'A matter of national security': Call for urgent action on VIQ scandal

Thirteen government agencies used embattled transcription company VIQ Solutions raising concerns over nation's data Wed 10 Jun 2026 at 5:16am Thirteen government agencies are now embroiled in an expanding scandal involving potential data breaches, prompting calls for an urgent audit amid concerns over national security. Earlier this year, embattled transcription company, VIQ Solutions, breached its Commonwealth contract with the Federal Court by allowing highly sensitive court files to be accessed offshore in India. The company is now being wound down and was removed from AusTender as an approved supplier by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) on March 19. However, 13 government agencies have used VIQ Solutions since 2019, including the Department of Defence, Services Australia, the ATO and even the Attorney General's department, broadening the risk of potential breaches. The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) — the agency responsible for investigating war crimes in Afghanistan — signed a new contract with VIQ on April 2, which was for commencement on April 8, despite VIQ going into administration and being removed from AusTender in March. In a statement, the OSI said it had engaged VIQ Solutions to provide court audio recordings but had not made any payments or received any services from the company. "The OSI established a limited tender procurement directly with VIQ Solutions to provide audio recordings. The OSI has not made any payments to or received any services from the supplier," it said. Former New South Wales Court of Appeals judge and chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, Anthony Whealy KC, said it was particularly concerning "in light of current investigations and trials" being undertaken by the OSI. "This is a very worrying development and it's important we get a full picture of what services have been provided by VIQ to the various government agencies involved," he said. "Overall, this issue demonstrates there's a weakness in our processes and protocols… How can one company so expose all these departments to a security risk?" Mr Whealy said an audit was necessary and it was important that government agencies handled the matter with "absolute honesty and accountability". 'An abdication of responsibility' Last week, the federal courts told Senate estimates that litigants in at least 146 court matters were potentially caught up in the alleged data breach but the ABC has sighted documents that show thousands of court files were accessed by e24 Technologies, a company based in Chennai India that specialises in voice-to-text technology. The alleged breach is the subject of a formal complaint with the privacy commissioner in Canada, where VIQ's parent company is based, and is being probed by Australia's information commissioner. Shadow Attorney General Michaela Cash has called for an urgent "forensic audit". "Australians deserve to know whether the integrity of sensitive government proceedings has been compromised,"she said. "The government cannot simply leave it to the federal courts to investigate and then report back to everyone else. That is an abdication of responsibility. "The Attorney-General should be co-ordinating a whole-of-government response …to establish definitively what data was accessed, by whom, and what was done with the data. "If data underpinning war crimes prosecutions or national security proceedings have been accessed by unvetted overseas workers, that is more than a simple data breach — it is a potential matter of national security. "The government owes the public a full and urgent account of what it knows and what it is doing about it." The Attorney General's department told the ABC it was "carefully monitoring the situation". "The government has clear contractual requirements for all service providers in relation to national security, privacy and confidentiality," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Any breach or alleged breach of these contractual obligations are taken very seriously by the agencies who are responsible for those contracts." The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) confirmed it had used VIQ for a "limited number of transcription matters". "The OAIC is reviewing this engagement in light of the allegations reported, including seeking assurances about how any OAIC material was handled, stored and accessed," a spokesperson said in a statement. "The OAIC is in the early stages of making preliminary inquiries in relation to the reported breach and any potential related contraventions of the Privacy Act." Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who sits on the legal and constitutional affairs committee, said the Attorney General could "no longer hide" from the growing scandal. "We know data has been compromised in the federal and family courts and we have no reason to think it's limited to that. This company reaches right across the federal bureaucracies," he said. Senator Shoebridge said it was particularly concerning that the OSI had taken on a contract with VIQ without the "proper checks and balances". "This is a very significant failure from OSI who are dealing with some of the most critical national security evidence, evidence of potential war crimes, evidence of the Australian Defence Force. "A simple Google search should have sent warning lights going off before a contract was signed. It appears none of that happened." Government contracts with VIQ total more than $20 million. There are still seven current contracts with the company with four of them scheduled to finish on June 29 this year. The ABC contacted every government agency connected to VIQ for a response. A spokesperson for the ATO said it engaged transcription providers for "services associated with witness and evidence interviews". "In March 2025, the ATO took appropriate steps to ensure information provided to VIQ Solutions in the delivery of transcript services had not been subject to unauthorised access or security breaches, and that ATO transcripts and audit files would only be produced and stored in Australia," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The ATO has not engaged VIQ Solutions Pty Ltd for transcription services since March 2025." A spokesperson for ASIC said it had, "no cause to believe the use of VIQ Solutions led to any incident involving ASIC data". A spokesperson for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission said it had, "taken appropriate action to identify and address any risks, including ceasing engagement of VIQ Solutions". A spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency said it, "does not have a current contract with VIQ Solutions". The departments and courts that used VIQ Solutions: - The Attorney General’s Department - The Australian Tax Office - The Australian Securities and Investment Commission - The Department of Defence - The Office of the Special Investigator - Services Australia - The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission - Future Fund Management Agency - National Emergency Management Agency - The Fair Work Commission - The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner - Pro Services Review - The Federal Court of Australia - The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia - The South Australian Employment Tribunal - West Australia Department of Justice - Queensland Department of Justice - NSW courts and tribunals - Victorian courts and tribunals