Albo Says Optus Should Have To Replace Passports For Customers Who Got Hacked
New passports can cost up to $300.
Anthony Albanese has called on Optus to foot the bill for new passports after a catastrophic data breach last week.
The Prime Minister responded to a question in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, which asked what the government was doing in response to the cyberattack that affected nearly 10 million customers on September 22.
A mass of personal details were collated — including passport numbers, home addresses, driver’s license details, and Medicare numbers. Replacement passports cost $193, while a five-year new adult passport costs $155, and $308 for 10-year validity.
Albanese slammed calls from Shadow Minister for Cyber Security, James Paterson, and Senate Leader Simon Birmingham, for Labor to provide new passports for Optus victims in a statement on Tuesday.
“What that means is taxpayers should provide for that. Well that’s not our approach, we believe that Optus should pay — not taxpayers,” he said, stating that Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong had written to Optus CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, to request just that.
“There is a big difference between us and those opposite us, somehow, attempting to play politics and say taxpayers should fund this, after they sat on a failure to legislate [cybersecurity commitments] appropriately for nine long years.”
“We are dealing with this issue — we know that it does need to be dealt with, and we know that it’s been an absolute priority for Australians,” said Albanese.
In Wong’s letter to Bayer Rosmarin, she warned of the exploitative risks if passport numbers get into the wrong hands, including fraud and identity theft.
The letter sent by Senator Wong to Optus.
"There is no justification for these Australians – or for taxpayers more broadly on their behalf – to bear the cost of obtaining a new passport." #auspol @SBSNews https://t.co/gT81raLag2 pic.twitter.com/NL3yNAmOVZ
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) September 28, 2022
“Passport customers affected by this breach and concerned about identity fraud may choose to replace their passports,” wrote Wong. “There is no justification for these Australians — or for taxpayers more broadly on their behalf — to bear the cost of obtaining a new passport.”
States and territories have offered different solutions to replacing drivers’ license numbers and cards, while the Federal Government is also considering issuing new Medicare cards for affected individuals.
No formal directives have been made yet about the replacement passport process for Optus customers.