Customs Bungling on Stolen Computers Continues Mark Bishop - Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, Shadow Minister for Customs

Media Statement - 4 November 2003

Nine weeks after the break-in to Customs at Sydney airport on 27 August, the Government is still unable to confirm its early assertion that no sensitive information was stored on the two computer servers stolen.

Senator Mark Bishop, Shadow Minister for Customs, said today that this episode had become a farce.

First, the news of the break- in was suppressed. Then the theft of two servers was acknowledged – immediately with a categoric denial from the Minister that any sensitive security data was stored on the hard drives.

We were then told that in addition to the AFP investigation into the break-in and theft, the Defence Signals Directorate were investigating the contents of the hard drives – but now it is revealed, that after the recovery of the stolen computers, the AFP had refused to provide DSD with a copy of the hard drives – until last Friday, almost 9 weeks after the Minister announced the DSD involvement.

But it was admitted at Senate Estimates last night that Customs had back up tapes of all the computers' information, except for the activity on the day following the last backup.

So both Customs and the Minister have known with great accuracy what was stored on the computers, but still refused to reveal the truth. Cabinet has already received an interim report, but the Minister continues to stonewall.

We have also learned in recent days that two brand new PCs still in their boxes were stolen as well – and so the inquiries and the comedy of errors continues.