Privacy Advisory Committee

Mr Peter Coroneos
Chief Executive Officer, Internet Industry Association (IIA)

Peter Coroneos has been Chief Executive Officer since 1997. In addition to his role as primary industry advocate, political strategist and spokesperson for the IIA, Peter drives the IIA's policy development work.

Peter has enjoyed a diverse professional life as a science educator, marketing consultant and senior officer with the national competition and telecommunications regulator, as well as State Convenor and National Management Committee member of the Australian Republican Movement. His multidisciplinary education includes a First Class Honours degree in Law, Honours Degree in Agricultural Economics, and a postgraduate Diploma in Education.

Appointed: September 2002, Re-appointed September 2005

Associate Professor John M. O'Brien
School of Organisation     and Management
University of New South Wales

Associate Professor John O'Brien works in the Faculty of Commerce and Economics at the University of New South Wales. He works in the School of Organisation and Management.

John teaches in the areas of industrial relations, human resource management and general management. His research covers public sector employment relations and private sector executive remuneration and corporate governance. He holds two Australian Research Council Large Grants in these areas of investigation.

He has a long involvement in the trade union movement having held office at the local, state and national levels of two unions. He has been a union nominee on a variety of government bodies.

When not attending meetings he is a passable tenor who sings in a community choir.

Appointed: September 2002, Re-appointed September 2005.

Ms Suzanne Pigdon,
Former Privacy and Customer Advocacy Manager, Coles Myer Group

Suzanne currently works as a privacy consultant.

Suzanne was appointed to project manage the development and implementation of the compliance framework for privacy across the Coles Myer Group in 2000. She also had ongoing compliance and advocacy responsibility.

She was a member of the industry and advocate group that developed the National Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal Information and was later appointed to the Attorney General's Core Consultative Group, formed to assist in the drafting of the privacy legislation for the private sector.

With more than 18 years experience in Public and Government Affairs, Media Liaison and Marketing, Suzanne has a clear appreciation of the need to balance business imperatives with the custodianship of personal information and the expectations of customers and the community.

Dr William Pring,
Director of Consultation-Liaison, Psychiatry Services Box Hill Hospital

Bill is a general psychiatrist predominantly in private practice, but has also been involved in consultation-liaison (Psychosomatics) psychiatry in the public sector for twenty-four years, including twelve years as Director of Box Hill Hospital Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service. He has served on the Victorian Branch of the RANZCP (College of Psychiatrists) for sixteen years, including terms as Secretary, Chair, and as Branch General Councillor for six years.

Within the AMA he was firstly involved as a Committee Member, and then Secretary of the AMA Section of Psychiatry in Victoria for seventeen years in total.

He has served as Psychiatry Craft Group Representative on the Federal AMA for four years, and was the Chair of the Federal AMA Public Health and Aged Care Committee for two years. He has a residual position as AMA Observer on SPGPPS (Private Mental Health Coalition).

Ms Joan Sheedy,
Assistant Secretary Privacy and FOI Policy Branch, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Joan has been the Assistant Secretary, Privacy and FOI Branch, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet since the Information Law Branch at the Attorney-General’s Department was moved to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2008. Joan held the position in Attorney-Generals from October 2003, and since then has been responsible for the area providing legal policy and policy advice to Government on privacy, FOI and parliamentary privilege issues. Prior to this, Joan was the Assistant Secretary, Copyright Law Branch from 1999 and the Assistant Secretary, Human Rights Branch from 1990.

Joan has extensive experience in government work, especially in the legislative process having been involved in the passage of a wide range of legislation, including the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. She has also had wide experience in negotiations at the international level on a range of issues, including at the UN, the Council of Europe and WIPO. She holds an LLB (Adel.) & a BA (ANU).

Appointed: February 2005

Ms Robin Banks,
Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Advocacy Centre Ltd &
Director,
Public Interest Law
Clearing House Inc

Robin has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the Director of the Public Interest Law Clearinghouse since June 2004. As well as overall management responsibility for both organisations, Robin has a focus on the protection and promotion of human rights, including privacy rights, and on consumer protection. Since 2000, Robin has been a member of the national executive of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights.

Robin has been a practising lawyer for six years and has worked as a lawyer in the private, government and not-for-profit sectors. She has also been a rights advocate more broadly, in particular for the rights of people with disabilities. She has developed and delivered training to consumers and business on achieving compliance with a range of laws relating to human rights.

Appointed: 2006