FLETCHER AND PATERSON - MEDIA RELEASE - LABOR’S RESPONSE TO DATA BREACHES - SLOW, UNCERTAIN AND UNCONVINCING

PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

SENATOR JAMES PATERSON
Shadow Minister for Cyber Security
Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference

MEDIA RELEASE

21 October 2022 

LABOR’S RESPONSE TO DATA BREACHES - SLOW, UNCERTAIN AND UNCONVINCING

With each passing day, Labor’s response to recent significant data breaches looks more slow, uncertain and unconvincing. 

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten has been missing in action since Services Australia began auditing sensitive data from the Optus breach more than two weeks ago.

Mr Shorten’s failure to resolve this issue means continuing anxiety and uncertainty among those whose Medicare number or Centrelink Reference Numbers were implicated in the breach. 

The Opposition has called on Mr Shorten to urgently provide timely and accurate advice as to whether any Medicare and Centrelink details have been used to fraudulently claim government payments and services.

And now it’s been revealed that Medicare numbers have been stolen as part of the Medibank cyber incident.  

Affected customers are still in the dark and rightly fearful of the integrity of their accounts.

This confusion is compounded by the changing allocation of Ministerial responsibility for cyber security. 

Mr Albanese grandly told us that Clare O’Neil’s appointment was Australia’s first dedicated Minister for Cyber Security. 

But now it’s been revealed that he has stripped Minister O’Neil of all powers to fight cybercrime. 

After her underwhelming performance to date perhaps the change is not surprising. 

Ultimately, it’s everyday Australians who are wearing the consequences of these data debacles.  

The Albanese Government owes it to Australians at risk to urgently detail what steps they are taking to protect their personal data.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Mr Fletcher - Jack Abadee 0403 440 099
Senator Paterson - Deborah Seccombe 0451 255 891