Criminals or "state-based actors" could be behind a massive cyber attack that potentially exposed millions of Optus customers to fraud.

The telco does not know who was responsible or their motivations but any user who has been with the company since 2017 could be impacted.

Customers' names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, driver's licence numbers, passport numbers and addresses were all potentially accessed in the breach.

Optus chief Kelly Bayer Rosmarin on Friday apologised and said she felt terrible the attack happened on her watch.

"Obviously, I am angry there are people out there that want to do this to our customers. I'm disappointed we couldn't have prevented it," she said.

The company was still assessing the scale of the hack but staff believe the worst-case scenario was 9.8 million customers had been affected.

Ms Bayer Rosmarin said the telco notified the public less than 24 hours after discovering the breach and was working closely with government authorities and Australian Federal Police.

"This particular (cyber attack) is not similar to anything we've seen before and unfortunately it was successful," she said.

"It is too early to rule out any possibilities. So we're keeping it all open - it could be criminal and it could be state-based actors."

The company has not identified where the hackers were located as their IP addresses kept moving between different countries in Europe.

There have been no ransomware demands, meaning they have not asked the company to pay them to return the data.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called on cyber security minister Clare O'Neil to update Australians on the scale of the breach, along with what ongoing threats were posed.

"This may well be the biggest data breach in Australia's history at nine or 10 million people ... we don't know much more detail than that because the minister Clare O'Neil is missing in action," he told reporters.

"Is there a further likelihood of an attack by this group? Do we know whether it's an organised crime group or do we believe that it's a state actor that's involved? Do we believe that there is a further compromise potentially?

"These are questions Claire O'Neil should be answering."

Liberal MP Karen Andrews is set to introduce a private member's bill on Monday designed to strengthen jail penalties for cyber extortion.

Australian Consumer and Competition Commission deputy chair Delia Rickard said the attack was extremely worrying due to the large amount of personal information fraudsters might be able to access.

"These are all the things that you need for identity theft and also all the things you need to personalise a scam and make it much more convincing," she told Nine's Today program earlier on Friday.

Optus said users' payment details and account passwords had not been compromised and it was working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre to limit the risk to both current and former customers.

Ms Rickard said any Optus customers who suspected they were victims of fraud should request a ban on their credit records and be highly sceptical of unexpected calls from people purporting to represent banks or government agencies.

Scamwatch advised Optus customers to secure their personal information by changing online account passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication for banking.

Affected customers should also place limits on bank accounts and monitor for unusual activity.

© AAP 2022

A change to planning rules to allow Queenslanders to rent out their granny flats will increase affordable housing stocks, the state government says.

Restrictions on who can live in granny flats will be removed so secondary dwellings can be rented on the open market, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

"I know the rental market is tough and, right now, homeowners can't rent secondary dwellings to anyone other than immediate family," she said in a Facebook post on Friday.

"Changing this will mean many cheaper properties will enter the rental market, helping thousands of people across our state."

Legislation isn't required to make the change and regulations could be amended immediately.

Planning Minister Steven Miles said the easiest way to get housing stock on the market was to focus on dwellings that already existed amid a shortage of builders and building supplies.

"We've all been saddened to hear the stories about people sleeping in their cars, mums sleeping in their cars, sometimes granny sleeping in their cars," he said.

"This is our chance to get those grannies out of cars and into granny flats."

The changes will be reviewed after three years to ensure there are no unintended consequences.

"Each homeowner will of course need to ensure their secondary dwelling complies with fire and building provisions so accommodation for renters is safe," Mr Miles said.

The change follows a roundtable held last week ahead of a housing summit on October 20.

Other potential changes include minimum requirements for affordable housing in new developments.

Stakeholders say significant increases in social housing levels are needed.

The Queensland Council of Social Service has said at least 5000 new social housing dwellings need to be built every year for the next decade to solve the crisis.

"Right now, we have about 50,000 people waiting on the social housing register and a growing number of Queenslanders presenting to community services desperately needing help with housing," chief executive Aimee McVeigh said last week.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch said the latest data showed a stabilisation of the state's social housing register.

"We're seeing almost 500 fewer households and over 4000 fewer people on the register compared to this time last year," she said on Friday.

Single people, including those aged over 55, make up the majority of those on the register, Ms Enoch said.

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Cyber criminals could have access to enough information to steal the identities of millions of Optus customers, the consumer watchdog has warned.

The telco confirmed on Thursday users' names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, driver's licence numbers, passport numbers or addresses could all have been accessed in a major breach.

Australian Consumer and Competition Commission deputy chair Delia Rickard said the cyber attack was extremely worrying due to the large amount of personal information fraudsters might be able to access.

"These are all the things that you need for identity theft and also all the things you need to personalise a scam and make it much more convincing," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.

Optus said users' payment details and account passwords had not been compromised and it was working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre to limit the risk to both current and former customers.

Australian Federal Police, the Office of the Australian Information Regulator and other key regulators have also been notified.

Ms Rickard said any Optus customers who suspected they were victims of fraud should request a ban on their credit records and be highly sceptical of unexpected calls from people purporting to represent banks or government agencies.

The government has initiated a review into data security on social media platforms, however opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the action was "too little, too late".

"Rather than kick the can down the road, Labor must urgently consider all regulatory options and act immediately to improve the privacy and safety of Australians online," she said.

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the telco took action to block the attack as soon as it learned of the breach.

"While not everyone may be affected and our investigation is not yet complete, we want all of our customers to be aware of what has happened as soon as possible so that they can increase their vigilance," she said.

"We are very sorry and understand customers will be concerned. Please be assured that we are working hard ... to help safeguard our customers as much as possible."

Scamwatch has advised Optus customers to secure their personal information by changing online account passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication for banking.

Affected customers should also place limits on bank accounts as well as monitoring for any unusual activity.

Senator Henderson said the opposition had been calling on the government for months to deliver tougher online privacy and data protection laws.

In July, it called on Labor to adopt the coalition's Online Privacy Bill and earlier this month, she and other opposition MPs had criticised the government for failing to strengthen laws.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said it would engage with Optus to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Under the framework, organisations covered by the Privacy Act must notify affected individuals as quickly as possible if they experience a data breach likely to result in serious harm.

© AAP 2022

Federal parliament will return for politicians to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

Both chambers will sit on Friday to pass a condolence motion for the late monarch, as well as congratulating King Charles III on his accession to the throne.

It marks the return of parliament two weeks after the Queen's death on September 9. Parliament will also sit next week to make up for the lost days after it was postponed.

The Albanese government is expected to introduce its bill for a national anti-corruption watchdog to the lower house.

The late Queen was remembered across the country as a woman of duty, selflessness and compassion during the national memorial service on Thursday.

Almost 700 dignitaries including former prime ministers, judges and military chiefs gathered at parliament in Canberra on Thursday to commemorate her death.

Australians were given a one-off public holiday to mourn the Queen.

Ex-prime ministers Paul Keating, John Howard and Scott Morrison attended the service which included prayers, a floral tribute and a performance by former Australian Idol contestant Anthony Callea.

The day was not without controversy, though, with a series of anti-monarchy rallies staged across the country.

Protesters in Melbourne cut up the Australian flag while chanting "abolish the monarchy", while demonstrations were held in Brisbane and Sydney, where a mural of the Queen was painted over with the black, red and yellow of the Aboriginal flag.

Indigenous senator Pat Dodson said he could understand the day being a difficult one for many Aboriginal Australians, given the circumstances.

"But that to one side," he told ABC's 730 Report, "Her Majesty herself as a human being and as a person of long-standing service ... we do need to pay our respects in a proper way."

© AAP 2022