The order comes seven years after the legal action against the Australian government for leaking details of nearly 10,000 asylum seekers first commenced.
The Office of Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has ordered the Department of Home Affairs, formerly the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, to determine the amount owed for each individual and pay compensation for “mistakenly” releasing the personal information of 9,251 asylum seekers. The Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk, determined that the federal government at the time had “interfered” with the privacy of these individuals by accidentally publishing their full names, nationalities, locations, arrival dates, and boat arrival information on its website in 2014. Following the publishing of their personal information, the asylum seekers launched legal action against the department. The asylum seekers in New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory claimed the breach exposed them to persecution from authorities in their home countries. A total of 1,297 applications were lodged as part of the legal case requesting that compensation be paid because those affected suffered loss or damage due to the data breach.
