The Information Privacy Act 2009 regulates the handling of personal information by Queensland government agencies. It contains 11 Information Privacy Principles which set out the way that all Queensland government agencies except Queensland Health are to handle personal information. It also contains nine National Privacy Principles which set out the way that Queensland Health is to handle personal information. Note that some provisions of this legislation are yet to commence. For further information, see the Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner’s website.

Before the commencement of the Information Privacy Act 2009, a privacy scheme applied to Queensland government agencies and most statutory government-owned corporations. The regime, based on the federal Information Privacy Principles, included Information Standards and Privacy Guidelines. To ensure a nationally consistent approach between the Queensland public health sector and private health sectors, the scheme required Queensland Health to comply with principles which were the same as the 10 federal NPPs.

The Queensland Health Quality and Complaints Commission provides an enquiry service and a health complaint system, including privacy-related complaints involving the State public health sector.

Other relevant Queensland laws include:

• Right to Information Act 2009
• Public Records Act 2002
• Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 (spent convictions)
• Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (listening devices, invasion of privacy of the home)
• Whistleblowers Protection Act 1994
• Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Chapter 4 deals with covert evidence-gathering powers)
• Private Employment Agents (Code of Conduct) Regulation 2005 (provisions 14 and 15 deal with work seekers' information and the need to ensure it is not disclosed or improperly used).

Relevant Queensland case law

• Grosse v Purvis [2003] QDC 151 (16 June 2003).