Data breach hot potato to bounce back

The data breach notification bill is not dead in the water, observers say, despite being a casualty of a politically-charged final parliamentary sitting week.

The bill, which requires organisations to notify the Federal Privacy Commissioner and affected consumers of a security breach that affects personal data, was due to be debated by the Senate last week after being approved by the House of Representatives in early June. However, the Labor leadership spill that reinstalled Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister pushed the new notification rules off the agenda.

The government was disappointed the Senate did not discuss the Privacy Alerts bill, but supporters say it could be passed “in five minutes” when Parliament next sits.

A spokesperson for the Attorney-General said the government remained committed to passing the bill when Parliament resumed, expected to be after the next election.

SOURCE: smh.com.au