Ballarat launches free TAFE cybersecurity certificates and inaugural annual conference.

If you work in IT or run a business in Ballarat, one number should be on your radar: $940,000. That is the government funding behind a dedicated IT laboratory at Federation University and FedUni TAFE, where students can now earn a tuition-free Certificate IV in Cyber Security [3]. The lab is part of a broader push to turn the city into a genuine cybersecurity training hub, and it comes as the 2025 Ballarat Cybersecurity Survey is in the field, trying to figure out just how prepared local executives really are [2].

Events, courses and a growing community

The numbers alone are striking. On February 28 and March 1, 2026, Ballarat will host BSides Ballarat, a major cybersecurity awareness conference that targets both beginners and seasoned technical experts [1]. Right after that, the Malware and Reverse Engineering Conference (MRE 2026) will run in the same slot, giving the city back-to-back events that draw professionals from across the country [1]. For anyone who missed the earlier BSides conference in May 2025, which sold out at Federation University’s Mount Helen campus [6], the 2026 edition is already being planned with a broader scope.

The community doesn’t stop at big conferences. The Ballarat Cybersecurity Meetup, known as CSides Ballarat, offers beginner-friendly talks every two months. The next session is scheduled for May 23, 2026, with a focus on information operations [4]. Organisers have deliberately kept the tone accessible, avoiding the kind of deep technical jargon that can alienate newcomers [9].

For younger residents, the Cyber City program at Ballarat Tech School gives students hands-on experience protecting simulated renewable energy networks in real time [5]. It’s an early pipeline, and one that Federation University and Aiculus, the two organisations behind the survey, are betting on to build regional cyber resilience from the ground up [2].

What the survey is trying to find out

The 2025 Ballarat Cybersecurity Survey, a collaboration between Federation University and Aiculus, is currently live and collecting responses [2]. Its goal is straightforward: increase executive awareness of cyber security priorities and identify gaps in the region’s defense posture [2]. Without a local baseline, it is hard for anyone, from the tech school to the city council, to know where to invest the next dollar. The survey is one of the few concrete efforts to measure Ballarat’s cyber maturity, and the results are expected to shape training programs and public awareness campaigns in the months ahead.

Ballarat City Council, for its part, has been turning up the dial on cybersecurity awareness activities across the municipality [10]. The combination of council backing, university research and TAFE training means the city is building a skills pipeline that didn’t exist five years ago.

What happens next depends on take-up. The tuition-free Certificate IV is open now. The BSides Ballarat call for speakers is expected soon. And if you are a local business owner who hasn’t filled in the cybersecurity survey yet, May 23, the date of the next CSides meetup, is probably a good deadline to keep in mind [4].