The big problem with the Qantas data breach apology

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Qantas hack attack hits 6 million Australians, banks launch new weapon in battle against criminal grubs, and the city where it's cheaper to buy than rent. Here are five things you may have missed this week.

6 million Australians have data stolen in Qantas hack

Received your email of apology from Qantas yet?

the big problem with the qantas data breach apology

Monday saw hackers make off with the personal details of 6 million Qantas Frequent Flyer members.

The data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers.

According to Qantas, no credit card details, personal financial information or passport details were stored in the compromised system.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson has apologised for the incident, adding that "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of our airline."

This response has rubbed plenty of people up the wrong way, with many venting on social media.

"That just makes me more annoyed with the wording they've used - cancelling a credit card is easy. Changing one's personal details is ... not really possible," one posted on Reddit.

Another suggested large companies should be made to pay a fee to each customer affected by a data breach, adding "that will get them to tighten up their security FAST".

One user described the cyberattack as "a win for the poor that still ride Greyhound buses".

Qantas says it has notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre, which ironically had issued a warning that same day of the need for corporations to watch for cyber threats in the light of rising geopolitical tensions.

Affected customers can contact Qantas 1800 971 541 for more information.

Banks roll out new protection against 'criminal grubs'

July sees Australian banks roll out their latest scam fighting technology, with the launch of Confirmation of Payee.

Whenever you make an online payment, the system checks if the name, BSB and account number you've entered match the account details held by the receiving bank.

If everything shapes up, you'll receive a tick for a match, or be advised it's a close (but not exact) match. Alternatively, the system will warn that the name you've entered doesn't match the account.

australian banks confirmation of payee

NAB is an early adopter, having launched Confirmation of Payee this week.

NAB's Chris Sheehan, a former Australian Federal Police executive, cautions that if the payment details don't match, it could be a scam.

He advises, "Stop and contact the person directly, via details you've found, to double check payment information."

The new system sounds simple enough, but Confirmation of Payee is the result of a $100 million investment by our banks.

Australian Banking Association CEO Anna Bligh says Australia is one of the only countries in the world where scam losses are reducing, but investing in this sort of tech "is crucial to drive losses down even further".

Sheehan is a little more forthright. He says, "Scammers are criminal grubs who will do anything to rip Australians off. We are committed to innovating and using technology to help stop the crime and protect people."

In the buy v rent battle, one city gives buyers the edge

Across Australia, it almost always costs less to rent a house than to buy.

Median home loan repayments are cheaper than house rents in just 6% of neighbourhoods nationally - a figure that falls to 0% in Sydney and Melbourne and 0.4% in Brisbane.

Apartments are more promising.

It's cheaper to own than rent a unit in one in four suburbs nationally.

However, one city eclipses this benchmark.

Domain's latest Rent vs Buy Report reveals that Perth's apartment market is heavily skewed in favour of buyers.

Across 83% of suburbs in the WA capital, it's cheaper to buy a unit than to rent.

In the inner Perth suburb of Burswood, for example, it costs $254 less each week to pay a mortgage on an apartment than to rent.

The margin in favour of buyers is considerably lower in other capitals.

As a guide, in Sydney's airport suburb of Mascot, unit owners can be $74 ahead each week compared to renters.

One in three Aussies clueless about their super

Two in three Australians aren't confident they'll have enough super to retire.

But for a lot of people this must come down to guesswork.

New research from CommBank shows one in three Australians are in the dark about their super balance.

One in nine have never even checked.

CommBank's Jess Irvine, says, "Many Australians are doing their best, but still feel unsure about key parts of their finances."

In response, CommBank has launched a free Financial Fitness program to help consumers build their financial knowledge and confidence.

The curriculum goes beyond super and includes topics such as 'building your savings muscle' and 'stretching your money mindset'.

The program is available for free to all Australians - no matter who you bank with.

Opal fares to rise from July 14

A new financial year, a new round of price hikes.

NSW commuters will see most Opal fares jump by around 2.5% from July 14.

On the flipside, the daily travel cap for adults will also increase, rising to $19.30 Monday to Thursday, and $9.65 Friday to Sunday and public holidays.

Children, youth and concession card holders will have a daily cap of $9.65, or $4.80 on weekends (including Fridays) and public holidays.

Seniors continue to have a daily cap of $2.50.

If you're heading to the airport for a vacation, the Sydney Airport Station Access Fee, an extra fee charged on top of the train fare, will increase to $17.92 for adults and $16.03 for child/youth, concessions and senior fares.

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A former Chartered Accountant, Nicola Field has been a regular contributor to Money for more than 25 years, and writes on personal finance issues for some of Australia's largest financial institutions. She is the author of Investing in Your Child's Future and Baby or Bust, and has collaborated with Paul Clitheroe on a variety of projects including radio scripts, newspaper columns, and several books.
Comments
David Goff
July 5, 2025 9.30am

Re Qantas data breach, anyone who thinks that their basic personal details are still totally private in this day and age has got to be kidding themselves.

Personally I don't think I'm much worse off than I was before the Qantas breach, everyone just needs to be vigilant in regard to scams - trust no one!

helly ripphin
July 5, 2025 10.00am

Super funds blatantly discriminate against people who have disabilities and/or cannot afford these VERY expensive mobile phones! VOIP costs about $10 per month ...and you can use it from a computer and existing internet connection. Why would you pay ANOTHER $50-60 per month for mobile connection PLUS the $1000 or so for a handset that has to be replaced when the battery dies? Yet for super funds, they will NOT allow you to check your own balance unless you go and buy one of these expensive mobile phones! They absolutely refuse to use RSA dongles (much safer & cheaper than mobiles), or a desktop Authenticator software or even email to receive the verification code. So don't tell people to 'check their super'. If you can't afford a mobile, you can NOT check your super! Note - anyone with a tremor, or dexterity issues, cannot use a smart phone. Oh...and people who have no use of their hands. 1.7 million adult Australians do not have a mobile telephone

Rod F
July 5, 2025 11.44am

One media report I read suggested the breach was achieved by "social engineering" which I understood to be tricking a call centre employee. Does this mean that the breach was facilitated by lower training levels at an overseas call centre? Will we ever be told whether this was the case?