While Qantas appears to be going through the deja vu of yet another potential compromise of customer data, the CEO of the Australian Computer Society, Dr Prins Ralston, has said the incident “raises urgent questions” about data sovereignty and the security of Australia’s essential services.
Travel technology firm Amadeus, which services around 141 global airlines, including Qantas, recently advised its clients of a data breach.
The national carrier notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre of the incident, and the airline is investigating any impact it may have had on customer bookings.
However, despite Qantas confirming that its databases remain secure, Dr Ralston said Australians deserve to have “confidence that the information they entrust to it is protected throughout its technology supply chain.”
“Qantas says its own systems remain secure and is assessing whether bookings were affected. But following breaches affecting Medicare, the question is urgent: how many warnings does Australia need before taking stronger control of its digital security?” Dr Ralston (pictured) said.
“ASD’s cyber security centre responded to more than 1,500 incidents in 2025–26, up 20%. It also warns of state-sponsored actors accessing networks for intelligence collection and potential future disruption. The stakes extend well beyond stolen data.”
Dr Ralston added that Australians should not have to wait for essential services to fail before demanding that the proper security systems are in place and their data protected.
“Boards and governments must insist on independent testing, clear accountability and demonstrated capability among the professionals securing and assessing these systems,” he said.
“Australia has resident technology professionals whose skills and experience have been independently assessed against the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). Employers must put that verified capability to work when appointing people to secure and assess critical systems. Where their existing workforce has not been independently assessed, employers must take that step to verify capability, identify gaps, and provide the training needed to close them.”
According to the ACS’ own research, Australia will need to train up another 259,000 technology workers in the next ten years.
“Meeting that demand requires broader pathways into the profession, practical skills training and clear standards so employers can verify capability,” Dr Ralston said.
“Digital sovereignty depends on our ability to protect our information and keep essential services operating under pressure. Every breach reinforces the urgency to strengthen our defences. Australians deserve more than another investigation and another apology.
“ACS stands ready to work with government and industry to strengthen Australia’s cyber capability. We always have. The urgency now demands that we act together.”
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