APF Chair’s Report to the 2011 AGM

After 5 years in the Chair, it’s a good time to take stock of what’s been achieved by the organisation recently.

Our primary focus is on policy. We’ve been progressively developing a proactive approach to issues, and now have 17 policy statements published. We have again made large numbers of submissions to parliaments, government agencies, and in a few instances industry associations or corporations – well over 300 during the last 5 years. Review our work, and follow developments.

We have a highly-qualified, diverse and active Board. We have a set of SubCommittees and Reference Groups, comprising members and friends who contribute to policy-development by conducting applied research and preparing and reviewing drafts. We very much welcome your contributions. Please review the Board composition and SubCommittees.

We have increased the intensity of our collaborations with consumer organisations such as ACCAN (in the communications area), and with the four major civil liberties organisations (NSW CCL, Liberty Victoria, QCCL and CLA). We also sustain close linkages with Privacy International (PI). Review our lists of consumer and civil liberties organisations, and send us updates.

We do what we can to sustain a substantial set of resources for researchers and individuals. Again, we very much welcome your contributions. Review the resources, and send your enhancements.

We again ran a successful Big Brother Award process in 2011. Review the nominees and winners, and the history of the Awards.

During the last few years, we’ve been successful in attracting the support of leading citizens, in the form of the APF’s Patron and Advisory Panel. We welcome your proposals for further people with high standing in the community, who also value privacy and appreciate the quality and impact of the APF’s work.

We also provide general guidance on what people can do to assist in the protection of privacy.

Please think about whether you have colleagues and friends who may be interested in becoming members, or are otherwise able to contribute. In addition to the ‘What To Do’ page, you can draw APF’s Membership page to their attention.

Roger Clarke
15 October 2011