Our Vision:

An Australian community in which privacy is valued and respected.

What we do:

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is established under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) to:

• provide advice and assistance to individuals
• provide advice and assistance to organisations and agencies with responsibilities under the Privacy Act
• promote privacy through policy advice and educational activities
• administer the Privacy Act including investigating individual privacy complaints and systemic issues, and conducting audits.

More information about the Office can be found on our website at http://www.privacy.gov.au/aboutus/exec/.

Reconciliation and our Office

We believe that Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is about shared understanding, mutual respect, and equal participation of Indigenous people in the Australian community. To us, Reconciliation means fostering an Australian society that is inclusive and that ensures the rights and protections established by its laws extend equally to all of its members.

Reconciliation can be both symbolic and practical. Symbolic aspects include recognising Indigenous peoples as Australia's traditional owners; understanding the past and how the past affects Indigenous people today; and valuing Indigenous culture and traditions as an important part of our nation's identity.

Practical steps are just as important for Reconciliation, which is why we have developed this Reconciliation Action Plan. This Plan is our commitment to take practical steps towards promoting greater understanding of Indigenous culture within our Office, and improving Indigenous peoples' access to our services and activities.

Consultation

Our Office worked with Reconciliation Australia (RA) to develop this Reconciliation Action Plan.

We consider our Action Plan to be a living document and welcome feedback from the community on how we can enhance our actions for Reconciliation.

The Reconciliation Action Plan will be reviewed annually in line with the Office's review of the Strategic Plan.

If you would like to contact us regarding our Action Plan, you can either:

Call: 1300 363 992, Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au Send us a letter: GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW, 2001.

Implementation

To ensure that this Action Plan is put into practice and monitored, our Office will allocate responsibilities to a cross section of staff to oversee the implementation of the Plan.

Directors of each section of the Office will request a staff member in their section to be responsible for the coordination and reporting of the implementation of the Action Plan.

Staff will report the progress of the plan to their Director. The progress report will then be tabled at the Executive Leadership meeting on a four-monthly basis, in line with the reporting items against the Strategic Plan.

Key Reconciliation Result Areas

A) Establishing dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders on privacy issues B) Improving awareness of privacy rights in the Indigenous community C) Developing guidance material for agencies and organisations on protecting and respecting the privacy of Indigenous Australians D) Improving and applying cultural awareness and knowledge within the Office E) Creating employment and development opportunities

A) Establishing dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders on privacy issues

We believe it is important to hear Indigenous peoples' perspectives on privacy issues to ensure that our Office promotes and protects privacy in a way that is relevant and of benefit to all Australians.

Establishing dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders means generating a two-way flow of ideas and information to improve relationships, understanding, and the way we deliver our services. Creating such dialogue is the first step towards improving services for Indigenous community members, and is an important step towards Reconciliation.

B) Improving awareness of privacy rights in the Indigenous community

We believe it is important that Indigenous people are empowered to exercise their rights equally with other Australians. This includes privacy rights. That's why one of our key reconciliation result areas is to improve awareness of privacy rights in the Indigenous community.

With this Action Plan, our Office aims to better target our privacy messages to Indigenous audiences, and make use of Indigenous communication channels to reach Indigenous people across Australia - in urban, regional, rural and remote locations.

C) Developing guidance material for agencies and organisations on protecting and respecting the privacy of Indigenous Australians

Privacy is something that most people value and respect. It is also something people value and respect in different ways.

Aspects of privacy can be culturally specific. For example, in many Indigenous cultures, information about deceased persons, ceremonial business and previous names can be highly sensitive.

In 1998 our Office issued a set of guidelines called 'Minding our own business'. These guidelines were designed to help agencies understand and respect the culturally sensitive information of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our Action Plan aims to review these guidelines as a priority under the Office's Publications Review.

D) Improving and applying cultural awareness and knowledge within the Office

Cultural awareness can foster respect and understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, which is crucial for Reconciliation. This includes celebrating the culture and achievements of Indigenous people.

Cultural awareness training can have a positive effect at a personal and organisational level. It can be particularly useful for staff likely to deal with Indigenous issues from day to day. Improving cultural awareness within the Office, and applying this knowledge to our work, can help us to work more effectively with Indigenous people to promote and protect their privacy.

E) Creating employment and development opportunities

Providing greater employment and professional development opportunities is essential to improving Indigenous wellbeing and participation in the Australian community. In this Action Plan, we commit to building on existing workplace diversity support programs, in order to improve Indigenous peoples' opportunities in our workplace.

Action Steps and Timeframes

A) Establishing dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders on privacy issues

Action	Timeframe	Performance indicator	Section responsible
1. Work with agencies and outreach programs to build Indigenous networks, for example: Seek interest in the Privacy Connections Network etc from Indigenous groups Increase consultation with Indigenous groups on relevant privacy issues Increase Office awareness of Indigenous perspectives on privacy	March 2008 and ongoing	Number of Indigenous groups represented in Office stakeholder lists increased Indigenous contacts consulted on privacy issues where appropriate Consultation reported on annually in the 'Accessible Government Services for All' Report	Policy and the Corporate and Public Affairs
2. Consult with Indigenous groups during the Office's Publications Review	2008 and ongoing	Consultation reported in Publications Review Report	Corporate and Public Affairs and Policy
3. Identify processes and allocate resources to promote meaningful linkages between the Office and Indigenous communities. Such processes may include providing specific assistance with Indigenous privacy complaints; coordinating contact with Indigenous stakeholders; and providing	2007-08 FY	Financial and staffing resources allocated to facilitate the identified processes, and to successfully implement RAP action steps	All sections

B) Improving awareness of privacy rights in the Indigenous community

Action	Timeframe	Performance indicator	Section responsible
4.Collaborate with Indigenous groups to produce privacy information in forms suitable for Indigenous people (see also point 2)	TBC (Subject to internal training in plain English writing and cultural awareness)	Office publications assessed and reviewed for writing style and effectiveness, and redesigned where appropriate Reported in Publications Review Report	Corporate and Public Affairs
5. Participate in outreach programs and collaborate with agencies to reach Indigenous groups in regional areas (for example, liaise with the Joint Outreach Initiative Network and Indigenous Coordination Centres)	May 2007 and ongoing 2008 and ongoing	Join JOIN (Joint Outreach Initiatives Network) and attend meetings four times a year. Attendance and participation in outreach initiatives reported on annually in the 'Accessible Government Services for All' Report	Corporate and Public Affairs and Policy
6. Harness Indigenous media and communication channels to enhance Indigenous awareness about privacy (through print, radio and word of mouth) For example, commit to one story annually dedicated to Indigenous newspapers	June 2008 and ongoing	Progress reported to Office in the media report at monthly staff meeting	Corporate and Public Affairs
7. Make privacy information more readily available, including in hard copy (such as 'how to complain' information)	February - March 2008 and ongoing	Key privacy messages made available in hard copy and brochures mailed out to Indigenous organisations (identified at point 1) Progress reported annually in the 'Accessible Government Services for All' Report	Corporate and Public Affairs and Compliance

C) Developing guidance material for agencies and organisations on protecting and respecting the privacy of Indigenous Australians

Action	Timeframe	Performance indicator	Section responsible
8. Review and update 'Minding our own business' document in consultation with Indigenous groups	2008 2008 and ongoing 2009	Project manager appointed to assess and review 'Minding our own business' document Indigenous community groups consulted regarding the currency and accuracy of 'Minding our own business'(see point 2) 'Minding our own business' document updated as necessary Review of 'Minding our own business' reported on in Annual Report	Policy and Corporate and Public Affairs
9. Make 'Minding our own business' accessible to agencies and organisations	March 2008 2009 2009	'Minding our own business' made easy to find on the Office website 'Minding our own business' distributed to agencies and organisations via privacy contact officer networks 'Minding our own business' published in hard copy and distributed to Indigenous organisations and agencies with considerable contact with Indigenous communities	Corporate and Public Affairs
10. Advertise key messages of 'Minding our own business' in Indigenous and other media For example, publish article and/or opinion piece in Indigenous and other media on the key messages of 'Minding our own business'	2009	Progress reported to Office in the media report at the monthly staff meeting	Corporate and Public Affairs

D) Improving and applying cultural awareness and knowledge within the Office

Action	Timeframe	Performance indicator	Section responsible
11.Provide Indigenous cultural awareness training internally	2008 and ongoing	Staff will be introduced to the Reconciliation Action Plan during induction. In conjunction with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission the Office will offer annual training to all staff. All staff will be encouraged to attend.	All sections
12. Invite a guest speaker to present 'Tune-Up' session to staff on the relationship between privacy and Indigenous issues	2008	'Tune-Up' session held for all staff	Tune up committee
13. Celebrate National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC week in collaboration with Indigenous community members and relevant agencies	2007 and ongoing	Workplace Diversity Program Progress Report	All sections
14. Develop protocol for public events for the acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples as Australia's traditional owners.	July 2008	Protocol developed and uploaded to Office intranet	Corporate and Public Affairs

E) Creating employment and development opportunities

Action	Timeframe	Performance indicator	Section responsible
15. Promote employment opportunities in Indigenous media, such as the National Indigenous Times, and through Indigenous employment services and networks	2008 and ongoing (subject to employment vacancies)	Workplace Diversity Program Progress Report	Relevant section and Personnel
16. Enhance existing workplace diversity support programs, in conjunction with relevant agencies. For example, consider: semester placements for Indigenous university students, by liaising with university legal and Indigenous faculties work experience placements for Indigenous high school students	June 2008	Workplace Diversity Program Progress Report	Workplace Diversity Committee