Victorian paramedics have been ensnared in another apparent privacy breach, with a union declaring staff members' mobile phone numbers were exposed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Victorian Ambulance Union was notified the personal mobile phone numbers and rostering status of Ambulance Victoria staff was accessible to the workforce through an intranet page.
The union has been informed the page has been temporarily taken down but it wants all mobile phone numbers completely removed, affected staff told and an audit into how long the information was accessible for.
"At least one at-risk member, who had previously been exposed by privacy breaches in (Ambulance Victoria) has had to change their mobile number on four occasions," read a union bulletin.
"Once again, the member has had their mobile phone number exposed in this latest breach and will now be required to take steps to ensure their safety and change phone numbers for a fifth time.
"This is likely to be the case for other members of the workforce who are at risk and unable to rely on (Ambulance Victoria) providing them with a safe workplace."
The latest suspected breach followed similar incidents in 2023.
Confidential drug and alcohol tests of hundreds of Ambulance Victoria employees and applicants were published on the intranet in May, before the service was notified in August that access restrictions were mistakenly lifted in a section of the same site, exposing more private staff details.
"(Ambulance Victoria) have an appalling recent record on protecting members' privacy with three serious breaches in the past year," the union bulletin said.
"Despite repeated assurances, (Ambulance Victoria) have not been able to provide our members with a safe workplace."
Paramedics across Victoria are continuing industrial action amid a protracted pay dispute between the union and Ambulance Victoria.
Ambulance Victoria has been contacted for comment.
Australian Associated Press
