The personal data of current and former Victorian students was exposed in a cyber attack, the state’s Department of Education confirmed. On Wednesday, a hacker accessed names, email addresses, school names, year levels, and encrypted passwords through a school network. The Department is working with cyber experts and government bodies to investigate the breach. A spokesperson said safeguards are in place, including temporarily disabling systems to prevent further data loss. "The safety and privacy of students is our top priority," the spokesperson said. There is no evidence the stolen data has been shared or made public. The incident was reported to commonwealth agencies. Separately, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas defended his criticism of Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah on the ABC’s 7.30 program. He said the issue was "not about politics" but "examining your conscience and doing what you think is right, consistent with a few basic principles." Abdel-Fattah’s lawyers have served a formal defamation notice after she was removed from the Adelaide Writers’ Festival, which was subsequently cancelled. Malinauskas challenged Abdel-Fattah’s 2024 social media comment that Zionists had "no right" to cultural safety. He called it a "pretty extraordinary opinion" given her push for free speech. He revealed he began lobbying for her removal last Christmas and wrote to the festival board on January 2 to share his views. Asked about going to court, he said he must "examine my conscience and do what I believe is right." He added, "Ms Randa Abdel-Fattah will do what she will do and she’s entitled to take whatever action she likes but my responsibilities is to make sure that particularly in a time like this post-Bondi, we aren’t escalating tensions in this country unnecessarily."