The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, has called on organisations to conduct Privacy Impact Assessments when looking to develop new products, services, projects or systems.

"All too often, organisations try to tack on privacy measures after having already designed their projects or systems," Ms Curtis said.

"This could lead to inadequate protection of customers' personal information, as well as leading to privacy breaches.

"At the outset, organisations should consider the privacy implications of a proposed project or system by conducting a comprehensive Privacy Impact Assessment."

To assist organisations in conducting Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA), the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has issued a PIA Guide.  The resource was launched last night by Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig, Cabinet Secretary, at a function for corporate privacy professionals in Sydney to mark Privacy Awareness Week 2010.

The PIA Guide takes organisations through the considerations and steps they should employ.  Modelled on a previous version developed for Government, the new Guide is written in plain English and addresses the considerations applicable to both the public and private sectors.

"It is important to note that, even if a PIA identifies aspects of a project or system that may have negative privacy impacts, this does not necessarily mean compromising your organisation's goals," Ms Curtis said.

"It is likely that you will find options that will make a significant difference to the privacy impact, while still allowing you to achieve your overall objectives."

The PIA Guide can be viewed here.