More than 50 people have been prosecuted for cybercrimes in Australia during the last six years.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) referred 72 cases relating to cyber-criminal activity between July 1, 2018 and September 30, 2024.
Of these, 54 were prosecuted in court and, as of September 30 this year, 32 of these had proceeded to sentencing, according to figures obtained by iTnews.
Meanwhile, 16 prosecutions remained ongoing, and six were discontinued or did not result in a recorded conviction.
The figures come amid a parliamentary committee inquiry into the capability of law enforcement to respond to cybercrime.
Responding to a question on notice, the CDPP revealed it had received 72 referrals involving a potential prosecution of at least one computer offence contrary to Part 10.7 of the Criminal Code.
Offences under 10.7 can include dishonestly obtaining or dealing in personal financial information; online child sexual exploitation; cyber abuse; computer intrusions and unauthorised modification of data, including destruction of data.
A breakdown of that topline number obtained by iTnews showed that 75 percent of the 72 referrals proceeded to court.
Half of those cases were referred by the Australian Federal Police, of which 16 resulted in a guilty plea or verdict.
The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and Services Australia referred 10 cases for prosecution; seven of these went to trial and five were either found or pleaded guilty.
Services Australia referred seven cases, of which three made it to the sentencing stage.
Other agencies including the Australian Taxation Office, the Department of Defence and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations all had a single case result in a conviction or guilty plea.
State police departments including NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA all likewise saw one case result in sentencing by September 2024.
