We regret the 10-month delay since the most recent Newsletter!
The Board has remained very busy throughout, with about 20 submissions made during that period.
These included a very substantial response to the Issues Paper published by the Attorney-General’s Department in relation to the (non-independent) review it is conducting of the Privacy Act. The scope was very broad, and it accordingly involved a team of contributors, led by Prof. Graham Greenleaf. Read More

We regret the delay since the last Newsletter.

The primary reason has again been busyness on policy issues, but to some extent the COVID-19 epidemic has also played a role.
The lockdown hasn’t greatly affected the workings of an organisation that has operated mostly virtually for decades already. However, it’s had a substantial impact on many of our most active volunteers. Read More

Our apologies for the gap since the last Newsletter.We’re endeavouring to get back to a cycle of 2 or 3 updates per annum.Annual General MeetingThe AGM was held on 13 November 2019.You can view the detailed Annual Report.The Chair Group remains as before, comprising:Chair: David VaileVice-Chairs: Kat Lane, Bruce Baer ArnoldSecretary-Treasurer:  Mark Walkom recently retired after… Read More

Dear APF Members,We’re pleased to pass on some details of recent work the APF has been undertaking, as well as changes to our Board and Advisory and Patrons Panel.Policy WorkThe APF has continued its efforts to influence policy decisions relevant to privacy, including robo-goverment and the social welfare system, the Productivity Commission’s proposals re open… Read More

Dear APF members,This announcement is primarily about the recent changes on the APF board, and some upcoming events. 1. Recent changesOver the past year, the ongoing renewal of Board composition and appointments has continued. Chair Kat Lane, Vice-Chair David Lindsay, long-standing Secretary/Treasurer Mark Walkom, and a couple of other members retired, and (Prof) Deborah Upton… Read More

At the APF’s AGM on 25 October 2016, three new Board-members were elected. Biographical details for Jake Goldenfein, Kate Mathews-Hunt and Holly Raiche can be found on the Contacts page. The APF now has 18 active Board-members, plus additional contributors on several Committees that focus on particular aspects of the wide array of privacy problems… Read More

1. Campaign re MyHRThe ‘personally controlled’ electronic health record (PCEHR) has been a 5-year-long failure.The latest attempt to breathe life into the (so far, $1.5bn) lemon involves switching from a consent-based approach to an ‘opt-out’ model – and making it extremely difficult to opt out. APF is conducting a campaign to ensure that the public and the… Read More

2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGVice-Chairs’ ReportSince the last AGM, the APF has continued its proud tradition of working to protect the privacy rights of Australians. In this 12 month period, the Foundation has made more than 40 submissions on diverse matters including in relation to the new data retention law, the use of encryption in digital… Read More

Chair’s Report of November 2014APF’s policy activities have continued unabated, with about 60 contributions during the 12 months since the previous AGM. Governments, government agencies and corporations are very active in abusing the privacy of citizens and consumers. The current Government has proposed yet more measures that are supposed to assist in counter-terrorism, but that… Read More

The police raids of 18 September 2014 have made it an extremely sad week for Australian democracy.All Attorneys-General, Governments and Parliaments since 2001 have been obsequious in their approval of anything that the national security extremist apparatus has requested.The current round, comprising three tranches of legislation, supported by multiple, orchestrated media events, represents an entirely… Read More