NSW: NSW Parly hacking scandal could bring down the govt- Greens

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2001
NSW: NSW Parly hacking scandal could bring down the govt- Greens

SYDNEY, Aug 5 AAP - A computer hacking scandal set to rock the New South Wales state
parliament could bring down the Carr government, the Greens said today.

It has been reported a senior Labor MP's computer was used to hack into opposition
terminals to read private documents.

Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon believes the hacker at the centre of the scandal is a member
of the Upper House.

She has demanded the government prove the MP did not spy on the Greens and other Upper House MPs.

"This is as serious as Watergate and could bring down the Carr government," Ms Rhiannon said.

"We have reason to suspect that our systems have been hacked by the government."

The MP's computer was reportedly impounded by parliament's information technology (IT)
unit, pending a police investigation.

A preliminary inquiry established that the terminal of a leading Liberal MP was breached
and his private documents copied, The Sun-Herald said.

MPs have been told their terminals will be upgraded in the next few weeks to "fireproof"

them against hackers.

All State MPs in Parliament House are linked to the software program Novell GroupWise.

Legislative Council president Meredith Burgmann and Clerk of the Parliament John Evans
both refused to discuss the incident.

If a police investigation found that an MP and his staffers had copied material from
another MP's computer they could be prosecuted under NSW criminal law, the paper said.

Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski would this morning comment on the matter, her spokesman said.

Comment also was being sought from the government.

AAP nf/vr/bwl

KEYWORD: HACKING DAYLEAD

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