Chair’s Report to the Members

7 October 2010

The APF Board has continued its strong contributions to privacy policy in Australia. Its activities can be followed by checking on the home-page.

The papers index shows 48 separate policy-related papers in the first 9 months of 2010. The Board handles continual requests for submissions from a wide range of Senate Committees and government agencies. The private sector continues to be far more difficult to engage, but considerable effort has been invested in efforts to get Google to improve its extremely poor privacy profile.

The Board’s policy is to focus on careful, evidence-based policy development. It continues its endeavours to avoid merely reacting to initiatives, and to be as proactive as practicable through the preparation and publication of Policy Statements in advance if issues arising. The health and media statements, for example, have been used on multiple occasions.

Where more activist stances are necessary, campaigns are conducted. Five media releases were distributed during the last nine months. Many backgrounders were provided to the media, and the APF has been mentioned in over 50 news items in the last 9 months.

A major initiative during 2009-10 has been the agreement of The Right Hon. Sir Zelman Cowen to become the APF’s Patron, and the acceptance by 14 leading citizens to form the APF’s Advisory Panel.

I record my thanks to the Board members and to all other members who assisted the cause of privacy protection this year. There are many ways in which members can make contributions to the APF’s work.

The Big Brother Awards are being run again in 2011. This is a further area that offers opportunities to members to contribute to privacy protection in Australia.

Roger Clarke, Chair