Librarian who hacked Frances Abbott's scholarship files could face TWO YEARS in jail

  • A 21 year old has been charged with leaking information 
  • In May, it was revealed Frances Abbott received a $60,000 scholarship from the Whitehouse Institute of Design
  • Police confirmed they have charged a former employee of the institute with 'unauthorised access to restricted data'

By Kate Lyons

Published: 01:11 EST, 6 August 2014 | Updated: 03:07 EST, 6 August 2014

A Sydney student could be jailed for two years for her role in revealing details about a $60,000 scholarship awarded to the prime minister's daughter by the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

A 20-year-old communications student from the University of Technology Sydney has been charged for allegedly hacking computer files at the Institute, reported The Australian.

It is alleged that the woman, who was working as a librarian at the Whitehouse Institute at the time of the incident, leaked details about Frances Abbott's scholarship to the media.

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Frances Abbott was awarded a $60,000 scholarship at Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney

Frances Abbott was awarded a $60,000 scholarship at Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney

The revelations sparked widespread outrage when it was revealed that the 'chairman's scholarship', which covered most of Ms Abbott's fees, had not been advertised and had only been awarded once before, to Billie Whitehouse, the daughter of the Institute's founder and owner.

It was further revealed that Tony Abbott had not declared the scholarship on his pecuniary interests register, despite the fact that Les Taylor, the chairman of the school's board of governors is a Liberal party donor and recommended Ms Abbott for the scholarship.

Mr Abbott has maintained that he had no reason to declare the scholarship because his daughter won it on merit.

NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that they had issued a court attendance notice to a young woman on Monday night in relation to the unauthorised access to restricted data.

Police also confirmed the woman was a former employee of a fashion design institute.

The institute that awarded Tony Abbott's (pictured) daughter the scholarship has had legal action launched against it through the Fair Work Commission

The institute that awarded Tony Abbott's (pictured) daughter the scholarship has had legal action launched against it through the Fair Work Commission

The former employee of the school who lodged the case was investigated for a student confidentiality breach

The former employee of the school who lodged the case was investigated for a student confidentiality breach

The charges come just days after it was revealed that the former employee of the Whitehouse Institute of Design charged with leaking the information had filed a legal claim with the Fair Work Commission.

Whitehouse Institute of Design's chief executive officer Ian Tudor confirmed to the Daily Mail Australia that an 'adverse action case' by a former employee was to be heard by the workplace relations tribunal.

The complaint was filed by the former employee who had been investigated by the school after it was reported Frances Abbott had been given the chairman's scholarship worth $60,636, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mr Tudor told the Daily Mail Australia the institute was 'confident that the adverse action case is without merit and has no prospect of success'.

'The former employee concerned was subject to an internal disciplinary review and resigned before that review was complete,' he said in a statement.

'Given that the matter is currently before the Fair Work Commission, we will be making no further comment.'


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