Key issues for the communications sector in 2019, 2020 and beyond: The future of privacy regulation

The future of privacy regulation

The Inquiry highlighted the shared objectives of Australia's competition and consumer regulator, the ACCC, and Australia's privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). As the Privacy Commissioner noted in her presentation at the Law Council seminar, one very important shared objective is to secure better data protection outcomes for all Australians.

The intersection of the concerns of the two regulators with regard to this shared objective is very apparent in the area of digital platforms, and their handling of our personal data, which is under close scrutiny by both privacy and competition and consumer protection regulators around the world. The final report from the Inquiry made a number of recommendations in relation to privacy. The Privacy Commissioner sees these recommendations, particularly the recommendation for a broad review of Australia's privacy framework, as providing both a