6 December 2000

The newly strengthened Privacy Act delivers a clear message to private sector organisations that it's time to adopt practices that protect the personal information of Australians, Federal Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton said today.

"The Privacy Act will give Australians greater control over the use of their personal information when they deal with government, business and other private sector organisations while providing the regulatory tools to build a culture that respects privacy", said Mr Crompton.

The Privacy Commissioner will work with private sector organisations to establish privacy solutions and promote good practices for managing the personal information of Australians.

"Some businesses and organisations are already in a strong position to comply with the Act while others may need to do some work to get their privacy house in order to conform to the Act," Mr Crompton said.

"My Office will provide advice and other assistance to help businesses adjust over the next 12 months. In particular, we will be working with business to develop guidelines for drawing up sectoral codes and advice on establishing complaints handling bodies."

Early in the New Year the Privacy Office will commission research to develop a comprehensive understanding of privacy needs and expectations held by individuals, business and other private sector organisations.

"During the next 12 months we will be consulting with business and the community to develop guidelines to help organisations meet the requirements under the National Privacy Principles for treatment of personal information," Mr Crompton said.

"I have established the Privacy Connections Network, comprising businesses, consumer groups, and government agencies among other to assist development of a deep understanding of privacy in Australia while providing real opportunities to communicate the advantages of protecting personal information".

"These steps will help ensure that the Australian community is ready and prepared when the Act comes into operation at the end of 2001", Mr Crompton said

-ENDS-

Information papers on the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000

• Overview of privacy in Australia ( 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 1: Overview of the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 (HTML version 13kb or  30 kb  or PDF 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 2: Summary of the National Privacy Principles (HTML version 9kb or  30 kb  or PDF 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 3: Codes (HTML version 8kb or  30 kb  or PDF 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 4: Privacy Commissioner's Powers (HTML version 9kb or  30 kb  or PDF 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 5: Exemptions (HTML version 9kb or  30 kb  or PDF 37 kb).

• Information Sheet 6: Am I Covered by the New Private Sector Privacy Legislation? (HTML version 9kb or  11.5 kb  or PDF 14.4 kb).

• Information Sheet 7: How to prepare for December 2001 (HTML version 17kb or   16 kb  or PDF 19kb).
• Information Sheet 8: Privacy Policies, March 2001 (HTML version 13kb or   10 kb  or PDF 18kb).
• Information Sheet 9 - Which National Privacy Principles apply when, March 2001 (HTML version 13kb or   9 kb  or PDF 17kb).