THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
AUSTRALIANS STILL DON'T KNOW WHEN THEIR PERSONAL CYBER SECURITY HAS BEEN BREACHED
Three years after mandatory data breach notification legislation was introduced into the Parliament by the Labor government, the Liberal Party is set to squib it on this important cyber-security measure once again.
At present, if Australians have their personal information compromised through error or hacking online, companies are under no obligation to inform the victims that it has occurred.
This means Australians cannot take defensive action if their data falls into the wrong hands, and this is not acceptable in an age when lives are lived online.
Mandatory data breach alerts were recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission in 2009. Labor introduced legislation in 2013 to require companies to tell Australians when their personal information had been compromised as soon as was practicable. After voting in favour in the House of Representatives before the election, the incoming Abbott Government did not proceed with that legislation.
In early 2015, the Parliament's bipartisan national security committee insisted that the Government implement mandatory data breach notification legislation by the end of the year. Having missed that deadline, the Governments plans to put legislation to Parliament in the current session will now be kyboshed by Mr Turnbull's sneaky political tactic of an early double-dissolution election.
As Mr Turnbull announces the beefing up of national cyber security defences, he has once again let down Australians on their individual cyber safety. It is ridiculous that the Abbott-Turnbull government has failed to pass what should be an uncontroversial measure after three years of government.
Australians need Mr Turnbull to do better.
THURSDAY, 21 APRIL 2016
