Australia

Australia's Privacy Act of 1988 establishes information privacy principles that apply to the activities of most federal government agencies. In April 2000, the Australian government introduced legislation to extend privacy protection to the private sector. The Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act of 2000 received royal assent in December 2000. For many organizations, including health services, the new private sector provisions went into effect December 2001. For small business, the new provisions will commence in December 2002.

The new Act requires organizations to respect the privacy of personal information they collect and use. It contains 10 National Privacy Principles that cover collection, use and disclosure, data quality, data security, openness, access and correction, identifiers, anonymity, transborder data flows, and sensitive information. It conveys to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner a wide range of functions, including handling complaints, auditing compliance, promoting awareness, and advising on privacy matters.

View the Web site of the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner of Australia.