Privacy: The foundation of trust – Joint statement by Privacy Authorities Australia

Privacy regulators from across Australia have issued a joint statement to mark the start of Privacy Awareness Week 2022 (2 to 8 May).

For Privacy Awareness Week, privacy authorities from around Australia are joining together to highlight privacy as the foundation of trust between the community, business and government agencies.

As the digital economy continues to grow, services go online and organisations consider new ways of handling personal information, there is the opportunity to build on the fundamental role that good privacy practices play in making these initiatives a success.

That trust requires privacy as the foundation.

One of our key messages is that better privacy protections are not just a tool to prevent harms, but also an enabler of better services and stronger relationships between the community, business and government agencies.

The public expects organisations to handle their information responsibly and be transparent and accountable. Organisations are more likely to be trusted with information when they have demonstrated good privacy practices.

While the 2022 awareness campaign highlights the importance of getting the foundations of privacy right, it is essential that an organisation’s privacy platform is not set in stone, but continually evolving and being upgraded to respond to economic and technological innovation and community expectations.

Australia’s privacy authorities will continue to work together to uphold privacy protections and promote awareness of rights and the responsibilities of individuals, businesses and government agencies.

Signed

• Angelene Falk
  Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner
• Samantha Gavel
  Privacy Commissioner, New South Wales
• Sven Bluemmel
  Information Commissioner, Victoria
• Rachael Rangihaeata
  Information Commissioner, Queensland
• Paxton Booth
  Privacy Commissioner, Queensland
• Richard Connock
  Ombudsman, Tasmania
• Simon Froude
  Director, State Records, Privacy Committee of South Australia
• Peter Shoyer
  Information Commissioner, Northern Territory

Background

Privacy Awareness Week is an annual event that highlights the importance of protecting personal information and helps government agencies, organisations and the public understand privacy rights and responsibilities.

Privacy Authorities Australia members are marking Privacy Awareness Week 2022 from Monday 2 May to Sunday 8 May.

The event is a joint initiative of Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities members, who have adopted the campaign theme Privacy: The foundation of trust for 2022.

More information

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
• Information and Privacy Commission, NSW
• Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
• Office of the Information Commissioner, Queensland
• Privacy Committee of SA
• Ombudsman Tasmania
• Information Commissioner Northern Territory

For media enquiries contact

Simone Martin

t:            (03) 8684 7585 or 0466 097 816
e:           simone.martin@ovic.vic.gov.au or media@ovic.vic.gov.au