Two men, aged 21 and 25, are accused of accessing restricted personal banking data belonging to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, with bail extended to late August for the next hearing.

The alleged breach happened on May 6, and the pair appeared at Downing Centre Local Court, where authorities extended bail to August 25.

Charges include unauthorised access to restricted data, and, for one individual, use of a carriage service to distribute that data; the other faces a charge of unauthorised access to restricted data.

EY reminded staff of confidentiality obligations and reinforced compliance policies after the breach, with the firm declining to comment.

The incident is placed in a broader context of controversies surrounding major firms, including past leaks involving PwC and related resignations and sanctions.

KPMG has announced an action plan after leadership departures and investigations tied to misuse of board papers, including appointing an independent chair, a governance overhaul, and reviewing the whistleblower program.

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Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers stressed privacy concerns for Australians and did not comment on ongoing legal processes.

The case adds scrutiny to Australia’s consulting sector amid KPMG-related scandals and raises concerns about security of sensitive financial information amid AI-related cyber risks.

EY requires mandatory privacy and confidentiality training, enhanced security training for secondments to Commonwealth Bank, and authorization checks before accessing customer records.

The AFR reported the two EY contractors faced system warnings requiring authorization to access confidential information before entry.

Commonwealth Bank’s monitoring systems detected the unauthorized access, triggering an investigation and informing EY and authorities.