Australian Privacy Foundation
MEDIA RELEASE

Released 2:00pm, 19 August 1997

This document is at http://www.privacy.org.au/Media/MR970819.html


VOLUNTARY CODE LEAVES PRIVACY EXPOSED

Australians would have the weakest privacy protection regime in the western world under the proposed self-regulatory privacy code announced yesterday by the Privacy Commissioner.

"This underscores the inadequacy of Australia's privacy laws. Under this scheme, a consumer can do nothing but hope for the best when a company or an employer invades their privacy," said the Director of the Privacy Foundation, Tim Dixon.

"Under self-regulation, companies will pick and choose how they interpret privacy standards and there will be no way to guarantee that privacy is protected."

Mr Dixon was responding to the a voluntary scheme for fair information practices, proposed yesterday by Privacy Commissioner Moira Scollay.

"The Commissioner is doing the best she can but her hands are tied. Unless the Government gives the watchdog some teeth, it's got no bite."

The Privacy Foundation also indicated that it will boycott the code, alongside other privacy and consumer organisations such as the Australian Consumers Association, the state Councils for Civil Liberties and Electronic Frontiers Australia.

"We won't be involved in a process that just creates an illusion of privacy safeguards without the real thing. National legislation can protect privacy without putting excessive burdens on businesses - as dozens of other countries have shown, including our major trading partners.

The proposals for the code come five months after the Government broke its election campaign commitment to privacy legislation.

"Time is also running out for us to meet the European Union's standards on privacy protection. We only have until October 1998 before Australian industries are excluded from international trade in information. If the Government is serious about assisting Australia's information industries they will establish privacy safeguards that comply with international best practice.

"The Government promised Australians at the last election that they would reform our 'hopelessly out of date' privacy laws as a matter of urgency. We simply want to hold them to their word."


For further information, contact:

Tim Dixon, Director, (02) 9231 4949 or 0411 114411, TimDixon


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Created: 20 December 1998

Last Amended: 20 December 1998


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