The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has made recommendations to ensure the Department of Home Affairs is able to meet the statutory processing periods specified under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI) Act.The information considered in a Commissioner-initiated investigation by the OAIC indicates Home Affairs does not ...

Data breaches attributed to human error continue to increase according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) latest Notifiable Data Breaches Report.The OAIC received 539 data breach notifications from July to December 2020, an increase of 5% on the previous six months (512).Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner ...

The Department of Home Affairs (formerly the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) has been found to have interfered with the privacy of 9,251 detainees in immigration detention by mistakenly releasing their personal information.Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk has determined a representative complaint from the asylum seekers ...

Open letterOn 21 July 2020 the OAIC and five other data protection and privacy regulators from around the world jointly signed an open letter to companies providing video teleconferencing services.The letter recognised the value of video teleconferencing in keeping people connected, but set out concerns about whether privacy safeguards are ...

Download our 2020 highlights infographic Long text descriptionIn 2020 the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner worked to increase public trust and confidence in the protection of personal information and access to government-held information.Assisted the pandemic response by overseeing privacy protections and access to government information, and advising on ...

Australia needs a strong, fair and flexible privacy framework that prevents harm, protects fundamental human rights and builds public trust to support a successful economy, the national privacy regulator said today.In a submission to the Australian Government’s review of the Privacy Act 1988, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner ...

Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk has determined that Flight Centre interfered with the privacy of almost 7,000 customers by disclosing their personal information to third parties without consent.The information, including individuals’ credit card and passport details, was released by Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd during a ‘design ...

As we head into the holiday shopping season, consumers are being reminded to safeguard personal information when making purchases online.Australians are forecast to spend a record $4 billion online in the lead up to Christmas, sharing personal data including address and credit card details. Breaches of this personal data can ...