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ARTICLE · 29 SEPTEMBER 2023

Australian Government Endorses Sweeping Reforms To Australian Privacy Laws

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
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The Australian Government released today its long-awaited response to the Attorney-General's Department Privacy Act Review Report 2022.

AustraliaPrivacy
Julian Lincoln
Julian Lincoln
Kaman Tsoi
Kaman Tsoi
Marine Giral
Marine Giral

The Australian Government released today its long-awaited response to the Attorney-General's Department Privacy Act Review Report 2022.

Of the 116 proposals in the Report (which we summarised in this earlier briefing), the Government agrees with 38 proposals, agrees in-principle to 68 proposals and 'notes' 10 proposals:

  • Agrees – draft legislation to be introduced in 2024: This category includes proposals to introduce:
    • a new mid-tier penalty for breaches (even if they are not serious and / or repeated) and a lower-level civil penalty for administrative breaches with the power for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to directly issue infringement notices

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