Planning is underway for the main APF event of the year – The Big Brother Awards. Hopefully you have heard about it though our website and promotional activity. Below is an update to let you know what is happening and to encourage you to get involved, spread the word – and nominate!

Nominations close this Thursday, 30 September.

Also, there have been some changes to the membership of the Board about which you may not be aware. They are explained below.

Big Brother Awards

On 9 September the APF called for nominations for Australia’s annual Big Brother Awards, affectionately known as the ‘Orwells’. The awards are for corporations, public officials and governments that have shown a blatant disregard for privacy.

The award categories are:

• Greatest Corporate Invader – for a corporation that has shown a blatant disregard of privacy.
• Worst Public Agency or Official – for a government agency or official that has shown a blatant disregard of privacy.
• Most Invasive Technology – for a technology that is particularly privacy invasive.
• Lifetime Menace – for a privacy invader with a long record of profound disregard for privacy.
• People’s Choice – for the individual or organisation most frequently nominated by the public.
• Boot in the Mouth – for the best quote on a privacy related topic.

Nominations are also sought for:

• Best Privacy Guardian – for a meritorious act of privacy protection or defence.
• Lifetime Achievement – for provision of outstanding services to privacy protection.

Nominations will be accepted until the closing date of 30 September 2004. Nominations should be emailed to mail@privacy.org.au. The APF website has further details on how to nominate, at https://www.privacy.org.au/bba.

The winners of the Orwells will be announced in November.

Changes to Board Membership

Tim Dixon and Jeremy Douglas-Stewart have resigned from the Board due to their work commitments. Their enthusiasm, hard work and knowledge has been invaluable to the APF and their contribution to the Board has been greatly appreciated.

Tim contributed an enormous amount to privacy advocacy and scholarship. His contributions range from his astonishing and invaluable high school appearance in the Australia Card campaign, through the years of researcher for the NSW Privacy Committee and the Communications Law Centre, to keeping the APF visible and well-regarded during the years when only a few were contributing. He was an unpaid privacy rep on numerous government bodies concerning health, telecoms, and PKI, Acting Editor of Privacy Law and Policy Report on a number of occasions, author of the CCH loose-leaf privacy service, and a convincing, entertaining and always very credible public voice of reason for privacy values.

Jeremy has been an active contributor to the work of the APF since last year. He wrote the APF submission on the SA Criminal Law Consolidation (Identity Theft) Amendment Bill and has contributed to many submissions since.

Two new members of the Board have been appointed: Justin Malbon and Anna Johnston. They have extensive knowledge of privacy issues and have already made significant contributions to the work of the APF. Justin has been working with fellow APF member Ian Dearden on the Queensland driver’s licence smartcard issue. Anna prepared the APF’s submission on the draft NSW Workplace Surveillance Bill and is currently putting a lot of time into the Big Brother Awards.

A list of all current board members is at https://www.privacy.org.au/about/contacts.

Lindy Smith, APF Secretary