NOTICE OF A DATA MATCHING PROGRAM – SERVICES AUSTRALIA AND PARTRIDGEGP CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY SEPTEMBER 2023 DATA BREACH
This notice refers to the commencement of a data matching program by Services Australia (the Agency) using information provided by PartridgeGP about PartridgeGP customers affected by the September 2023 data breach (Data Breach). The initial analysis provided by PartridgeGP indicates that there may be approximately 7,000 impacted customers.
Where an Agency customer’s Medicare number or Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) was disclosed as part of the Data Breach, the following data, to the extent captured by and available to PartridgeGP, has been provided by PartridgeGP to the Agency:
- card number, expiry date and customer name appearing on Medicare or Centrelink concession card
- customer’s date of birth
- customer’s address.
The Agency will compare the data provided by PartridgeGP to Medicare and Centrelink customer records held by the Agency. This will assist the Agency to identify affected customers and apply proactive security measures to affected customer records.
A protocol document describing this program has been developed in consultation with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Copies of the document are available from:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/data-matching-activities-for-third-party-organisation-data-breaches?context=1
The Agency adheres to the OAIC Guidelines on data matching in Australian Government administration which includes standards for data matching to protect the privacy of individuals. The Agency’s privacy policy is available at:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/organisations/about-us/publications-and-resources/privacy-policy