2/5/2001

…the part that I don't like is that you don't know who has got the information and what they are doing with that information or who they are passing it onto. I think my information shouldn't go any further than the company I give it to… Respondent to OFPC research

"Australians care deeply about their privacy" said the Federal Privacy Commissioner, Malcolm Crompton in announcing two research projects being undertaken by his Office: Privacy and the Community, and Privacy, Business and Government.

"Together the two projects will provide one of the most comprehensive views yet compiled of Australian understandings, expectations, behaviours and attitudes towards privacy", said Mr Crompton.

"Initially, people appear to have a low level of knowledge about privacy rights and how they are protected. However, when discussing their personal information and what happens to it, the first qualitative reports show that Australians care deeply about privacy and control over their personal information.

"We have some work ahead of us in helping the community make use of their new rights under the Privacy Act 1988. It seems the Privacy Act and the protections it provides are not well known in the community", said the Commissioner.

"Similarly the research will help us identify ways we can assist business to meet their forthcoming responsibilities under the Privacy Act. Early results suggest that while business does appreciate the need to respect privacy in their dealings with their clients, they do not necessarily understand what their customers expect, nor the full requirements of the forthcoming law.

"This research will be extremely valuable to my Office in building a communication and education strategy targeting the Community, Business and Government, as it helps us appreciate how people understand privacy and how they want their privacy problems solved. They will also guide the office in policy formulation. Business and Government should also consider the results closely as it will help them understand how to address the concerns of their customers better, and build a trusting relationship with them. This research will be a 'must read' for any organisation interested in Customer Relations Management, and E-transactions," said Mr Crompton.

"We will be assisted with resources for the Privacy Business and Government project from our key Privacy Partners in this project: PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Australian Information Industry Association, Freehills, and Centrelink. We will also be getting support from the Australian Taxation Office that is a further Privacy Project Sponsor. I would like to thank these organisations as their support means that we are able to take a far more thorough look at the attitudes and behaviours of those organisations responsible for meeting the requirements of the Privacy Act", said Mr Crompton.

The Privacy and the Community project will be funded entirely by government. The research will be complete in June, and released in July.