Mr Barr, who is the opposition spokesman on finance, services and property, is concerned about changes to the Service NSW Act that will allow the government to outsource work to seven private companies.

He said there is a risk that customers’ sensitive information could be transferred into the hands of companies that could use it for their own financial advantage. 

“The problem with outsourcing customer service is that you lose ownership of that valuable data,” Mr Barr said. “I don’t want to see a community service being run like a for-profit business.” 

Mr Barr said his concerns equally related to information held in the recently opened Service NSW centre in Imlay Street, Eden, as it did to the Bega centre and all other centres across NSW.      

The companies listed in the amendment primarily offer services such as analytics, customer service, IT systems, contact centres and marketing. 

It has outsourced its after hours telephone service to Datacom Australia, an arrangement that has been in place since 2013. 

Service NSW said accusations that they were working towards privatising their service were “false and misleading”.

It insisted that it takes the privacy and management of personal information seriously, and its external providers are contractually obliged to stick to privacy and information security standards.

Mr Barr said he is trying to raise awareness of the amendment, and is visiting Service NSW centres across the state to protest the decision.

He does not want information ranging from births, deaths and marriages, to car registrations and fishing licences to fall into the wrong hands.   

Mr Barr called on MPs in towns where there are service centres to “stake their careers” on the government’s undertaking that people’s privacy would not be breached.