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Complaint lodged with Canada's privacy commissioner over Australian court breach

ABC Australia · May 26, 2026, 7:08 PM

Key takeaways

  • Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia David Pringle told Senate estimates affected litigants were yet to be notified.
  • Highly sensitive Australian court files have been accessed offshore in breach of the privacy act and Commonwealth contractual obligations, an ABC investigation has revealed, raising concerns of a national security risk.
  • Yesterday, CEO of the Federal Circuit and Family Court David Pringle told the estimates hearing that VIQ Solutions had provided varying figures about how many cases were impacted by the security breach.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia David Pringle told Senate estimates affected litigants were yet to be notified. (AAP: Lukas Coch)

Link copied Share Share article Litigants in at least 146 court matters were potentially involved in a data breach that is now the subject of a formal complaint with the privacy commissioner in Canada, Senate estimates has been told.

The revelation comes just as the Federal Court quietly extended the contract with the embattled transcription service responsible for the breaches by $5.3 million despite VIQ Solutions being under administration and the contract expiring on June 30.

Article preview — originally published by ABC Australia. Full story at the source.
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