Federal Government gives broad support for significantly changed Privacy Act

The Federal Government has released its much-anticipated response (Response) to the Privacy Act Review Report (Report), indicating its broad approval for a markedly changed privacy regime in Australia.

The Response is largely positive to the proposals raised by the Report, which we discussed in our previous article ' Sweeping reforms proposed in Privacy Act Review', and demonstrates the Government's intentions to ensure the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) is fit-for-purpose to deal with risks emerging from new technologies and practices. This follows the approach taken in other jurisdictions, most notable the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Below, we outline the key themes of the Response and provide some comments on the questions these themes raise.