Revenue NSW

Summary

Revenue NSW, the state government agency responsible for collecting taxes and managing vehicle registrations, was referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in June 2019 following allegations that drivers' private details were leaked to media as part of a political smear campaign. The breach involved confidential driver information from the Illawarra region allegedly being accessed and disclosed for political purposes, raising serious concerns about misuse of government databases and insider threats.

What Happened

Insider Threat. Allegations emerged that someone with access to Revenue NSW systems improperly accessed and disclosed private driver information from government databases. The leaked data reportedly included driver's license details, home addresses, and contact information for Illawarra residents. The information was allegedly provided to media organisations as part of what was described as a "political smear campaign" targeting individuals in the region. The incident suggested that confidential government data may have been weaponised for political purposes, representing a serious abuse of access to sensitive public sector databases. NSW Labor referred the matter to ICAC to investigate potential corruption and misuse of government information systems.

Impact on Individuals

• Government Database Abuse: Personal information stored in official systems used for unauthorised political purposes
• Privacy Violation: Driver's license and residential details exposed without consent
• Political Targeting: Citizens' data weaponised for political attacks, not legitimate government purposes
• Trust Breach: Fundamental breach of trust in government agencies to protect personal information
• Media Exposure: Private details potentially published or shared with journalists
• Ongoing Vulnerability: Uncertainty about who accessed the data and whether other unauthorised access occurred

The breach was particularly concerning because it involved the misuse of government systems for political purposes rather than external hacking.

Response

Revenue NSW launched an internal investigation into the alleged data breach and how private driver information may have been accessed and disclosed. The NSW Government cooperated with the ICAC referral and investigation into potential corruption and misuse of government databases. The incident prompted reviews of access controls and audit logging for Revenue NSW systems to detect and prevent unauthorised data access. Questions were raised in NSW Parliament about the adequacy of security measures protecting sensitive government databases containing millions of citizens' personal information. The breach highlighted the ongoing challenge of insider threats in government agencies, where authorised users may abuse legitimate access to databases for improper purposes. Revenue NSW implemented enhanced monitoring and stricter controls around access to sensitive driver and vehicle registration data. +++