Updated March 02, 2017 16:49:32

Photo: Alan Tudge says the disclosure is legal according to the Social Security Act. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)

Labor MP Linda Burney has asked the Australian Federal Police to determine whether Human Services Minister Alan Tudge broke the law by disclosing a welfare recipient's personal information to a journalist.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has defended the release of a welfare recipient's personal and protected information to a journalist, insisting it was proportionate and legal.

The release has been criticised by the Federal Opposition and lawyers who believe it may have a chilling impact on welfare recipients who would otherwise criticise the Government.

Blogger Andie Fox wrote an opinion piece for Fairfax Media early in February claiming Centrelink had "terrorised" her over a debt she claimed she did not owe.

A few weeks later, her personal details were supplied to a journalist who wrote a comment piece from the Government's perspective, raising the prospect that Centrelink had been "unfairly castigated".

Mr Tudge and his department claimed the disclosure was legal according to section 202 of the Social Security Act 1999 and section 162 of the A New Tax System Family Administration Act 1999.

Lawyers believe this may be a test case for privacy law.

More to come.

Photo: Linda Burney has called the AFP to look into what may be a test case for privacy law. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)

Topics: welfare, community-and-society, police, law-crime-and-justice, government-and-politics, australia

First posted March 02, 2017 16:34:04