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News and media
RSS feedIn this section you will find current news from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
For media enquiries and interview requests please contact media@oaic.gov.au or call 0407 663 968.
Follow the OAIC on social media for more updates:
Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk has welcomed changes to the Privacy Act 1988 that enshrine strict privacy safeguards for COVIDSafe app data in law.The Privacy Amendment (Public Health Contact Information) Bill 2020 makes mishandling of COVIDSafe app data an offence and an interference with privacy.“The new law ...
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) today jointly released the Compliance and Enforcement Policy for the Consumer Data Right.The Policy outlines the approach that the ACCC and the OAIC have adopted to encourage compliance with, and address breaches of, the ...
During Information Awareness Month, we have joined with our interstate and international counterparts to emphasise the importance of documenting decisions, preserving records and providing access to information throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.COVID-19: The duty to document does not cease in a crisis, it becomes more essentialAustralian and New Zealand Information Access ...
Held around Australia from 4-10 May 2020, this year’s Privacy Awareness Week is an important time to focus on how we protect and handle personal information.“This year’s focus on protecting personal information online is particularly relevant as even more of our activity and interactions move online during the COVID-19 outbreak, ...
26 April 2020
The Australian Government today released the COVIDSafe contact tracing app, a public health initiative to help combat the spread of COVID-19.Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said that important safeguards have been put in place to protect personal information collected through the app so it can be used ...
22 April 2020
The Federal Court of Australia today granted leave to the Australian Information Commissioner to serve legal documents on US-based Facebook Inc and Facebook Ireland.The Commissioner lodged proceedings against those Facebook entities in the Federal Court last month, alleging the social media platform has committed serious and/or repeated interferences with privacy ...
17 April 2020
The OAIC recognises the severe impact of the current COVID-19 outbreak on our community and around the world. The work of government is essential to ensuring public health and safety during this crisis.We acknowledge that delivering government services in the current environment poses many difficulties. It is also critical that ...
27 March 2020
Privacy Commissioners and Ombudsmen around the country appreciate that individuals, organisations and government are facing significant challenges to stop the spread of COVID-19. The use of personal information is part of addressing this public health crisis.Privacy laws at the State, Territory and Federal level contain mechanisms to permit the exchange ...
News and media
In this section you will find current news from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
For media enquiries and interview requests please contact media@oaic.gov.au or call 0407 663 968.
Follow the OAIC on social media for more updates:
14 October 2021
The OAIC has found that 7-Eleven interfered with customers’ privacy by collecting sensitive biometric information that was not reasonably necessary for its functions and without adequate notice or consent.
Tags: news
7 September 2021
An article by Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk, published by The Australian on 15 August 2021.
Tags: news
The latest Notifiable Data Breaches Report highlights how the OAIC expects entities to prevent and respond to data breaches caused by ransomware and impersonation fraud.
Tags: media releaseNotifiable Data Breaches scheme
6 August 2021
The OAIC is investigating Singtel Optus Pty Ltd (Optus) over data breaches involving publication of Optus customer details in the White Pages.
Tags: statement
6 August 2021
Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk has been reappointed for another 3-year term, to August 2024.
Tags: statement
23 July 2021
The OAIC has determined that Uber Technologies, Inc. and Uber B.V. interfered with the privacy of an estimated 1.2 million Australians.
Tags: media release
The International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) has endorsed an OAIC resolution to support the proactive publication of information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tags: FOIaccess to information
17 June 2021
The OAIC has released its second six-month report on the privacy protections that apply to the COVIDSafe system.
Tags: media releaseCOVIDSafe
The OAIC welcomes additional funding for privacy and access to information functions announced in the 2021-22 Federal Budget.
Tags: statement