Rick Sarre – Australian Privacy Foundation

Author: Rick Sarre

Professor Rick Sarre retired in April 2020 from the role of Dean at the University of South Australia’s Law School to become an Adjunct with UniSA Justice & Society. His secondary education was undertaken at King's College, in Kensington, South Australia (SA) (1968-1972). He completed his law degree at Adelaide University in 1976, undertook undergraduate studies in theology and sociology at Graceland University, 1978-1979 (Iowa, USA), finished a Masters degree (Criminology) at the University of Toronto, Canada in 1983, and received his doctorate (Legal Science) from the University of Canberra in 2002. In 2015 Professor Sarre was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from Umeå University, Sweden. Before retiring he had taught commercial law, media law, sports law and criminology for 35 years in four countries, USA, Sweden, Hong Kong and Australia. He is a Past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology and in 2017 was awarded Fellow status of that society. He is a Professorial Fellow of the Australian Institute of Police Management. He also served three years on the Victim Support Service (SA) board, six years on the Offenders Aid and Rehabilitation Services of SA board, 18 years as an Associate of the Australian Institute of Criminology, and 8 years as the President of the SA Institute of Justice Studies. He is currently a Vice-President of the Adelaide University Football Club, a Vice-President of the Friends of the State Library (SA), President of the SA Council for Civil Liberties, and a Director of Community of Christ Ltd and a member of the Standing High Council of the international church. He has been a member of the ALP since 1984 and is Immediate Past President of the Sturt Federal Electorate Council (FEC) while remaining a member of State Council. In 2010, and again in 2013, he stood unsuccessfully as the Labor candidate in the federal seat of Sturt. In 2018 he stood unsuccessfully as the Labor candidate in the State seat of Bragg. He and his wife Debra and their two children live in Adelaide.

CCTV cameras mounted on vans have recently been seen in public parks around Melbourne, ostensibly to nab anyone breaking lockdown rules. They are part of a joint initiative between several Melbourne councils, Victoria Police and the Commonwealth government.

Coming on the back of Victorian police arresting and charging a number of people for inciting others to break bans on public gatherings by protesting in the streets, there is likely to be widespread resentment to the presence of these mobile surveillance units.

Many people are already claiming the Victorian government has once again over-stepped the mark in its aggressive approach to suppressing COVID-19. Read More

Australian Privacy Foundation

Author: Rick Sarre

What is ‘upskirting’ and what are your rights to privacy under the law?

Melbourne is using pop-up police spy stations to find people breaking COVID rules – what does the law say?