The Minister for Cyber Security, Clare O’Neil, is clearly unimpressed with the powers she has under existing privacy and cyber security legislation as more details of the Optus data breach emerge.

In an interview with Laura Tingle on ABC 730 Report, O’Neil has flagged three distinct concerns:

1. That reforms to Australia’s privacy laws are long overdue
2. The relatively low penalties for data breaches under Australian laws
3. The current exemptions for telcos under ‘Critical Infrastructure’ laws