A report from The Australian newspaper indicated Australia’s The Optical Superstore (TOS) was again challenging the Defence Department over its decision to award a $33.5 million contract to UK-founded company Specsavers.The Australian Defence Force contract was originally awarded to OPSM, which is also owned by an international company, Luxottica. However, Medibank Health Solutions terminated the contract in July 2014 after a routine review revealed that the personal details of Defence staff seeking optical services had been sent to an unnamed overseas location, later revealed to be China.This contravened the Defence Department’s strict data guidelines, which stated that staff-related information must rain onshore.Soon after, the contract was awarded to Specsavers – the move that is reportedly the target of TOS’s new television campaign.News of the current challenge surfaced on 25 May when it was revealed in The Australian that Mr Ian Melrose, described as chief executive of TOS and husband of the company’s sole director, Margaret Douglas, was working on television commercials criticising the Federal Government over the decision. It was reported that the campaign would air this week.The press report also noted that since 2002, Mr Melrose has spent $3.5 million campaigning against the Federal Government, which he believes exploited East Timor in negotiations over oil and gas field reserves in the Timor Sea.
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