Filing cabinets containing thousands of classified documents from the Australian government ended up being sold at a secondhand shop, prompting government officials Wednesday to launch an investigation into how the highly sensitive documents were disposed of.

The cache of documents was obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which reported the two cabinets were sold by a Canberra furniture shop at a discount price because they were locked and no one could find keys." http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/01/31/top-secret-files-left-in-filing-cabinets-sold-at-second-hand-shop.html

Nearly all the files are classified, some as "top secret" or "AUSTEO", which means they are to be seen by Australian eyes only. But the ex-government furniture sale was not limited to Australians — anyone could make a purchase. And had they been inclined, there was nothing stopping them handing the contents to a foreign agent or government.