Answers sought on MP phone number breach

The federal opposition is seeking answers from parliamentary Speaker Tony Smith after politicians' personal mobile phone numbers were mistakenly posted online.

The Department of Parliamentary Services regularly releases six-monthly reports on MPs' mobile phone and internet spending details.

However, the latest report for January to June 2016 included the mobile phone numbers of most MPs and senators, including many ministers.

The only excluded numbers were those of the prime minister, treasurer, attorney-general and a few other senior figures.

Former prime ministers Julia Gillard, John Howard and Paul Keating also had their numbers released.

Instead of deleting the numbers out of the documents, the font for the numbers was coloured white, meaning they could still be accessed using copy and paste.

The department is working with the contractor to rectify the problem.

Labor digital economy spokesman Ed Husic has written to Mr Smith to find out how the problem occurred and whether Australian privacy principles had been applied in the contract.

"It's a sad reflection of the times that you now expect anything digital at the federal level to fail," Mr Husic said.