Site Changes

On 1 November 2010 the Office of the Privacy Commissioner was integrated into the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and a new website established at www.oaic.gov.au.

Note 1: Major changes to the Privacy Act 1988 will come into effect in March 2014. Agencies, businesses and not for profits need to start preparing for these changes. For more information go to our privacy law reform page at www.oaic.gov.au
Note 2: From 12 March 2013 content is no longer being added to, or amended, on this site, consequently some information may be out of date. For new privacy content visit the www.oaic.gov.au website.

Australian Capital Territory

The federal Privacy Act in a slightly amended version applies to Australian Capital Territory government agencies and is administered by the Privacy Commissioner on behalf of the ACT government. The Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997 (Health Records Act) covers health records held in the public sector in the ACT and also seeks to apply to acts or practices in the private sector not covered by the Privacy Act. The Health Records Act contains privacy principles based on the federal legislation but modified to suit the requirements of health records. The Human Rights Commission handles health record privacy complaints.

The ACT has also enacted the Human Rights Act 2004 which incorporates a right for an individual not to have their privacy, family, home or correspondence interfered with unlawfully or arbitrarily.

Relevant Australian Capital Territory laws include: