A review of Australia's Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
(Privacy Act) has been ongoing since 2020, and has
produced 116 proposed reforms. The expected legislative changes
will have implications for businesses operating within Australia.
They represent the most notable changes to the Privacy Act since
the government pushed through urgent reforms in 2022 to
substantially increase penalties in response to high-profile cyber
breaches.
In a speech at the Privacy by Design Awards in May 2024, the
Attorney General (AG), Hon Mark Dreyfus, announced plans to
introduce legislation to overhaul the Privacy Act 1988
(Cth) (Privacy Act) in August 2024.
The legislation is expected to introduce the initial reforms
arising out of the review of the Privacy Act, to which the
Australian Government published a response in September 2023. Of
the 116 reforms proposed in the review, the government agreed to 38
in full, 68 in-principle, and noted 10.
