Mandatory Notification of Data Breach Scheme

A data breach happens when someone gets access to personal information they shouldn't have. This could be by accident, like losing a laptop with your information on it, or on purpose, like hacking into a computer system.

The law considers a data breach serious if it could cause real harm to someone, such as identity theft or financial loss. Wingecarribee Shire Council takes steps to protect your information, but if a serious breach happens, we will let you know.

The MNDB scheme applies to two types of information:

1. Personal information (as defined in section 4 of PPIPA): This includes things like your name, address, and date of birth, basically anything that could be used to identify you.
2. Health information (defined in section 6 of the Heath Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIPA): This covers details about your physical and mental health, disabilities, and any medical care you've received.

Here are some examples of what could lead to a data breach:

• Losing a laptop, USB drive, or paperwork with personal information
• Someone hacking into our computer systems
• Accidentally sending your information to the wrong person
• Someone tricking a staff member into giving them access to information

We also consider things like equipment failures and malware infections, as they could potentially allow unauthorised access to information.