The New South Wales Reconstruction Authority disclosed Monday a significant data breach that inadvertently uploaded sensitive information of up to 3,000 Northern Rivers flood survivors to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, including names, addresses, contact details, and health records from the Resilient Homes Program, prompting an investigation into potential public exposure risks.

The authority stated that over 12,000 spreadsheet rows from the program—designed to assist 2022 flood victims with home buybacks or resilience upgrades—were shared by a former contractor.

Immediate steps were taken to mitigate, involving Cyber Security NSW and forensic analysts. "We're determining what was shared and notifying impacted individuals this week," a spokesperson noted, adding no evidence suggests the data went public, though it's not ruled out.

Harper Dalton-Earls, whose South Lismore property was acquired under the scheme, expressed deep concern: "I submitted a mountain of personal data—financials, insurance, trauma details. It's invasive."

The breach, flagged in a July preliminary report and finalized Friday, delayed outreach as the full scope was assessed.

Recovery Minister Janelle Saffin, the Lismore MP, called for a procedural review: "We should notify sooner; I await the report."The incident highlights AI integration pitfalls in government systems, with the authority committing to enhanced safeguards.

Victims will receive support details, amid calls for stricter data protocols in disaster relief.