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Where am I now? Lawlink > privacynsw > NSW Privacy Laws > Privacy Act 1988
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Privacy Act 1988
The Federal Privacy Act is administered by the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner. For advice about the Federal Privacy Act or to make a complaint about a breach of the Federal Privacy Act, please contact the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner at http://www.privacy.gov.au/ or phone 1300 363 992.
Brief introduction to the Act
The Federal Privacy Act covers the collection, use and disclosure, quality and security of personal information. As well as providing principles to govern these areas, the Act provides a framework for complaints about breach of privacy, and defines the role of the Federal Privacy Commissioner.
This Act differs from NSW privacy legislation in the type of organisation/body that it covers. The Federal Privacy Act governs Commonwealth and ACT agencies such as the Federal Police, the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink and the Australian Electoral Commission. It also applies to private sector organisations that earn more than $3 million annually such as Telstra and Qantas, large insurance companies and banks. Health service providers are also covered, including privately practicing doctors and pharmacists. Small businesses which trade in personal information are also covered.
While NSW privacy laws (the PPIP Act and HRIP Act) are based around a primary set of privacy principles, the Federal Act is based on different principles depending on what area it is regulating:
- 11 information privacy principles govern the handling of personal information by Commonwealth and ACT government agencies
- 10 national privacy principles govern the handling of personal information by health service providers, and by private sector businesses with an annual turnover of over $3 million.
Privacy NSW has no role in administering the Federal Privacy Act. The Federal Privacy Act is administered by the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner. For advice about the Federal Privacy Act or to make a complaint about a breach of the Federal Privacy Act, please contact the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner at http://www.privacy.gov.au/ or phone 1300 363 992.
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