Tasmania government data breach: Letter asking MPs to pipe down ‘could have been worded better’

A top bureaucrat says she could have chosen her words more carefully when she told MPs to stop talking to media about the government data hack – but says she was doing her best in a crisis.

Department of Premier and Cabinet Secretary, Literacy Advisory Panel Co-Chair Jenny Gale and Education Minister Roger Jaensch. Picture: Chris Kidd

The bureaucrat who tried to hose down public commentary about a massive data breach says she could have chosen her words more carefully in an email to MPs and editors.

The attempt to curb media coverage came as news broke of a Russian hack which hoovered up details of more than 150,000 Tasmanians’ dealings with the Department of Education.

Department of Premier and Cabinet chief Jenny Gale sent the email on April 9 saying in part: “media coverage of this event is detrimental to Tasmania’s interests”.

“I would appreciate your co-operation by heeding the same advice and not doing any further media,” the message to MPs said.

Ms Gale told budget estimates committee hearings on Thursday she was doing what she thought was best in a developing crisis.

“It was a fast-moving event, we know potentially there was more data that would be dropped and still could be dropped even now and therefore we needed to make decisions based on what we believed to be the best interests of Tasmanians,” she said.

“I would like to indicate to you that the purpose of the letter was not to shut down media commentary, it was to normalise the media message so that there wasn’t so much activity in the media about Tasmania that might pose potential further harm to Tasmanians.

“It would have been better if I had indicated not do any further media until such time as I’m able to get the formal advice.

“So in hindsight, yes, that could have been better expressed, but the intention of it was to try to minimise the harm to the Tasmanian community.”

Minister for Science and Technology Madeleine Ogilvie speaks to the media outside the Executive Building in Hobart on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

DPAC deputy secretary Craig Limpkin said the advice could not be produced for the committee because it was given verbally.

“We receive regular verbal advice from the Commonwealth through various mechanisms,” he said.

“We have a telepresence room on level seven of DPAC … it’s got various locks and checks and security type of things.

“There are even some matters that I get sent that I’m not allowed to provide the government of the day because of the security clearance.”

Minister Madeleine Ogilvie said she did not know about the request beforehand and had received it at the same time as other MPs.

“I didn’t discuss the letter or the email with any member of parliament,” Ms Gale said.

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said the letter had been unfortunate.

“What Ms Gale was trying to do was shut down comments from, she actually specifically referenced [Labor MPs] Josh Willie and Jen Butler, who had been appearing in the media and making their concerns known to Tasmanians,” she said.

“That’s a very concerning development I think from the head of the state service trying to shut down MPs.”

The committee also heard no elected members are on the State Emergency Management Committee, which is comprised entirely of bureaucrats who answer to the state controller, Police Commissioner Donna Adams.