25 March 2020

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) continues to strengthen its partnerships with international regulators, this week announcing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) of the Republic of Singapore.

The MOU recognises the need to foster closer collaboration and cooperation in safeguarding data protection rights of Australians and Singaporeans, given the importance of data governance and cross border data flows to global trade.

It follows a recent MOU between the OAIC and its counterpart in the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to assist each other in policy development and the enforcement of laws protecting personal information.

Fostering international collaboration, including the development of global interoperability in data protection laws, is an essential element of the OAIC’s contemporary approach to regulation and its recently released International Strategy.

The Strategy explains how the OAIC will pursue international engagement as part of its regulatory approach, with the aim of:

  • cooperating with other international privacy regulators
  • keeping the OAIC informed of global trends and developments
  • allowing the OAIC to engage and lead on global issues that will shape the global regulatory environment for years to come.

“Our international activities complement and inform our domestic work, advance our strategic priorities and contribute to our purpose and vision,” Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said.

“The MOUs with Singapore and the UK allow us to share resources and knowledge and co-operate on important initiatives to address privacy issues in our fast-moving and increasingly connected regulatory environments.”

The MOU with Singapore has been developed in connection with the negotiation of the Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement. It signals the intentions of both data protection authorities to share best practice and co-operate together to protect personal information as it flows across borders.