Australian Information Commissioner Designate, Professor John McMillan, today welcomed the appointment of Mr Timothy Pilgrim as Australia's Privacy Commissioner.

"I am delighted with the appointment of Mr Pilgrim. Timothy brings a wealth of experience in privacy, great respect in and outside government, and a strong commitment to the role of the new Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

"Timothy is well positioned to play a key role in the OAIC, which has been established to ensure that Australians' information rights as set out in both the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act are protected and promoted," Professor McMillan said.

"Mr Pilgrim was first appointed to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as Deputy Privacy Commissioner in February 1998. Since that time, he has made a significant contribution to the field of privacy.

"Timothy's achievements include involvement in developing the private sector provisions of the Privacy Act, and his continuing work on privacy law reform. He has also worked at the international level to ensure that Australia is equipped to deal with global privacy challenges, playing an important role in the implementation of the APEC Privacy Framework, which aims to promote a consistent approach to information privacy protection across APEC member economies.

"I look forward to working with Timothy in this challenging and exciting time for information policy," Professor McMillan said.