September 27, 2022
Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Liberal Senator for South Australia
Senator James Paterson
Shadow Minister for Cyber Security
Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference
Liberal Senator for Victoria
Tuesday 27 September 2022
The Coalition are calling on the Albanese Government to waive the fees and expedite the processing of new passports to Optus customers impacted by the cyber hack.
Australians’ whose passport numbers have been compromised are currently being told by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on their website that “If you choose to replace your passport, you’ll have to pay”, and that, “we weren’t responsible for the data breach.”
This is not good enough and is extraordinary given in Question Time today the Minister for Foreign Affairs indicated there was merit in considering fee waivers and other assistance.
Victims of the Optus cyber hack should not have to wait or pay significant amounts of fees to secure their personal information, and obtain a new passport.
While Optus must take responsibility for what may be the largest data breach in Australian history, the Albanese Government has a responsibility to help Australians take steps to protect their personal information and security.
Optus Data breach – The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
