Senator Robert Ray asked the Minister for Family and Community Services, upon notice, on 23 June 1999:

With reference to the Australian National Audit Office, audit report no. 37 of 1997-98, Protection of confidential client data from unauthorised disclosure: Department of Social Security [and] Centrelink, which made a range of recommendations designed to strengthen data confidentiality and other areas for improvement by the former Department of Social Security and related agencies:

(1) What has been the progress, to date, in the implementation of those recommendations.

(2) If those recommendations have not been implemented; why not.

Senator Newman (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

(1) Recommendations 1, 3 and 6 of the above report have been implemented. The Privacy Incident Reporting System introduced from 1 July 1999 seeks to address much of recommendation 2. Privacy policy and guidelines have been reinforced as part of the response to recommendation 4. Recommendation 5 is yet to be implemented.

(2) A quality assurance process will seek to verify that the reinforcement of the privacy and policy guidelines has resolved recommendation 4. A Corporate Security Strategy Architecture Review is planned with a current target date for resolution of recommendation 5 of 31 July 2000. Progress with all ANAO recommendations is actively managed by the Audit Committee of the Board of Centrelink and considered at each of its quarterly meetings. As part of this, the ANAO assesses progress reports of all outstanding recommendations affecting Centrelink before their consideration by the Audit Committee of the Board.