Privacy Act to be rewritten

Today the Rudd government announced it is ready to completely overhaul the Privacy Act in order to reflect 21st century living.

Back in 1988 the federal government introduced the Privacy Act providing a framework for business and government bodies when dealing with citizen’s private information. Today the Rudd government announced it is ready to completely overhaul the 20 year old act in order to reflect the changes of 21st century life.

Special Minister of State John Faulkner told a business breakfast that the Government will use recommendations from the soon to be released Australian Law Reform Commission as the basis for the revisions

Says Conroy: “The ALRC has conducted a comprehensive inquiry into the Act’s effectiveness, and considered at length issues such as creating uniform private regulations along with reducing compliance burdens on business. Consistency is essential if people are to be fully aware of their privacy protections, and for government and business to readily comply with their obligations.

“It is also timely to consider whether the Act continues to provide an effective framework for privacy protection given the rapid advances in information communication and storage, surveillance and other technologies.

Source: The Australian