POEO register data breach in February

On the 28 June 2025 there was unauthorised third-party access to the EPA’s POEO public register, which includes non-public documents relating to Dangerous Goods, Radiation and Pesticides licences.

As soon as we became aware of the incident, on 20 February 2026, we took immediate steps to investigate the incident and secure the system by taking the POEO public register offline for a period of time to undertake a comprehensive security check.

We have notified Cyber Security NSW and the NSW Privacy Commissioner that we believe Dangerous Goods, Radiation and Pesticides licence documents, dated between 1 January 2011 and 13 November 2024, have been accessed without permission.

Our investigation has also confirmed that this issue was present on the POEO register between 2015 and Feb 2026. As a result, the affected documents may have been accessible to unauthorised users during that time.

Importantly we can confirm that no financial or primary proof-of-identity documents, such as driver’s licence numbers were exposed.

The information relating to licence holders that has been impacted by the breach is:

• Full name
• Postal address
• Contact email address

All attempts are being made to contact potentially impacted parties.

We acknowledge the inconvenience and potential distress that a data breach can cause.

ID Support NSW offers assistance for individuals dealing with data breaches and information compromise. They provide free resources and personalised support to help restore identity documents and protect against identity theft.

You can contact ID Support NSW via their website at www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw or by calling 1800 001 040, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, excluding public holidays. Interpreter services are available.