In this file photo dated Oct 5, 2022, customers walk out of an Optus telecommunications retail store in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. (PHOTO / AP)

CANBERRA - The Australian government has announced an overhaul of its cyber security strategy following a string of major data breaches.

Clare O'Neil, the Minister for Home Affairs, revealed the renewed strategy on Monday, saying the 2022 Optus and Medibank hacks exposed flaws in cyber laws.

A new national coordinator for cyber security will be appointed by the government within the Department of Home Affairs to lead the implementation of the strategy, with the government given more powers to intervene following breaches.

Telecommunications giant Optus revealed in September that the data of up to 9.8 million customers could have been compromised in one of the largest data breaches in Australian history.

What we will have now is an individual in the public service who is going to coordinate the response across government and make sure that not only are we deterring and preventing cyber-attacks, but Australians can get up off that quickly.

Clare O'Neil, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs

One month later, health insurance provider Medibank disclosed that hackers had accessed the personal information of 9.7 million current and former customers.

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In the wake of the incidents the Labor government, which won power in May 2022, expressed frustration at the lack of an emergency response function.

O'Neil said on Monday that having the national coordinator in place at the time would have made a significant difference.

"What we will have now is an individual in the public service who is going to coordinate the response across government and make sure that not only are we deterring and preventing cyber-attacks, but Australians can get up off that quickly," she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.

READ MORE: Australia unveils privacy rule changes after Optus data breach

"The other really important part of this person's job will be to help manage cyber incidents in a proper, seamless strategic way across the Australian Government."

The government hopes to appoint someone to the new role within a month to develop a response plan.