Optus sued over 2022 data breach that exposed data of 9.5m people
The Australian Information Commissioner announced on Friday it was launching the legal action.
The case stems from a data breach in September 2022.
The Information Commissioner will argue Optus failed to adequately manage cybersecurity and information security risk.
More to come
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Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Complete vindication': Nine wins defamation fight against high-profile surgeon
Grieve said it was an important moment for investigative journalism and recognition of the courageous patients who had spoken out against their doctor. 'This judgment is a complete vindication of the brave patients who had the courage to speak out and an indictment on the doctor who went to war with the people he has a duty to protect,' she said. 'This is an important moment for investigative journalism, and I'm proud of everyone who has worked so hard to defend this important public interest investigation.' Nine, through Collins, had argued Al Muderis had been incapable of admitting his errors and had left patients 'devastated'. 'Our submission is that a surgeon who would treat people so callously, so appallingly … is not a surgeon who deserves a glittering reputation,' Collins said. '[Al Muderis] is a surgeon whose malpractices and unethical conduct have left patients devastated and worse off than before they saw him; is a surgeon who has operated negligently; is a surgeon who has delivered substandard care, leaving patients to fend for themselves; is a surgeon who has not properly cared for his patients; is a surgeon who has made promises that he's not delivered on; is a surgeon whose conduct at times has been appalling and beneath contempt.' Al Muderis' lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, had argued that Nine had unreasonably painted the surgeon as a 'Dr Frankenstein'. The case was one of the first major tests of the public interest defence for reporting, which allows media companies to argue they reasonably believed their journalism was published in the public interest. Abraham concluded Nine had 'established that the beliefs they held were objectively reasonable' in reaching her conclusion. Loading The surgeon previously called for the identities of confidential sources relied upon by Grieve to be unmasked, but he failed after a judge concluded revealing the sources did not outweigh the public interest in protecting their identities. Abraham said she considered the evidence of 22 patients, who were presented to the court as case studies for osseointegration performed by Al Muderis between 2013 and the publication of the stories. The evidence of four more orthopaedic patients factored into Abraham's reasoning. 'Although [Nine] accepted Dr Al Muderis is, to many, an Australian hero who has devoted much of his life's work to helping amputees walk again, they contended their investigation revealed there is a significant cohort of patients who are unhappy and negatively impacted by Dr Al Muderis' services,' Abraham said. Nine chief executive Matt Stanton said the decision was 'vindication of our reporting and reinforces Nine's longstanding commitment to investigative journalism'. 'Nine welcomes today's judgment by the Federal Court to dismiss Munjed Al Muderis's claims of defamation. The court has confirmed the stories published by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and aired on 60 Minutes have been successfully defended. Nine's victory today on the basis of public interest is a significant moment in Australian defamation case law,' Stanton said. Leah Mooney was not an osseointegration patient, but she was called to give evidence by Nine in late 2023 about two surgeries Al Muderis had performed on her in Sydney. Al Muderis had left a broken drill bit in her leg in the 2011 operations, triggering a chronic bone infection and then a years-long lawsuit and battles with regulators. On Friday, she celebrated the ruling against Al Muderis with her husband, Tim, saying it was 'a long time coming'. Loading 'It's a feeling of relief and happiness. It's been a long battle and to now think, 'My god, I'm at the end of it,'' Leah said. University of Sydney media law professor David Rolph said the 'comprehensive victory' for the newspapers showed the new public interest defence can succeed, where notoriously flimsy other defences fail in defamation. 'The old statutory qualified privilege defence was notorious in NSW, for many decades, for being unsuccessful and very difficult for media companies to rely on,' Rolph said.
The Australian
6 hours ago
- The Australian
How much super you need for a comfortable retirement revealed
The average 30-year-old Australian earning the median wage is on track for a comfortable retirement for the first time, forecasters have revealed. The milestone comes from analysis by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), and was down to mandatory 12 per cent superannuation payments becoming a reality. 'This is a major milestone in Australia's retirement system,' ASFA chief executive Mary Delahunty said. 'With the super guarantee increase to 12 per cent, we are seeing super fulfil its objective of providing a dignified retirement for ordinary Australians, with today's 30-year-olds reaping the rewards of decades of progress in our world-class super system.' From July 1, workers' superannuation guarantee rate increased from 11.5 per cent to 12 per cent, meaning employers pay 12 per cent equivalent amount of your earnings into super. Unpaid super is a concern in many casualised industries. Proponents of the increase in super payments say the change addresses some effects of generational inequalities in Australia. Picture: NewsWire The bump to 12 per cent tips today's 30-year-olds into a comfortable retirement, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia modelling says. The increase means about an extra $20,000 come retirement time. The test-case 30-year-old needs to be on at least the median wage though, which is about $75,000. The average Australian wage is $102,741. 'With the 12 per cent super guarantee coming in, we can now say that the system foundations are cemented for young, working people to have a comfortable retirement,' Ms Delahunty said. 'It's a moment all Australians should be proud of.' A comfortable retirement means being able to pay for health insurance, a decent car, phone and internet, regular leisure activities, an annual domestic holiday and an international holiday every seven years. The analysis shows younger workers should be on track for a comfortable retirement. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard The amount needed to tick these boxes is $595,000 as a single homeowner and $690,000 combined for a homeowning couple. A retiring renter needs an extra 30 per cent. As well as being positive news for Australians only a decade or two into their working lives, the super guarantee increase to 12 per cent has also been heralded as a win for women. Modelling on the change, done by super fund HESTA, projects the increased payments will enhance the stark difference between younger women and women retiring now. Under HESTA's modelling, a woman starting her career in 2025 was now projected to have $712,000 of super when she retired; $411,000 more than the average female retiring this year. At the moment, the average Australian male aged in his early 60s has $395,000 in super, versus $313,360 for women. Blair Jackson Reporter Blair's journalism career has taken him from Perth, to New Zealand, Queensland and now Melbourne. Blair Jackson
The Age
7 hours ago
- The Age
AI tells lies, but kindly apologises if found out
Go bold, Albanese Unfortunately for us Labor faithful, Prime Minister Albanese lacks the courage and boldness to lead a government of true reform. He once again ruled out tax reform (″ Albanese Shies Away from Major Tax Reform ″, 8/8). He's the manager doing things right, rather than the leader who chooses to do the right thing. Significant tax reform might put a few noses out of joint, but with a large majority and political momentum now is the time for some boldness. Governments are elected to lead and make life better, but right now this seems as if it is far from the minds of Australian Labor. Albanese might reflect on the courage of the previous Victorian premier, Dan Andrews, as an example of bold political leadership. Like him or not, Andrews was often courageous and doing the right thing defined his leadership. No one can deny the strength of his government which chose many real tangible actions to improve life for Victorians. They were certainly rewarded at the ballot box. Michael Cormick, Carnegie Defence is everything Italy has showed us the way. Everyone in the world can give Donald Trump a ″win″ on increased defence spending and none of that expenditure will be wasted on actual weapons. Yes, a suspension bridge is defence spending! (″ Italy will build bridge to Sicily ″, 8/8). So how does this work for Australia? Simple. All our expenditure on modernising our electrical grid is strategic – we are protecting ourselves against interdiction of fuel imports. All road and rain infrastructure is defence spending – we need to ensure that our forces can quickly and efficiently get to where they need to be. So is health – we need to have a strong fighting force. And of course, all education spending is defence spending. We need fully rounded people in our defence forces. Foreign aid and foreign embassies are defence spending – soft power is the most effective way to maintain peace. In no time, Australia will be spending 10 per cent of GDP on defence. We should then be able to ask Trump for a 1000 per cent decrease in tariffs. Ken Richards, Elwood What fits the crime After reading the article by Jeremy Pudney about the role James Vlassakis played in the Snowtown murders, I was moved with compassion about a young man manipulated by John Bunting and Robert Wagner (″ Why it's right to release the youngest Snowtown killer ″, 8/8). Vlassakis is depicted as a troubled teenager who fell under an evil spell. However, I feel for the victims' families who must live with the trauma of losing a loved one to murder. It is an impossible task to meet the needs of both parties, revenge on one hand and forgiveness on the other. The old adage is that the punishment must fit the crime. Life is short and eleven lives were lost, and Vlassakis has lost 26 years of his life. Yes, some will be outraged, but this decision certainly seeks understanding. Julie Ottobre, Brunswick East Call time on pub test Re Letters 8/8. Please let's drop the 'pub test' as a measure of anything. Only a minority of the population are to be found in a pub and most of them will be slightly to fully inebriated and looking for a rest from the worries of the day. If you enter with clipboard and questions you'll probably learn a lot more about expletives than your chosen topic. No-one actually polls a pub. It's on a par with all the other economic nostrums – plucked out of the air. It's guesswork based on the prejudice of the campaigner. John Laurie, Riddells Creek Thank you, Isabel I felt very sick and collapsed while trying to get off at South Yarra station last Friday. A young nurse on her way to work at Cabrini Hospital came over to ask if I was OK, and called the wonderful paramedics who took my blood pressure and took me to the Alfred Hospital. Its staff were kind and professional, and after about five hours involving constant monitoring of my blood pressure, an ECG and a CT of my head, I was cleared to go home. I tried to contact the nurse who helped me on the train to thank her, but I couldn't as I only knew her first name, Isabel. There is a lot in the press about the inadequacies of our health system, but we should be so proud of our frontline health workers, doctors, nurses and paramedics and so grateful for their care. Catherine Needham, Parkdale AFL comedy channel I'm a bit disappointed at Channel 7's lack of imagination in dumping the broadcast of the upcoming Blues v Bombers game for August 21. It could have billed it as a comedy in the tradition of 1960s British Carry On films, featuring slapstick fumbling, dropped marks, missed goals and kicks and Keystone Cops-like packs chasing the ball. What a missed opportunity. Pier Paolo De Carlo, Ascot Vale Docklands mystery It's still a mystery after years of huge investments and planning that at lunchtime I see an empty Docklands. On the north facing boulevard to the library on a perfect, sunny Friday, restaurants are derelict and not one person is on the moored megayachts. Every time a new iconic tower is completed the street life seems to decline. Is this what was planned, and if not what changes are needed? Robert Irvine, Sunbury AND ANOTHER THING Work from home Our roads are in an abysmal state of disrepair, so it will be interesting when those employed to fix the innumerable pot-holes decide to work from home. Helen Moss, Croydon I look forward to train, tram and taxi drivers, ambulance crews, policemen and garbage collectors all working from home. Les Aisen, Elsternwick The sheer scale and volume of the pushback against Jacinta Allan's stance on protecting the current WFH arrangements clearly demonstrates that such protection is needed. Geoffrey McNaughton, Glen Huntly Furthermore It is beyond appalling that Kathleen Folbigg has been awarded a measly $2 million as compensation for being wrongly convicted of killing her children and imprisoned for two decades. Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights Re ″ Talking parrot brings down gang turns stool pigeon ″ 8/8. At last we know why there's a dearth of orange bellied parrots on the Bellarine. They've joined the police force. Margaret Skeen, Pt Lonsdale Geo-politics Australia appears to have an even-handed approach to the war in Ukraine, providing aid to Ukraine while simultaneously buying Russian oil from India, leaving our feet free to kick the Ukrainian people when they are down. Ken Machin, Grovedale Let's say nyet zero to Aussie cars running on crude oil from Russia. Paul Custance, Highett
