The National Justice Project is now representing 12 National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in a class action against legal firm HWL Ebsworth following a ransomware hack last year.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is investigating a complaint filed by the National Justice Project over the breach that may have compromised the data of 65 government agencies including the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
National Justice Project CEO Adjunct Professor George Newhouse said the action was taken after Russian-linked cybercriminals claimed to have posted millions of documents on the dark web.
“We intervened to act on behalf of Richard Hamon, a vision impaired NDIS participant whose personal information was impacted by the hack and we have now been contacted by many more victims of the HWL Ebsworth data breach,” he said.
“After discovering the personal and health records of vulnerable individuals living with a disability were accessed, the NDIA was heavily criticised for its the delay in notifying NDIS participants who may have been affected.
“The National Justice Project welcomes contact from anyone who has received a notification from HWL Ebsworth, the NDIA, or another government department or organisation with confirmation that their personal information has been compromised in the date breach,” Adjunct Professor Newhouse said.
To join the representative OAIC complaint or to be kept informed of progress visit justice.org.au/hwledata-breach
