Privacy Review 2023-2024
The last 12 months have been a big year for privacy. The Australian Government introduced the first tranche of reforms to implement a number of the recommendations from the Attorney-General’s Department’s Privacy Act Review Report, with further reforms to follow; and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner signalled an ongoing focus on regulatory action where it identifies non-compliance.
In this guide, we summarise key incidents and developments from the last year and highlight areas to watch in coming months.
Timeline of key events
13 September 2023
Administrative Appeals Tribunal publishes HYYL and Privacy Commissioner [2023] AATA 2961.
28 September 2023
Australian Government releases its response to the Privacy Act Review Report.
27 November 2023
Attorney-General the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP announces the appointment of Carly Kind as Privacy Commissioner, reinstating the standalone position.
22 February 2024
OAIC releases its Notifiable Data Breaches Report: July to December 2023.
21 May 2024
ACCC releases its eighth interim report for the Digital Platform Services Inquiry, shining a spotlight on the supply of data products and services by data firms in Australia.
27 May 2024
ASX releases its updated guidance on data breach continuous disclosure obligations for ASX-listed companies.
12 September 2024
Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 introduced into Federal Parliament.
16 September 2024
OAIC releases its Notifiable Data Breaches Report: January to June 2024.
On 12 September 2024, the Attorney-General introduced the highly anticipated amendments to the *Privacy Act 1988* (Cth) to the Australian Federal Parliament.
The recent findings of a review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal into the practices of facial recognition software service Clearview provide valuable insights into the extra-territorial application of the Privacy Act.
