. Reconsider Your Grant for Professionalising the Cybersecurity Industry, Benjamin Mosse, January 2025