Tasmanian Government data breach reported by Minister Madeleine Ogilvie

Labor says the government owes Tasmanians more detail on a data breach which “may have compromised the safety of Tasmanians and their personal information”. DETAILS >

Minister for Racing Madeleine Ogilvie. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Forensic specialists are working to investigate a data breach that may have resulted in the loss of data held by the Tasmanian Government.

Minister for Science and Technology Madeleine Ogilvie said the safety of Tasmanians and their personal information “was of paramount importance”, not revealing specifics around the breach of “a third party file transfer service”.

“We can assure the community that we are taking action to investigate this breach and ascertain if any information has been compromised,” the Minister said.

“We are currently working closely with forensic specialists to ascertain the extent of the breach, and we will keep Tasmanians updated as this progresses.

“If the investigation reveals any personal information has been compromised, we will work with anyone affected and ensure support is available.”

Shadow Minister for ICT, Science and Technology Jen Butler said Ms Ogilvie “owes Tasmanians more detail on a government data breach which may have compromised the safety of Tasmanians and their personal information”.

Jen Butler MP at Parliament. Picture: Chris Kidd

“Given the valuable information held by the government on all Tasmanians – including drivers’ licence details, births deaths and marriages data and medical records, it is vital that Tasmanians know their personal information could be at risk,” Ms Butler said.

“To put out a media release late on a Friday afternoon with little information and nothing to reassure Tasmanians is not good enough.

“This is a serious issue that could potentially affect tens of thousands of Tasmanians – and they deserve to know whether their personal details have been compromised and what Minister Ogilvie is doing to protect them.”