Our most recent Privacy articles are listed below:
24 April 2008
Privacy Commissioner seeks input on Voluntary Information Security Breach Notification Guide
The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, has released a draft Voluntary Information Security Breach Notification Guide (guide) for public consultation. When finalised, the purpose of the guide will be to provide public sector agencies and private sector organisations with general guidance on how to respond effectively to an information security breach.
28 March 2008
Submissions sought on telecommunications interception changes
The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment Bill 2008, which is intended to amend the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth), was recently passed by the House of Representatives and has now been sent to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for consideration.
14 March 2008
New privacy guidance for private health sector
The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, this week issued new guidance materials to clarify the permissibility of certain practices for private health service providers.
14 September 2007
ALRC calls for submissions on privacy discussion paper
The Australian Law Reform Commission this week released Discussion Paper 72, Review of Australian Privacy Law. The discussion paper sets out over 300 proposals for reform of the Australian privacy framework and also asks many questions in connection with the ALRC’s inquiry.
06 July 2007
New workplace surveillance rules in Victoria
On 1 July 2007, the Victorian Surveillance Devices (Workplace Privacy) Act 2006 came into effect, amending the existing Surveillance Devices Act 1999. The new regime was prompted by the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s 2005 inquiry into workplace privacy.
12 December 2006
The government's reponses to the Privacy Act reports
The government has released its responses to the Privacy Commissioner’s report, Getting in on the Act: The Review of the Private Sector Provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 and the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee report, The Real Big Brother: Inquiry into the Privacy Act 1988.
01 November 2006
Spammers ordered to pay $5.5 million
On 27 October 2006 the Federal Court of Australia ordered Clarity1 Pty Ltd to pay $4.5 million and its managing director, Mr Wayne Mansfield, $1 million for breaches of the Spam Act 2003.
12 October 2006
Input on privacy issues sought for major privacy review
The Australian Law Reform Commission has released a comprehensive 600-page Privacy Issues Paper, which is an important part of the commission’s ongoing two-year review of the extent to which the federal Privacy Act and related laws continue to provide an effective framework for protection of privacy in Australia.
25 September 2006
New emergency privacy exemptions planned
The Privacy Legislation Amendment (Emergencies and Disasters) Bill 2006 introduced into the Senate on 13 September 2006 amends both the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979.
06 September 2006
New privacy notice format proposed
The Privacy Commissioner has recently produced a condensed privacy policy for her office which adopts a ‘layered notice format’.
06 September 2006
New Privacy Impact Assessment Guide released
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has recently produced a Privacy Impact Assessment Guide for managers and officers of government agencies to assess a project’s impact on individual privacy.
04 September 2006
Recent case notes from the Privacy Commission
This article outlines four new complaint case notes released by the Privacy Commission regarding personal information handled by a law firm, a health service provider, a bank and a credit provider.
28 August 2006
Privacy Commissioner comments on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Bill 2006
The Privacy Commissioner has released a second round of comments in relation to the second exposure draft of the proposed anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism regime.
04 July 2006
Privacy Commissioner issues further case notes
The Privacy Commissioner has issued five new complaint case notes regarding personal information handled by tenancy database companies, health services providers and a utility provider. Summaries of the commissioner's findings are detailed in the article.
02 May 2006
Privacy Commission issues new case notes
The Privacy Commission recently issued five new case notes regarding personal information handled by a money transfer service, a taxation accountant, a retail company, a utility company and an industry group.
26 April 2006
New South Wales privacy law to be reviewed
The New South Wales Attorney-General has instructed the New South Wales Law Reform Commission to review whether existing legislation in New South Wales is effective in protecting individual’s privacy.
30 March 2006
The ACMA registers internet industry code on spam
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered a code of practice that seeks to establish industry-wide practices and procedures relating to spam email.
17 March 2006
New Privacy Case Notes published
The Privacy Commissioner recently issued four new complaint case notes regarding personal information handled by a credit provider, banking institution, insurance company and an Australian Government agency.
01 February 2006
Major review of Australian privacy law
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has announced the most significant and wide-ranging review of privacy law ever undertaken in Australia.
20 May 2005
Report on Privacy Act released
The Attorney-General this week released a report by the privacy commissioner into the operation of the private sector provisions of the Privacy Act entitled Getting in on the Act: The Review of the Private Sector Provisions of the Privacy Act 1988.
