Section 6EA of the Privacy Act allows small business operators, who would otherwise not be covered by the Privacy Act, to choose to be treated as an organisation for the purposes of the Act and therefore subject to the National Privacy Principles. For more information about coverage of the Act see Information Sheet 1 - 2001 Overview of the Private Sector Provisions and Information Sheet 12-2001 Coverage of and Exemptions from the Private Sector Provisions or try out our small business checklist

Businesses opting-in to be covered by the Privacy Act are making a public commitment to good privacy practice. This option has been made available in order to provide small businesses with the opportunity to benefit from any increase in consumer confidence and trust that may be derived from operating under the Privacy Act.