Chair’s Report to the AGM, by Roger Clarke
The APF is the nation’s primary public interest group in the privacy area, and the last 18 months has seen a vast amount of effort put in by the Board.
The organisation’s primary purpose is to influence policy. There have actually been several opportunities for positive contributions during the period. Of these, the most significant has been the review of the Privacy Act (Cth) by the Australian Law Reform Commission. The current (huge) Discussion Paper reflects to a considerable degree the submissions made by the APF and multiple of its Board members individually.
Unfortunately, vast numbers of grossly privacy-invasive proposals have continued to emerge, from all governments, and from various parts of the private sector. Many submissions have been made, and large numbers of media backgrounders and media interviews have been undertaken. The degree of impact of our efforts has varied, but the frequency of media approaches and coverage, and the number of occasions on which the APF is requested to make submissions and participate in workshops, all make abundantly clear that our voice is being heard.
Recent Submissions can be seen on the home-page. Indexes by date, topic and jurisdiction are available.
The APF’s Policy Coordinator, Nigel Waters, brings to the role deep experience as a senior executive in the UK and Australia. He also brings a great deal of energy and commitment. Various of the Board-members have assisted, and in some cases have taken primary responsibility for a particular topic-area. We are continually on the look-out for more people who are willing and able to assist in policy work. Guidance on what we need is available.
Where necessary, the APF conducts campaigns. Across all areas, a total of 19 media releases were distributed during the 18-month period.
Anna Johnston, who was our very active Chair in 2005-06, ran a dynamic campaign against the Access Card. By mid-2007, the Government was running the white flag up the mast. But we’re awaiting the outcome of the election, and the machinations after that, before we claim victory.
The web-site continues to be maintained and expanded, as a resource for all Australians. It provides access to relevant laws, starting-points for research, and guidance on the preparation of complaints.
We would particularly appreciate contributions to the site. One area of need is short summaries of particular technologies and the privacy issues that they give rise to, for use for media backgrounders, school assignments, etc.
We also collect examples of people unjustifiably blaming problems on the Privacy Act, and would appreciate information about all such cases.
There have been several occasions recently in which activities of multiple public interest groups have been successfully coordinated.
Like any organisation, APF has to be in a condition of continuous renewal. We bring fresh faces onto the Board in a steady flow. And we’re expanding our resources through the establishment of SubCommittees. The current Board and the current Sub-Committee structure are at https://www.privacy.org.au/about/contacts.htm
Do you have expertise and effort to offer?