Paterson blasts delayed response to government website hack, cites threat to Australians

Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson addressed the recent hack into a government website and its implications for Australians. “Firstly, Medicare wasn't hacked; it was a Services Australia statistics portal,” Mr Paterson told News24 Political Editor Andrew Clennell. “Secondly, I’m not even sure you can really call it a hack … but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be treating this as basically a free warning because the next time this happens it could be much more serious. “My understanding is that the Prime Minister's office had possession of this information for about five or six days before the Prime Minister publicly announced this. “It's extraordinary to me that Services Australia wasn't constantly monitoring the inbox.