Traditionally Australian law has not recognised any general "right to privacy". A number of existing areas of law deal with different aspects of what might generally be regard as an individual's "private life".

The legal issues which arise for magazine publishers are many and varied, from defamation through to advertising and trade practices concerns. This article however focuses on intellectual property and the acquisition and management of rights.

Publishers obviously have a great interest in the online space, although the fear that "new" media will supersede the "old" media of print has not, as yet, materialised. Nevertheless a strong online presence is an important part of most publishers' arsenal.