ABC discover how pay data was leaked

Two days after The Australian published sensitive pay information about staff at the ABC, the network managing director Mark Scott (right) has told staff how the leak occured.

Although it is unclear how the newspaper accessed the data, it is now known that a freedom of information request made from the office of the Liberal SA state minister, Robert Brokenshire (now a Family First MP), was how the figures came to leave the ABC.

The request was for simple information about staff numbers in certain regional areas and at ABC headquarters in Sydney between 2007 and 2012.

However, embedded underneath a simple 1 page spreadsheet were the pay figures.

Scott said the ABC had notified the Privacy Commissioner of the matter and steps were being taken to investigate further.

In his email to staff, Mark Scott said:

"My concern for staff was that the ABC had not kept confidential, important private information. We were concerned about a deliberate leak or computer hacking and asked for an expedited investigation from our Group Audit team.

"Their investigation has shown that the material was inadvertently sent to the office of a South Australian Member of Parliament in October last year in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act."

Scott apologised to staff saying the material was clearly "created and distributed in an inappropriate way."

More in The Guardian.