Monday 13th October, 2025
The Papua New Guinea Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Australian Government have announced the inaugural recipient of the Georgina Kiele Scholarship for Women in Cybersecurity, delivered under the Australia Awards Program today – Ms. Georgina Yarra was announced as the inaugural recipient of the Georgina Kiele Scholarship for Women in Cybersecurity. The announcement was made during a special event hosted by the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.
The event brought together key figures from government and the ICT sector to honor the legacy of the late Ms. Georgina Kiele, a pioneering advocate for women in cybersecurity. Among the distinguished guests were Minister for Police and Acting ICT Minister Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr, Minister for Higher Education Research Science and Technology Hon. Kinoka Hotune Feo, Queensland Senator Ms. Nita Green, Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea His Excellency Mr. Ewen McDonald, DICT Secretary Mr. Steven Matainaho, members of the Kiele family, and representatives from the ICT community.
The scholarship, established in memory of Ms. Kiele, aims to empower and support emerging female leaders in the cybersecurity field. Ms. Yarra’s selection as the first recipient marks a significant step toward increasing gender representation in a critical and rapidly evolving sector. The Georgina Kiele Scholarship involves advanced education and training in Australia in addition to the opportunities provided through Australia Awards PNG.
Since 2012 over 4,500 young Papua New Guineans have benefited from life-changing scholarships under Australia Awards PNG. In that time close to 300 Papua New Guinean women and men have been supported to study and build skills in critical sectors such as ICT and cyber security. Overall, women consistently make up 50 per cent of all awardees, directly contributing to the pipeline of skilled female leaders like the late Ms Kiele and Ms Yarra.
Senator for Queensland Ms Nita Green, speaking on behalf of the Australian Government, acknowledged the significance of the occasion.
“It’s an honour to stand before you to announce the inaugural recipient of the Georgina Kiele Scholarship for Women in Cybersecurity,” she said.
“This scholarship celebrates the remarkable legacy of Georgina and her enduring impact on PNG’s digital landscape.”
Georgina Kiele, the former Executive Manager of Cybersecurity and Digital Government Standards in PNG, was hailed as a pioneer whose work laid the foundation for the country’s cybersecurity frameworks and digital policies.
“She believed deeply in the power of education and mentorship, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations of women to lead this vital field,” Senator Green said.
The scholarship, a joint initiative between Australia and PNG, aims to empower women to become leaders in cybersecurity and drive innovation.
When highlighting the broader cooperation between the two nations, Senator Green said this was empowering talented women to become leaders in cybersecurity, helping to secure PNG’s digital future,
Georgina Yarra, the first recipient of the scholarship, was praised for her achievements and potential.
“Your achievements to date have already marked you out as a standout in the ICT community,” Green said directly to Ms. Yarra.
“This scholarship is a call for you to go further… to embrace learning, collaboration and innovation to prepare yourself to be at the forefront of PNG’s digital transformation,” she said.
The ceremony also underscored the broader impact of Australian support for education in PNG.
Since 2012, over 4,500 Papua New Guineans have benefited from Australian Awards scholarships, with women consistently making up 50% of all awardees.
“Many Australian Award alumni hold influential positions in government, business, and civil society,” Senator Green said, “helping to actively shape a more inclusive and prosperous future for PNG.”
In closing, she reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to PNG’s digital ambitions: “Together we want to honour Georgina Kiele’s memory by investing in the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.”
Ms Yarra intends to study a Masters of ICT in Cybersecurity at the University of Adelaide. Under the scholarship, Ms Yarra will receive professional development, networking and mentoring opportunities with CyberCX and Oracle already on board to support the scholar.