overview
frameworks
principles
coherence
1988 Act
other law
2000 Act
states
codes
money
media
health
genetic
adoption
policing
justice
crimes
homes
workplace
retail
venues
politics
cases 1
cases 2
landmarks
related
Guides:
Privacy
Secrecy
Censorship
related
Profiles:
Human
Rights
Australian
Constitution
& Cyberspace
Credit
Reporting
Australia
Card
Registers
100 Points
Scheme
Intelligence
agencies
|
landmarks in Australian privacy
This page offers a basic chronology highlighting key events
in Australian privacy development at the national and
state/territory levels.
It includes specific privacy inquiries and enactments,
along with selected legislation that features privacy
provisions and reflects changing community perceptions
about personal information.
It covers -
A
broader international privacy chronology is here,
with more detailed information here
regarding the Australia Card and other Australian national
identifier and registration schemes. Context is provided
by the multi-page communications, business & media
timeline on this site.
beginnings
1901 Commonwealth of Australia established - privacy not
explicitly identified in federal Constitution
1914 Commonwealth Crimes Act 1914
1914 Commonwealth War Precautions Act 1914
1937 decision by High Court in Victoria Park Racing
v Taylor that there are no property rights in a 'spectacle'
international covenants
1948 adoption by UN of Universal Declaration of Human
Rights
1965 NSW Adoption of Children Act 1965
1966 International Covenant on Civil & Political
Rights
1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social &
Cultural Rights
state surveillance legislation
1969 listening device legislation passed in Victoria and
NSW
1969 Boyer Lectures by Zelman Cowen on The Private
Man
1971 Invasion of Privacy Act in Queensland
1971 Information Storage Bill in Victoria
1972 Listening Devices Act 1972 in South Australia
1973 report of inquiry by Morison into Privacy in New
South Wales
1973 Human Rights Bill introduced in Senate but
lapses with 1974 Double Dissolution
1975 Fair Credit Reports Act in South Australia
1975 Privacy Committee Act 1975 in NSW
1976 Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975
moves for Federal legislation
1976 Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) directed
to report on privacy
1976 Mann Committee reports on Privacy & Data Protection
in Western Australia
1978 Listening Devices Act 1978 in Western Australia
1978 Credit Reporting Act in Victoria
1979 ALRC report on Unfair publication: defamation
& privacy
1979 ALRC report on Privacy & the Census
1979 Commonwealth Telecommunications (Interception)
Act
1980 OECD Guidelines on Data Privacy Protection &
Transborder Data Flows released
1982 Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982
1983 ALRC report on Privacy
1983 Commonwealth Archives Act 1983
1984 Privacy Committee Act in Queensland
1984 Adoption Act 1984 in Victoria
1984 Listening Devices Act 1984 in New South
Wales
1984 Federal Government adopts OECD guidelines
1986 Commonwealth Privacy Bill proposed but abandoned
1986 Australia Card proposed
1986 Qld Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders)
Act 1986
1987 Australian Privacy Foundation established
1987 ALRC report on Spent Convictions
Federal legislation
1988 Commonwealth Privacy Act passed, regulating
most federal public sector agencies
1988 South Australian Adoption of Children Act 1988
1988 Tasmanian Adoption Act 1988
1988 Tax File Number introduced
1988 Commonwealth Cash Transactions Report Act 1988
(later Financial Transaction Reports Act)
1988 Data Protection Bill in Western Australia
1988 WA Spent Convictions Act 1988
1989 Privacy Committee established in South Australia
1989 federal Crimes Legislation Amendment Act 1989
1989 NSW Freedom of Information Act 1989
1990 NSW Adoption Information Act 1990
1990 Queensland's Privacy Committee Act 1984 amended
and extended for a year
1990 new Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme
1990 introduction of 100 Points
scheme under federal Financial Transaction Reports
Act
1990 NSW Adoption Information Act 1990
1991 Privacy Bill introduced in South Australia
1991 Review of Telecommunications (Interception) Act
1979
1991 Listening Devices Act 1991 in Tasmania
1991 NSW Criminal Records Act 1991
1992 amendments relating to credit reporting made to the
Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988
1992 WA Spent Convictions Act 1992
1992 NT Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act 1992
1993 ACT Adoption Act 1993
1994 Australian Privacy Charter Council formed
1994 WA Adoption of Children Act 1994
1994 NSW Privacy & Data Protection Bill introduced
but lapses
1995 report on privacy by Commonwealth Parliament House
of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal & Constitutional
Affairs
1995 NSW Privacy Committee releases Invisible Eyes
report on video surveillance in the workplace
1996 Federal Attorney-General's Privacy Protection
in the Private Sector discussion paper released
1997 public inquiry on privacy issues conducted by Federal
Privacy Commissioner
fair handling principles
1998 National Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal
Information (voluntary code of regulation for the private
sector) established by the Federal Privacy Commissioner
1998 ACT Health Records (Privacy & Access) Act
came into force
1998 Privacy & Personal Information Act in
NSW passes
1998 Data Protection Bill in Victoria (later named
the Information Privacy Act)
1998 Surveillance Devices Act in Western Australia
1999 Workplace Video Surveillance Act in NSW
1999 Senate Legal & Constitutional References Committee's
Privacy & the Private Sector report released
1999 Commonwealth Attorney-General releases draft provisions
of the proposed new privacy legislation
1999 Commonwealth Electoral & Referendum Amendment
Act (No. 1) 1999 restricts commercial use of
electoral roll data
2000 Surveillance Devices Act 1999 in Victoria,
which repeals Listening Devices Act 1969, commences
extension to private sector
2000 first reading of Commonwealth Privacy Amendment
(Private Sector) Bill. Legislation is
subsequently passed after minor amendments and community
criticism
2000 EU submission to House of Representatives Committee
indicates that Privacy Amendment (Private Sector)
Bill would not meet EU's test of "adequacy"
2000 Information Privacy Act in Victoria passed
2000 Information Privacy Act in Queensland lapses
2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases draft code
development guidelines
2001 High Court ruling in ABC v Lenah Game Meats Pty
Ltd suggests that there is no right to privacy for
corporations even after an action for trespass
2001 Health Records Act in Victoria passed
2001 Paul Chadwick appointed as Victoria's first Privacy
Commissioner
2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner announces research projects
on Privacy & the Community and on Privacy, Business
& Government
2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases draft NPP and
draft Health Privacy guidelines
2001 Tasmania and Western Australia commence drafting
privacy legislation
2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases consultation
paper on Privacy Issues in the Use of Public Key Infrastructure
for Individuals
2001 National Health & Medical Research Council releases
draft s95A guidelines
2001 Information Privacy Act in Victoria comes
into effect
2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner begins to approve industry
codes under s95A
2001 Senate committee report on Cookie Monsters? Privacy
in the Information Society
2001 new federal regime comes into effect
2001 Listening Devices (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act
2001 revamps 1972 SA Act as Listening & Surveillance
Devices Act
2001 NSW Law Reform Commission report on Surveillance
2002 Health Records Act in Victoria comes into
effect
2002 new federal regime provisions cover many SMEs
2003 Grosse v Purvis ruling by Qld District
Court is first Australian case where claimant successfully
sues for tort of privacy?
2004 judge in Giller v Procopets specifically
rejects cause of action based on breach of privacy
2004 TICA found
to have breached federal Privacy Act
2004 federal Electoral & Referendum Amendment
(Access to Electoral Roll and Other Measures) Act 2004
2004 federal Surveillance Devices Act
2005 NSW Workplace Surveillance Act 2005
2005 federal security legislation
2006 federal Privacy Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 implements
selected recommendations of ALRC Essentially Yours
report
2007 ALRC Review of Australian Privacy Law discussion
recommends comprehensive change to national regime
2007 new federal government abandons Access Card project
2008 ALRC For Your Information: Australian Privacy
Law & Practice report
recommends major changes, including data loss notification
and tort for major breach of privacy
::
|
|
blaw