Privacy amendments – a missed opportunity?

When first introduced, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) was considered to represent a comprehensive, integrated set of legal rules protecting various privacy interests in Australia. Perhaps foreseeing the future, the then Attorney-General Lionel Bowen told the Parliament that "enormous developments in technology for the processing of information are providing new and, in some respects, undesirable opportunities for the greater use of personal information."

However, the Privacy Act has not kept pace with the widespread adoption of digital technologies. This has created conditions rife for exposing us all to the risk of identity fraud and scams, and data breaches involving the release of sensitive information of millions of Australians.