The Privacy Act 1988 is the primary legislation regulating the handling of individuals’ personal information in Australia. It applies to Commonwealth government departments and agencies and the private sector. States and territories also have legislation on privacy, such as Queensland’s Information Privacy Act 2009. These acts apply to state and territory government departments and agencies.
The Privacy Act 1988 applies to government agencies and businesses and organisations with an annual turnover of more than three million dollars (with some exceptions). If your organisation falls into either of these categories, you are bound by The Privacy Act whenever you obtain or use personal data relating to an individual. Whether you process employee data or customer data, your workforce must understand its responsibilities.
Infringements of the Privacy Act 1988 can be damaging, not just because they cause harm to people but also because steep penalties apply to the offender. Breaching these laws can also place the reputation of your business at risk. Let us help you avoid these pitfalls by starting your compliance journey with us today.
Taylor Rose offers practical guidance to help your business plan its strategy for compliance with the legislation. We do this while giving pragmatic advice to guide our clients. Be assured that we will always take time to understand your business so that we can tailor an approach suitable for you. We aim to ensure you always receive the absolute best advice and client care.
Privacy legal services
Our specialist team has experience in helping clients from both the private and public sectors to shape their privacy compliance journey.
We can assist with the following:
- Identifying what personal data is being used by your organisation
- Documenting and recording data processing activities in accordance with the law
- Advising clients on processing personal data lawfully
- Creating and reviewing Privacy Impact Assessments to assess risk
- Recognising what privacy obligations apply so that appropriate Privacy Policies can be drafted
- Identifying and responding to privacy requests in accordance with the law
- Drafting compliant Privacy Policies and procedures to create an appropriate internal information governance framework for your organisation
- Communicating and cooperating with the Australian Information Commissioner and the state and territory Privacy Commissioners in response to third-party complaints or enquiries
- Investigating and reporting (where necessary) incidents affecting personal data, including personal data breaches
- Understanding how to transfer personal data overseas lawfully
- Reviewing and analysing contracts to ensure that personal data protection clauses are in line with the law and reflect the data protection relationship being created
- Delivering tailored data protection training and updates to staff members
- Responding to claims brought by individuals in response to alleged infringements of privacy law
If you need legal assistance, please contact Taylor Rose.