Appointment of Victorian Information Commissioner Sean Morrison
Sean Morrison has commenced as the new Victorian Information Commissioner, as of 15 February 2024.
This follows six months of acting arrangements by Rachel Dixon, Privacy and Data Protection Deputy Commissioner and Joanne Kummrow, Public Access Deputy Commissioner.
Sean comes to OVIC following his appointment as Special Investigator at the Office of the Special Investigator, and previous roles serving as the General Counsel at multiple Victorian Government departments.
Sean led the Government’s legal response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and the Commonwealth’s Royal Commissions into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Sean has also led major Victorian Government legislative reforms, including the Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Act 2023, which created the first information-sharing regime for the Victorian public health system, the Prevention of Family Violence Act 2018 and the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2014.
Sean has also been a member of various stakeholder committees across government, including those relating to information management and sharing. He has a particular interest in Freedom of Information reform and in the intersection of emerging technologies and privacy law.
Quotes attributable to Information Commissioner Sean Morrison:
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve as the next Victorian Information Commissioner. I hope to continue the good work of my predecessor Sven Bluemmel in overseeing the operations of OVIC to the highest standard.”
“I would particularly like to thank Rachel Dixon and Joanne Kummrow for their outstanding work as acting Information Commissioners over the past six months.”
For media enquiries contact:
Molly Williams
Phone: (03) 8684 7585
Email: media@ovic.vic.gov.au
For general enquiries about FOI, privacy and information security in Victoria contact:
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
Phone: 1300 006 842
Email: enquiries@ovic.vic.gov.au
For further background, please refer to:
Announcement by the Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes (www.premier.vic.gov.au)