Privacy NSW is the Office of the NSW Privacy Commissioner. Our aim is to protect and promote privacy rights in NSW. More>>


Please note Mac OS X and Safari users: For Mac OS X, the default browser is Safari. If you experience problems accessing forms and documents on Lawlink websites using Safari as your Web browser, you may need to use an alternative browser, see the Machintosh Products Guide for more information.

Following the inaugural Australian Privacy Awards the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner is again hosting a program for 2009. In an effort to recognise and reward good privacy practices, awards are given in four categories - Large Business Award, Small-Medium Business Award, Community and NGO Award and the Symantec Government Award - with an overall Grand Award presented to the most outstanding entrant from Any category. For further information please visit the Federal website.

4 May 2009	Welcome to Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) which begins on Sunday the 3 of May 2009 The focus of this year’s joint campaign with the Asia Pacific Privacy Authority (APPA) has been making everyone - especially young people - aware of the privacy problems surrounding internet use and the uploading of information from it. The catch line is: " Think before you upload. Once it’s out there, it’s everywhere!” A link to the APPA video on young people and video use will become available from this website during Privacy Awareness week (3-9 May) as will other materials that can be used to promote privacy e.g. E handouts. PAW is a great opportunity to remind agencies who deal with personal and health information to be aware of privacy compliance and remember to train staff in the correct use of the information they work with in the workplace.
15 March 2009	We have provided a submission to the New South Wales Law Reform Commission in response to its Consultation Paper 3: Privacy Legislation in NSW. For the most part our submission supports the recommendations regarding the need for nationally consistent privacy law and the measures to restructure the PPIP Act and the HRIP Act.
10 March 2009	Privacy NSW has conducted a client satisfaction survey of public sector agencies to which we have provided advice. The results of the survey from agencies are very encouraging, especially in terms of the satisfaction with the advice, the timeliness, usefulness of our forms and the likelihood of making further requests for advice. The results of the survey revealed that the website is the most commonly used source of information about Privacy NSW's advice function, but telephone is the preferred method of communication. We are also in the process of completing a client satisfaction survey for parties to complaints and internal reviews and will report on the results of that survey in due course.
3 March 2009	In December last year Privacy NSW provided a submission to the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council on the proposed National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Australian health care professionals. While our submission generally supported the proposed information sharing scheme we recommended that the privacy protections be incorporated into the legislative framework rather than by way of reference to applicable privacy laws.
20 Jan 2009	The Privacy Commissioner has re-made 8 public interest directions under section 41 of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Public interests directions allow NSW public sector agencies to deal with personal information in a manner which, in other circumstances might breach the Information Protection Principles. The Privacy Commissioner will only make such directions where he is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so. The Privacy Commissioner has also made a public interest direction under s41 of the PPIP Act relating to the Document Verification Service-NSW Registry of Births Death and Marriages. Under the direction the Registry may deal with personal information in ways which allow it to participate in the Commonwealth Government initiative, the Document Verification Service.
20 Nov 2008	Privacy NSW has provided its submission to the National Electronic Health Transmission Authority on its Privacy Blueprint for the Individual Electronic Health Record: Shaping the Future of Healthcare
.
29 Sept 2008	Privacy Symposium on 'Meeting privacy challenges: ALRC & NSWLRC Privacy Reviews' - 2 October - UNSW If you are interested in the development of privacy law in Australia you are invited to the 2009 Privacy Symposium: 'Meeting privacy challenges - the ALRC & NSWLRC Privacy Reviews'. Please feel free to bring this invitation to the attention of colleagues. When: Thursday 2 October 2008, 9.30am-4.30pm Where: Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales The Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre at UNSW is holding this one-day Symposium to discuss the Australian Law Reform Commission's Report 108 on Privacy (August 2008), and to take stock of the NSW Law Reform Commission's Consultation Paper 3: Privacy Legislation in New South Wales (July 2008). The Symposium is part of the 'Interpreting Privacy Principles' Project, an Australian Research Council Discovery Project. The theme of the Symposium will be to consider how well the ALRC proposals and draft NSWLRC proposals meet a number of current privacy challenges, including sessions on: * Providing Privacy Principles that set a new global standard and deal with technology threats * Building consumer trust in electronic commerce * Delivering effective enforcement of privacy rules and remedies for breaches * Limiting the growth of a surveillance society * Meeting international standards to facilitate appropriate cross-border data transfers A more detailed program is available at <www.cyberlawcentre.org/2008/privacy/> Key participants (subject to change) include: * Senator John Faulkner, Special Minister of State * Professor David Weisbrot and/or Professor Les McCrimmon, ALRC * Professor Michael Tilbury, NSWLRC * Karen Curtis, Federal Privacy Commissioner * Judge Ken Taylor, NSW Privacy Commissioner * Judge Kevin O'Connor, President NSW ADT, former FPC * Keith Besgrove, First Assistant Secretary, DCITA * Chris Gration, Head of External Relations, Veda Advantage * Robin Banks, CEO, PIAC and member of the Privacy Advisory Committee * Professor Graham Greenleaf, UNSW Law 'Interpreting Privacy Principles' Project * Nigel Waters, UNSW Law 'Interpreting Privacy Principles' Project * chairs from law firms, academia and the professions The event will be structured around panel sessions, with a small number of presentations and an emphasis on dialogue and discussion. Registration: Costs for the event, including catering, documents and GST: * Government, professional and corporate: $495 (call to discuss volume discounts) * Academic: $165 * Full-time student: $55 * NGO representative: free (travel assistance may be available) To join us, please download the Registration form below <http://cyberlawcentre.org/ipp/events/symposium08/rego_form.pdf> and fax back to(02) 9385 1155 or (02) 9385 1175.
2 Sept 2008	A link to the Statutory Review of PPIPA and the Government Response to that Review has been placed on our website. The Review is on the website of NSW Attorney General's Department, Legislation and Policy Division website, the "What's New Archive".
2 Sept 2008	The Comissioner has made revised directions under the PPIP and HRIP Act relating to the Anti-Social Behaviour Pilot Project. The revised directions made minor changes relating to the administration of the Project, add the Health Administration Corproation to Schedule 1 and 2 Local Area Commands (LACs) to Schedule 2 (Port Stephens LAC and Leichhardt LAC). The Lower Hunter LAC has also been removed from Schedule 2.
21 August 2008	The Privacy Commissioner has signed a new section 41 Direction: "Direction relating to requests made by the Ombudsman under s13AA of the Ombudsman Act 1974".
4 August 2008	Our June 2008 Quarterly Report is now available on the website. Click here to view
24 June 2008	Our 2006 - 07 Annual Report is now available on the website.To view the Report, please go to the Publications and Links page on this website.
17 June 2008	Privacy Awareness Week is running from 24 - 30 August 2008. This year the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) are running an international privacy competition for secondary school students. To enter, students are encouraged to create and submit a two minute video about privacy and what it means to them. For more information about Privacy Awareness Week go to the website: www.privacyawarenessweek.org
6 May 2008	We have uploaded our March Quarterly Statistical Report on our website. To see this Report, please click here or go to Publication and Links page on this website.
3 April 2008	31 March - 5 April 2008 was Law Week. On 1 April 2008 the NSW Attorney General's Department hosted the Community Open Day at the Parramatta Justice Precinct. Along with a number of other agencies, Privacy NSW had an information stall in the courtyard of the Parramatta Justice Precinct. We met representatives from government organisations (such as NSW Health who are located nearby) and representatives of non-government organisations, community groups and individuals interested in privacy rights and privacy law. As well as Fact Sheets, FAQ's, Guidelines and brochures, we also handed out promotional pens and "Privacy Please" door hangers. The door hangers proved to be particularly popular. The information that we provided is available on our website, on the Publications page. We had over 100 visitors to our stall on the Open Day and received good feedback about the materials and information that we provided. Some of the key concerns of the visitors to our stall were about health privacy and criminal records. People seemed to be concerned not only about their own privacy rights but also the privacy of their colleagues and clients in the work place. Overall, the Open Day was a great opportunity for Privacy NSW to make contact with and disseminate information about Privacy NSW to the broader community. Thank you to our enthusiastic staff for their efforts in organising and manning the stall on the day.