Funding to build cyber security protections for consumers

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• be registered for the goods and services tax (GST)
• have an account with an Australian financial institution

You must also be an entity, incorporated in Australia.

Other eligibility criteria

We can only accept applications:

• from an Internet of Things (IoT) peak body as defined in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines
• where you provide evidence of support from the board, CEO or equivalent (template provided). Where the CEO or equivalent submits the application, we will accept this as evidence of support.

You can’t apply if you are:

• an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• an individual
• a partnership
• a Regional Development Australia Committee
• an unincorporated association
• a trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
• a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body (including government business enterprises)
• a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.

Partner with other organisations

You can partner with one or more other organisations that also meet the eligibility criteria. But you must decide who the lead organisation is.

The lead organisation must fill out the application form.

If we give your group the grant, the lead organisation:

• signs the grant agreement
• is responsible for making sure your group follows the rules in the grant agreement.

You must complete your project by 31 March 2027. It is anticipated the project will take approximately 18 months to complete.

To be eligible your project must be aimed at co-designing and implementing an industry-led and internationally aligned voluntary labelling scheme for consumer-grade smart devices in Australia.

Eligible activities must directly relate to the project and include the following:

• co-designing the labelling scheme with Home Affairs and in consultation with industry representatives and other government agencies, and the utilisation of research conducted by the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA). The co-design must consider alignment to similar schemes in other international jurisdictions
• developing and delivering training for relevant entities within the smart device supply chain, including manufacturers, supplies, retailers, and consumers
• rolling-out the labelling scheme, which will involve a transition period for smart devices with previous packaging still being sold at Australian retailers. The roll-out is expected to be phased, must be agreed by Home Affairs and BETA, and will likely incorporate additional opportunities to conduct research to optimise the effectiveness of the scheme.

We may also approve other activities. Any additional activities must be in line with objectives and outcomes in the guidelines.

You can use this grant funding for:

• labour
• labour on-costs and administrative overheads
• contract expenditure
• domestic travel
• contingency costs
• workshop costs
• user experience (UX) and design testing
• marketing.

The Program Delegate makes the final decision on what is eligible expenditure and may give additional guidance on eligible expenditure if required.