States start making licence renewals free for Optus hack victims

Australian states and territories have been scrambling to change their drivers’ licence renewal policies in the wake of the Optus hack.

Licence numbers and passports were two of the most concerning pieces of identifying information that were leaked, which has resulted in many Australians wanting to change them.

As we reported yesterday, Optus customers from around the country have been having a mix of experience when it comes to changing their licences.

And this isn’t particularly surprising. Considering how recent the leak was, state transport offices weren’t prepared and had to try to make changes on the fly — especially as reports came in from customers who were either denied their request to change their licence due to their state’s policies, or were charged for the privilege.

After first reporting on this on Tuesday, a flurry of press releases and statements on social media came flooding in from state transport departments and ministers. Most of these were announcing changes to the current licence change policies off the back of the Optus incident.

New South Wales

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello announced on Twitter on Tuesday evening that NSW residents impacted by the Optus breach can apply for a new licence. In addition to that, the NSW government is seeking reimbursement from Optus.

“The cost to replace your driver licence is $29 and will be charged by Service NSW at the time of application — reimbursement advice will be issued by Optus to customers in the coming days,” Dominello said on Twitter.

For those with a digital licence, Dominello said they “will have an interim card number issued instantaneously via the Service NSW app. A new plastic licence card will be issued within 10 business days.”

4. The cost to replace your driver licence is $29 and will be charged by Service NSW at the time of application – reimbursement advice will be issued by Optus to customers in the coming days.

— Victor Dominello (@VictorDominello) September 27, 2022

Dominello also apologised for this change taking “several days” to action.

Victoria

Prior to the Optus hack, Victorian residents could only apply for a new licence if an act of fraud has actually occurred.

SmartCompany spoke to several Victorian Optus customers who were denied a new licence before the changes were made.

“I tried in VIC and was REFUSED! Only if fraud was committed in my name would they ‘look’ into it,” a source told SmartCompany on social media.

But on Tuesday VicRoads announced that anyone contacted by Optus about their licence details being leaked could get a replacement.

“Anyone who is concerned about their licence details and has been notified by Optus that they have been involved in the breach can contact VicRoads to have their record flagged and request a replacement,” VicRoads said in a statement.

“This request will be validated against the Optus information once available.”

VicRoads also said that records will be flagged within the national database to help prevent unauthorised changes or access to individual information.

At the time of writing it seems that Victorian residents will still need to pay the new licence fee, however the state government is pushing to have Optus foot the bill.

“We will request Optus repays the cost of the new licences to the Victorian government,” a VicRoads spokesperson said in a statement.

Queensland

Queensland transport minister Mark Bailey also announced free licence renewals for impacted residents.

“Good news for Queenslanders. New licences, with new numbers, with be provided free of charge to Queenslanders impacted by the Optus breach. Please attend a @TMRQld Customer Service Centre with documentation during open hours,” Bailey tweeted.

RE OPTUS HACK –

Good news for Queenslanders.

New licences, with new numbers, with be provided free of charge to Queenslanders impacted by the Optus breach.

Please attend a @TMRQld Customer Service Centre with documentation during open hours… 1/2

— Mark Bailey MP (@MarkBaileyMP) September 27, 2022

South Australia

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport confirmed free licence renewals with SmartCompany on Tuesday evening.

“Any South Australians affected by the recent Optus data breach can change their driver’s licence number by attending a Service SA Centre,” a Department for Infrastructure and Transport spokesperson said in an email to SmartCompany.

“The standard $20 replacement fee will be waived for customers requiring a replacement licence as a result of the Optus data breach.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas also made the announcement on social media. He also states that any Optus customers who already paid a fee for their licence renewal can apply to Service SA for a refund.

Optus customers who have already paid a fee for a replacement licence can apply in person at their Service SA for a refund.

— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) September 27, 2022

Western Australia

The Western Australian government is yet to make an announcement but we understands that it will be doing so soon.

“The state government is currently looking at all options to safeguard the identities of Western Australians that have been affected by the Optus data breach,” a Department of Transport spokesperson said in an email to SmartCompany.

 “The Department of Transport is working closely with Home Affairs and other Australian road agencies for confirmation of WA licence records that may have been affected by the breach.”

 The department also stated that it will have more information regarding impacted licence holders sometime on Wednesday.

Northern Territory

On Wednesday the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics announced that the data of roughly 20,000 Northern Territory residents were stolen in the Optus breach.

However, it also said explained that NT driver’s licences include two key unique identifiers – licence and Card numbers. Apparently only around 1% of impacted Territorians had both numbers stolen. This is around 200 people.

“However we understand the remaining customers who had only their licence number stolen may also be feeling concerned. If so, you are also welcome to have your licence cancelled and re-issued,” the department said in a press release.

The Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, Eva Lawler, also confirmed that new licences will be free. Just make sure you present a breach notice from Optus.

“The Territory Government is very aware of the anxiety this breach has created for Optus customers and we are doing what we can to help address the issue,” Lawler said in a statement.

“We can assist through prioritising licence replacements for affected residents and waiving fees.”

Tasmania and ACT

It’s still unclear what measures these states and territories are taking. SmartCompany has reached out to the respective governments for comment.

What about passports?

If your passport information was leaked in the Optus hack, you currently need to pay for a replacement.

“This is a personal decision for you to make. If you feel concerned about your current passport, you can renew it at any time in the usual way,” the passports website reads.

“If you choose to replace your passport, you’ll have to pay the application fee when you lodge your application.”

However, members of the LNP are calling for passport renewals to be free.

When asked whether Optus should reimburse customers for new passports, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews replied in the affirmative.

“I think that Optus should be responsible. And I think that Victor Dominello in New South Wales has made it very clear that there are arrangements already in place to be able to do just that,” Andrews said.

When queried further on the LNP saying the federal government should be waiving the fees, she said that their focus is on the consumer.

“I don’t see that there is a chance at all that people should be required to have to pay for these things themselves. Their data has been compromised. In the first instance, the current federal government can deal with those issues, and they should have been already negotiating with Optus on those key compromises.”

Crikey also reported that Foreign Affairs Minister Penny has stated the federal government was looking into waiving passport renewal fees.