Nowra naval base HMAS Albatross is among a number of Australian Defence Force facilities in NSW where security breaches were recorded.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by Seven News have revealed up to 60 serious security breaches have happened across the ADF.
The documents show “significant systemic failure exists” in protecting information, leading to serious lapses at ADF facilities.
The breaches including three-dimensional maps of secure Australian army bases being sent to overseas suppliers in unsecure emails.
The investigation found there was a “systemic practice” at Australia’s largest naval establishment, HMAS Albatross, just west of Nowra where inappropriate access was being provided to staff.
At Australia’s largest airforce base, RAAF Amberley near Brisbane, casual employees were given secure logins and passwords without clearance.
Staff also reported instances of photos being taken at secure bases.
Deakin University professor Greg Barton said the documents show “things aren’t good” with the way security is being managed at ADF bases.
“This is not just the odd breach. There are some systemic failures need to be fixed up on a total level,” Professor Barton said.
Of the 60 security breaches at bases and facilities across the country, 13 were in NSW, 10 in Queensland and the Northern Territory and five in Victoria.
Defence Minister Marise Payne said her department was taking security concerns seriously and were reviewing the recommendations made by security experts.
