Privacy invasion: 500,000 Aussies have had their private data accessed

LAW enforcement agencies accessed the private data of Australians without their knowledge more than 500,000 times in the past year.

• PM Turnbull plans ‘super portfolio’ to tackle terrorism
• ASIO: Australian secrets at risk from hackers

LAW enforcement agencies accessed the private data of Australians without their knowledge more than 500,000 times in the past year, it can be revealed.

As calls for a public inquiry into the Australian Federal Police’s illegal accessing of a journalist’s phone records grow, The Daily Telegraph has learnt there were about 541,300 “authorisations” to access information under communication interception laws for criminal purposes in the past year.

That’s a more than 60 per cent increase on the 341,597 authorisations the previous year.

Senator Brian Burston. Picture: Kym Smith

Senator George Brandis. Picture: Gary Ramage

And the increase occurred despite the Coalition reducing the number of agencies that could seek data from 80 to 20.

One Nation added its support to calls for an independent and public inquiry into the AFP after it conceded on Friday that an officer had accessed phone records without a warrant.

Despite this, the AFP has decided not to take action against the officer.

Attorney-General George Brandis told The Daily Telegraph there were “strict limits on what can be disclosed”.

“The matter is the subject of an Ombudsman investigation,” he said.

“Prior to the data retention legislation, warrants were not required to access the metadata of a journalist. Journalist information warrants were one of the additional safeguards that were introduced. The data retention legislation ... ensures law enforcement and security agencies have the information they need to keep the community safe.”

It is understood the AFP believes it should tell the journalist whose information was hacked — but it has obtained legal advice that it would be unlawful at least until the investigation into the matter is complete.

One Nation senator Brian Burston said “of course there should be some form of independent inquiry”. “Too many people do inquiries on themselves and find nothing wrong,” Senator Burston said.

Nick Xenophon and Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm have already demanded an independent inquiry.

David Leyonhjelm. Picture: Kym Smith

Senator Nick Xenophon. Picture: Kym Smith

“What has happened here should send a shiver down the spine of every journalist in this country,” Senator Xenophon said.

“This is a debacle. No one wants to be accountable for this serious breach.

“There are safeguards in place to protect journalists and their sources and there’s been a complete failure with no real explanation.”

The AFP late last year said it had not made any applications to access journalists’ information.