Australian Privacy Law Reform Tranche 2: The Time For Conversation Is Over

Tranche 2 of the Australian Privacy Act reforms is expected soon (perhaps imminently), following comments from the new attorney general in the media that suggested the time for conversation and for lobbying is over. The attorney general noted in an interview last month on Sky News that the highly anticipated "second tranche" of Australian privacy law reform is coming, saying "Australians are sick and tired of their personal data being exploited" and "not being protected," and that "we will not have our privacy reforms dictated by multinational tech giants."

While the exact timing and elements that will be included in tranche 2 are not yet known, there is enough material in the recommendations from the Privacy Act Review Report and the Government's positive response to the vast majority of those recommendations, both released in 2023, for transformative privacy law changes to be brought into effect without further significant industry consultation. Indeed, the