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ARTICLE · 10 DECEMBER 2008

Privacy Reform On The Horizon

Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
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In an August 2008 address to the National Press Club, retiring High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson commented that although he had previously considered certain things to be self-evidently private, he was no longer sure. His Honour stated "when you look at the kind of information people publish about themselves, it makes you wonder."

AustraliaPrivacy
Chris Bevitt
Chris Bevitt
Rohan Singh
Rohan Singh
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In an August 2008 address to the National Press Club, retiring High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson commented that although he had previously considered certain things to be self-evidently private, he was no longer sure. His Honour stated "when you look at the kind of information people publish about themselves, it makes you wonder."

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has been wondering the same thing, and in August 2008 released a report regarding its review of Australian privacy law and practice.

The report follows 2 years of research and public consultation by the ALRC. It concludes that Australians are concerned about privacy and want a simple system of protection that balances issues such as freedom of speech, child protection, law enforcement and national security.

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