Page 2233 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020

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understanding, based on the latest advice that was provided to me, that, as a result of them completing a number of streets as part of those developments, those construction vehicles would then be able to park in those streets rather than in the learn-to-ride car park.

MS LAWDER: Minister, why have you not taken any action to try to resolve these parking and traffic issues?

MR STEEL: I refer the member to the answer to the last question.

MR PARTON: Minister, tell me: where else in the government do we rely on gentlemen’s agreements?

MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question and the use of an ironical expression—which I am not sure is actually allowed under the standing orders. But certainly we have been working with the developers, and that is what we do with the community. We try and educate and work with our community to deliver the outcomes that we want to see—in this case, freeing up some of the parking there that has been an issue. We have acknowledged that and have taken action.

Education—IT security

MS LEE: My question is to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development. Minister, following the IT breach on 14 August, the Education director-general wrote to all parents on 25 August outlining steps since taken, including loss of emails, security enhancements, limiting access to global groups, and working to ensure that consistent and appropriate action is taken for those involved. Minister, how was this email distributed? Did it involve the creation of a new global parent email list and, if so, how much more secure is this list than the lists that a student or students were able to hack into?

MS BERRY: There are quite a number of questions there from Ms Lee. I have provided a lot of information to Ms Lee about this issue and will continue to do so. She is welcome to contact my office for details at any time.

I do not think “hack” is the word that I would use for access to the addresses that were then shared amongst the public schools communities, but that has been resolved now and protections have been put in place, under the advice of experts, to ensure that it cannot happen again. There are additional security measures, including the inability of students to share beyond 30 emails at a time. More than that and they will not be able to send an email.

Additional protections have been put in place on the advice of Foresight, who have been overseeing the work that the Education Directorate has been doing to ensure that the site is secure and that children can continue to learn online in this new world that we are in, where remote access to education is so important.

MS LEE: Minister, what consistent and appropriate action has been taken to identify and counsel the students involved in the breach?


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