Commissioners’ foreword
Australians’ expectations about privacy continue to sharpen as the information ecosystem becomes more complex, data-intensive and difficult to navigate. The 2026 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS) points to a community that places a high value on privacy, but does not consistently experience privacy protections as workable in practice. Trust is uneven across sectors, and wariness of emerging technologies is increasing, particularly in terms of fairness, accountability and the practical ability to exercise rights. Australians want greater transparency, more proportionate collection of personal information, and a fairer go when using digital services.
The right to privacy and the right to access information are protected and promoted by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The ACAPS findings go to broader issues beyond privacy such as information access and encompass the full range of the OAIC’s regulatory 2025-26 priorities, which include a focus on rebalancing power and information asymmetries, and rights preservation in new and emerging technologies. This survey builds on the cross-jurisdictional 2025 Information Access Study, which showed Australians expect accountability, transparency, and clear access to government information – particularly where technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to support automated decisions.
Just as technology is proving to be a means to rapidly transmit information its deployment is impacting public trust. This is because data handling is arguably not keeping pace with community expectations, and hampering Australians’ engagement in the digital economy. Greater confidence in how personal information is handled would increase Australians’ willingness to use digital services or programs that require sharing personal information. Around two-thirds (68%) say they would be more likely to use such digital services if they felt their data was handled fairly and responsibly.
ACAPS shows that while 93% say protecting personal information is important to them and 87% say they are more concerned about privacy than 5 years ago, many do not feel able to act on that concern day-to-day. Consent is often experienced as a gateway: 65% say sharing information rarely or never feels like a genuine choice and 68% say the same about consent. A substantial proportion of the community (78%) report very little or no real control over how their personal information is collected and used, and 52% say they accept sharing because they might otherwise miss out on essential services or opportunities. This points to persistent power and information asymmetries not addressed by notice and consent alone.
Australians also draw clear fairness boundaries. Only 10% say organisations’ real-world data practices are usually fair, while 35% say they are mostly or always unfair. Fairness concerns appear to concentrate around disproportionate collection, limited or unrealistic opt-out, and situations where benefits are perceived to flow mainly to organisations. There is strong rejection of practices associated with data brokerage and advertising technology, alongside expectations for stronger limits on collection, retention and secondary uses. Australians feel that when an entity collects their personal information for one reason, it is often not fair or reasonable for them to use it for another reason. For example, 93% say it is not fair and reasonable for an entity to use the personal information they collected to provide a product or service to train AI models. The survey also indicates a strong boundary around using personal information to train AI systems after a service they have received has ended (71% say this is unacceptable), reinforcing the importance of purpose limitation and lifecycle controls.
Expectations are clear for new and emerging technologies. AI is a widely recognised privacy risk (69%), trust in AI companies is low (4%), and acceptance of AI uses involving personal information appears contingent on protections that make high impact uses transparent and contestable. Australians most frequently prioritise a right to human review (81%), limits on how personal information is retained by third-party providers (80%), and being told when AI is being used (79%). This underscores the importance of the forthcoming automated decision-making (ADM) transparency obligation, which will require regulated entities to disclose the use of AI and ADM in their privacy policies from December 2026.
As the government sector expands its use of technology to inform decision making and deliver services, preservation of information access rights is increasingly important.
This emphasis on transparency was mirrored in the 2025 Information Access Study that found a significant majority of Australians (86%) also agree that the government must publicly report on any technology used to inform freedom of information decision-making (including AI and automated decision-making)[1]. The OAIC’s January 2026 report into ADM highlighting transparency obligations under the FOI Act shows that much needs to be done to ensure Australians are aware of how their information is used by government agencies. As a responsive regulator, the OAIC is focused on strengthening the information governance of the Australian Public Service and ensuring timely access to government information. In providing the ADM Report and guidance to government agencies, the OAIC recognises the efficiency and productivity gains that can be delivered through technology to a community that is confident to engage with digital services and better equipped to exercise related rights, including seeking a review of a government agency decision.
ACAPS highlights the gap between formal rights and lived experience. Two in 5 Australians (40%) say they do not really know what data organisations hold about them or how to access it, and only 11% say they can easily access their data and request corrections or deletion. Even where concerns arise, action is not assured: 64% had concerns in the past year, but 52% did not raise them, often because they felt it would not make a difference (56%), would be too hard or time-consuming (51%), or they did not know how (40%). This reinforces the importance of clear, timely and accessible pathways for access and redress.
Australians demand transparency, both in understanding their privacy rights, how their information is used, and in embracing their right to access that information. Improving transparency will strengthen the community’s already active engagement with these systems and safeguard a healthy, informed and vibrant democracy.
Carly Kind
Privacy Commissioner
Elizabeth Tydd
Information Commissioner
Alice Linacre
FOI Commissioner
[1] 2025 Cross-jurisdictional Information Access Study Information access survey Information access survey highlights strong community engagement
