The Electronic Data Safety Bill will establish a Special Commission of Inquiry into the spate of disastrous data breaches across government.

That is the view of Labour’s Communications and It spokesperson Clare Curran, who believes the wider government attitude to privacy should be addressed sooner rather than later.

“The huge data breaches at MSD, ACC and IRD are an information omnishambles for the Government," she says.

"They are incapable of applying basic security to our private information.

“We know at least 15,000 people have had their privacy breached in the past year alone but the Government is doing very little to address the issue.

“The confidence of the public has been deeply shaken, if not lost.

"Confidence must be restored and a Special Commission of Inquiry is the only way.

“There are fundamental concerns about IT governance and accountability as well as the wider government attitude to privacy that must be addressed.

“This bill will do that and I call on all parties to support it.”

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