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Urgent reforms to privacy laws will do more than increase financial penalties, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has pledged.

In the wake of the Optus data breach of almost 10 million customers, Mr Dreyfus said changes to laws could be introduced to parliament by the end of the year.

"It is certainly not just simply about increasing penalties, although that will be part of the reforms we are going to look at," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"We need to make sure that companies who are keeping Australians' data pay absolute attention to keeping that data safe.

"We are looking at what urgent reforms can be made to the Privacy Act."

The data breach has prompted nearly all state and territories to allow affected residents to apply for new driver's licence numbers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has demanded Optus pay for the cost of replacing passports for customers whose data was hacked, saying it was the telco's blunder.

"Companies need to be held to account here and that is something my government is determined to do," he told 5AA radio on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote to Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin on Wednesday, saying there was "no justification" for affected customers or taxpayers to foot the bill.

Mr Dreyfus said he saw no reason why telcos needed to keep data used to validate identification such as a driver's licence or passport for a decade.

"Obviously, the more data that's kept the bigger the problem there is about keeping it safe - the bigger the problem there is about the potential damage that's going to be done by a huge hack that's occurred here," he said.

The attorney-general said the public needed assurance data taken by a company or government was used for its intended purpose and disposed of safely.

"For too long we have had companies solely looking at data as an asset they can use commercially," he said

"We need to have them appreciate very, very firmly that Australians' personal information belongs to Australians.

"It's not to be misused. It absolutely has to be protected."

The opposition called for the government to cover the costs of replacing passports, but Liberal senator Linda Reynolds later conceded Optus should pay.

Senator Reynolds criticised Labor's response to supporting people hurt by the breach.

"The government's making people pay for (passports) themselves ... Optus should be paying, or at least the government," she said.

"People with their Medicare numbers (leaked) ... what protections are the government putting in place?"

Parliament returns for budget week on October 25 with three subsequent sitting weeks scheduled before the end of the year.

© AAP 2022

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Peruvian indigenous groups have blocked a large river in the country's Amazon region in protest over a crude oil spill of an estimated 2,500 barrels in the world's largest rainforest.

The spill took place on Sept. 16 and affected several indigenous communities in Peru's Northeast region of Loreto.

While Peru's environment ministry estimated the spill at 2,500 barrels, state-owned oil company Petroperu said it did not yet have an estimate.

Petroperu said the spill had been the result of "intentional" damage done to an oil pipeline operated by the company that transports crude from the Amazon to Peru's desert coast to be refined.

The pipeline has been the site of several oil spills in recent years.

The government said in a statement communities were blocking the large Maranon river, a key tributary of the Amazon, which was preventing officials from taking water samples and distributing medicines to the affected indigenous communities.

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and its preservation is considered key by scientists to avert catastrophic climate change. Peru has the second largest section of the Amazon after Brazil.

While Peru is a very small oil producer, producing just 40,000 barrels per day, its oilfields are concentrated in the Amazon.

The incident is at least the second large oil spill to take place in Peru this year, after Spanish oil company Repsol SA spilled over 10,000 barrels onto the Pacific Ocean in January from a tanker that was onloading onto a company refinery near Peru's capital Lima.

© RAW 2022

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Matildas captain Sam Kerr has helped Chelsea come from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 in their Women's Super League match.

Hammers captain Dagny Brynjarsdottir headed the visitors into a shock early lead, before Chelsea responded as Kerr twice hit the woodwork and Fran Kirby scored a deserved equaliser in the 40th minute.

Kerr then tapped in a second on the hour, with Millie Bright nodding home a third shortly after, before Lauren James saw her late penalty saved.

The match at Kingsmeadow was rearranged from September 11 following the death of the Queen.

West Ham, who have never beaten Chelsea in the WSL, took the lead after just three minutes when Iceland midfielder Brynjarsdottir powered in a header from a corner.

The Blues - who beat Manchester City after losing their opening match at newly-promoted Liverpool - looked to make a swift response as Bright's goalbound flick was clawed off the line by the Irons' Australian keeper Mackenzie Arnold.

Kerr cut inside from the left and crashed a 20-yard drive against the far post and the forward soon hit the other post with a low effort as Chelsea remained on the front foot.

The equaliser eventually arrived five minutes before halftime when Kirby dug out a cross from the left to chip the ball into the top corner.

Chelsea remained on the offensive at the start of the second half and their pressure told just before the hour when Kerr slotted in after West Ham failed to clear following a corner.

England defender Bright added another in the 63rd minute, heading home from a corner.

With 15 minutes left, Chelsea were awarded a penalty after Lucy Parker brought down James but the forward saw a tame spot kick saved by Arnold down low to her left.

© PAA 2022

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The return of the full fuel excise tax will start showing up at the pump in a matter of days.

The fuel tax was halved by the former Morrison government to reduce fuel prices when the conflict in Ukraine caused prices to soar above $2 a litre.

The temporary policy was in place for six months and ended on Wednesday night.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the tax cut, amounting to around 22 cents off every litre, was too costly to continue.

He said it would take a few days for higher prices to flow through as retailers would need to work through their supplies of discounted fuel first.

Dr Chalmers also said the consumer watchdog would be looking out for retailers charging needlessly high prices.

"I have asked the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to maximise their role in the petrol market to make sure servos and suppliers are not treating Australians as mugs," he told reporters on Wednesday.

The NRMA's Peter Khoury said fuel prices were already too high given oil prices had plummeted and the fuel excise had only just taken effect.

"We need to see a correction immediately," he said on Wednesday.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottleib said the watchdog was tracking price increases daily in all capital cities and at over 190 regional locations.

"If we see a rise that is other than we expect, we will certainly report it so that motorists know," she told ABC radio on Thursday.

"If we see an extreme rise, we will not only refer to the location, we will refer to the actual chain or service station that is doing so, so that motorists basically know to avoid them."

© AAP 2022