The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General have agreed to a national approach to combating cybercrime.

In announcing the decision, Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, and Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls, said cybercime was a serious and growing threat within Australia.

Mr McClelland said the Internet had made it easy for criminals to operate across jurisdictions and a seamless national approach to cybercrime was required.

The national response to cybercrime will include: establishing a National Cybercrime Working Group to review Australian arrangements to fight cybercrime; enhancing coordination between Commonwealth, State and Territory law enforcement agencies including clarifying lines of responsibility relating to the investigation and prevention of technology-enabled crimes; reviewing whether domestic offences dealing with unauthorised access, modification or impairment of data require updating or revision in light of technological advances; and improving mechanisms to encourage greater reporting of online offences by individuals and financial institutions.

The Federal Government is also working to tackle cybercrime at an international level, recently announcing that Australia will seek to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.

The convention is the only binding international treaty on cybercrime, which aims to establish an international strategy to respond to cyber threats such as malware, online fraud and the use of the Internet to sexually exploit children.