In other mainland states, the respective departments of transport are still battling to try and get the telco to accept responsibility for the leaking of drivers' licence data and pay up.

It may be recalled that when Optus was asked about reimbursement of these costs with specific reference to Victoria, the company indicated that it would pay only the administrative costs incurred in issuing new licences — and not the costs of the licences themselves.

iTWire contacted the five transport departments of the mainland states last week and asked them about Optus stance on paying for these documents.

A spokesperson for Transport for NSW reacted within minutes of the query being sent, telling iTWire that the telco had agreed to cover the cost of replacement licences by crediting users accounts with the sum of $29, which is what a replacement licence costs in the state.

A South Australian transport spokesperson said: "Discussions are continuing with Optus to ensure any taxpayer liability for cost of replacing licences is reimbursed by the company.

"Any South Australians who have had their licence number compromised by the Optus data breach that have not yet replaced their licence or permit are encouraged to do so by either applying online via their mySAGOV account or attending a Service SA Centre."

As far as Queensland goes, a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson responded: "We will be seeking to recover costs from Optus and we are working through the mechanisms to achieve this."

The position in Western Australia was similar. A Department of Transport spokesperson said: "The WA Government has requested full reparation from Optus for the replacement drivers’ licences, as well as costs associated with extended customer service hours, and will continue to work with Optus on these reparations."

As far as Victoria goes, a Department of Transport spokesperson replied: "The Department of Transport has been meeting directly with Optus in relation to the data breach, and has made its intentions clear to fully recover all costs associated with the remediation for impacted Victorians."

iTWire understands that the Victorian authorities will put in place two-step verification for licences by issuing a new number for each licence; for existing licence holders, this will be sent to them as a new address label is. New licences will come with the additional number on the card.

It may be recalled that both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil had made threatening noises about the replacement of documents for Optus users who had been affected by the breach. But they have remained silent on the issue thereafter.