Partnered Health, one of Australia’s biggest healthcare providers with more than 60 clinics nationwide, has confirmed a cyber-attack that stole patient records from 21 of its clinics across Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. The breach happened on 23 June and only became public this week. Stolen data includes names, dates of birth, addresses, Medicare and private health insurance details, plus medical notes, referral letters and pathology results – enough information for identity theft or convincing scam calls. Partnered Health has gone to the NSW Supreme Court seeking an injunction to stop the data being used or published, and has reported the incident to the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the privacy regulator.
This is not an isolated case. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner recorded 1,205 data breach notifications in 2025 alone, an 8% jump on the year before, including the Qantas breach that exposed 5.7 million customers’ details. Attackers increasingly target businesses holding sensitive personal data, and healthcare is a favourite because the records are valuable and the IT systems protecting them are often old and under-resourced.
What this means for your business
- If you hold customer health, financial or identity information, you’re a target too – attackers don’t only go after big names.
- Check who in your business can actually access sensitive records, and whether they still need that access.
- Have a plan for the first 24 hours after a suspected breach – reporting obligations to regulators and customers move fast, and a tested response plan turns a breach from a business-ending event into a manageable one.
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