The Optus data breach demonstrates that our private data has not received the practical or legal protections that are required in our interconnected society. This particular episode is, however, only the tip of the iceberg.

The three key categories of personal information that were contained in the Optus data breach – drivers license number, Medicare number and passport code – provide keys to identity theft, fraud, blackmail and even potential danger for those in abusive relationships.

Liberty Victoria is dismayed to learn that government obstruction has led the United Nations’ torture prevention body to suspend its visit to Australia.

The risk to the human rights of people held in places of detention is significant, and it is fundamentally important that those rights are protected. Such places go beyond prisons or police cells. They include youth justice centres, immigration detention centres, and locked aged care facilities, secure disability homes and hospital wards. Liberty Victoria considers it essential that light is shone in such places.