House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-10-18 Daily Xml

Contents

Super SA Cybersecurity Incident

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:13): My question is to the Treasurer. When did the cybersecurity incident occur, when was the Treasurer informed and when were impacted individuals informed?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (14:13): I will take some of the detail of this on notice but, to the best of my recollection now, the cybersecurity breach I think happened nearly two months ago. As far as I am aware—and, again, I will check all these dates and provide them to the house—I think I was advised late last week. Treasury is not the lead agency for cybersecurity management in government but, regardless, as a minister responsible for a government agency that had its data potentially breached to not be told for that length of time is, quite frankly, unacceptable. I find it unacceptable to me, but that's in my capacity as a minister responsible to this house for the affairs of that agency. More to the point, it's unacceptable to the people who have had their information accessed or information breached, or who have had their livelihoods impacted.

I am sorry if I seem agitated or frustrated, if not angry about this episode, but, as I said, this is not the first time it has happened in this state, it is not the first time it has happened to public sector agencies, and it is clear to me as a minister that government agencies still are not responding to this in a way which is appropriately timely, thorough and meeting the needs of people who may have had their data accessed.