June 4, 2013
In this post I have undertaken a general review of the Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013 and each of its provisions. The Bill’s homepage is found here.
SECOND READING SPEECH
In any review it is useful to set out the second reading speech of the Minister responsible for the legislation. In this case that is the Attorney General, Mark Dreyfuss.
It provides:
The introduction of the Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013 is the next key step in the government’s major reform of Australia’s privacy laws.
It is a long overdue measure that was recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission in 2008.
It will introduce a new consumer privacy protection for Australians that will keep their personal information more secure in the digital age. It will also encourage agencies and private sector organisations to improve their data security practices.
In its 2008 privacy report, the Australian Law Reform Commission found that, as government agencies and large companies collected more and more personal information online, there was an increasing risk that this could become subject to data breaches. There were studies to show that the frequency of data breaches was increasing and their consequences were becoming more severe.
This trend has continued Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Australian Legislation, Commonwealth Legislation, Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, General, Privacy
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May 28, 2013
The Attorney General held a press conference and issued a press release announcing the introduction into the Parliament of legislation requiring mandatory notification of data breaches which affect privacy.
The press release states:
PRIVACY ALERTS TO NOTIFY AUSTRALIANS OF DATA BREACHES
New laws to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow will require businesses and government agencies to notify people when a data breach affecting their privacy occurs.
“With businesses and government agencies holding more information about Australians than ever before, it is essential Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Australian Legislation, Commonwealth Legislation, Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, General, Privacy
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May 20, 2013
Today the Privacy Commissioner issued a press release regarding cyber security in line with National Cyber Security Awareness week, commencing today.
It states, in part:
Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim today encouraged all Australians to take steps to protect their personal information during National Cyber Security Awareness Week (20 to 24 May 2013). The aim of the Awareness Week is to help people understand the simple steps they can take to protect their personal and financial information when online.
‘The web has Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, Privacy
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May 10, 2013
The Privacy Commissioner has published the speech he gave last week. It can be found here.
Below is a slightly edited transcript. It relevantly provides:
Privacy law reform—Get in on the Act
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Privacy law reform
It should be no surprise that privacy law reform is a priority for business. It is fair to say that the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 will bring about the most significant changes in privacy regulation and compliance for over two decades.
In the time I have with you today, I will set out some of the key changes to the Privacy Act. In particular, I will talk about the new Australian Privacy Principles (or APPs) and the enhanced powers that will be available to me to resolve investigations. I also want to let you know how we will assist you prepare for the changes.
The APPs
Thirteen new APPs will apply to Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, Privacy
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April 6, 2013
On 3 April 2013 ARCA released its draft of the new CR Code, an integral part of the regulatory framework of those governed by the Credit Reporting provisions of the Privacy Act.
The public consultation closes on 5 May 2013.
The Information Commissioner’s media release of yesterday’s date is found here.
The draft CR Code and details for lodging a submission can be found here.
Part of the ARCA submission Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, Privacy
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