Break-in at the Department of Transport and Regional Services

In the early morning of 22 August, a person or persons gained illegal entry to the premises of the Department of Transport and Regional Services in Canberra.

The thieves accessed the external doors of the Department using a stolen entry pass. They tried all floors of the Department in an apparently random sequence before physically forcing their way through a second set of secure doors that are present on all floors in the Department. This triggered a silent alarm system.

The thieves accessed an open area and took a number of personal items including a bottle of alcohol and coins, as well as Departmental property, including an electronic projector and a laptop computer.

The Department has a strict policy on the secure storage of sensitive information. Such information is held in specially designed secure containers and accommodation. None of the stolen equipment contained national security or classified information.

There is no evidence that attempts were made to access classified information. On the contrary, it appears that this was an opportunistic burglary of portable items.

There was an unclassified powerpoint presentation on maritime security on the stolen laptop computer. This presentation had been made available to hundreds of people across Australia and has been made available on our website (www.dotars.gov.au/transsec/index.aspx).

The burglary and theft is being investigated by ACT Policing (the AFP's community policing arm which polices the ACT).

An open letter from the Secretary of the Department to the Herald Sun clarifying factual errors in their reporting is available for download below.

Letter to the Editor
An open letter from the Secretary to the Herald Sun Editor regarding an article on laptop theft and clarifying factual errors [DOC: xx KB]

Inquiries: Kate Robinson, Dept of Transport and Regional Services, 02 6274 8059

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