Archive

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OIAC) has released the Data Breach Report for 1 July to 31 December 2023.  The key findings include a 19% increase in notifications in the second half of 2023, and that the top 5 sectors to notify of data breaches were health, finance, insurance, […]

The New Zealand Government has released a Guide on information sharing for government agencies. The Guide is aimed at helping agencies to design and implement information sharing safely.  Katrine Evans, Government Chief Privacy Officer, in a statement accompanying the Guide explains that the guidance and templates are designed to help agencies: […]

On 28 February 2024, President Biden issued an Executive Order which authorises the Attorney General to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries of concern and provides safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to Americans’ sensitive data.  Pursuant to the Executive Order, the Department […]

At this year’s LawFest conference in Auckland, over 400 attendees were privileged to hear Professor Cat (Caitlin) Moon, Founding Co-Director, Vanderbilt AI Law Lab at Vanderbilt University in her keynote address, Designing Tomorrow and the future ready professional in the Age of AI.  As Professor Moon explained, even if AI does eat […]

On 30 November 2023, the Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, introduced into Parliament the Digital ID Bill 2023 and the Digital ID (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Bill 2023. Minister Gallaghed explained, ‘the Digital ID system will enable people to verify their ID when interacting online without having to […]

For the first time since 2015 the Office of the Australian Information Commission will have a standalone FOI Commissioner, Privacy Commissioner and Information Commissioner, as Parliament originally enacted. Congratulations to Ms Elizabeth Tydd who has been appointed as the Freedom of Information (FOI) Commissioner. Ms Tydd has been the Information […]

This collection of short papers developed by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) at The University of Adelaide offers an insight into the world of responsible artificial intelligence and the opportunities this presents to Australia. Read the report here

  Join us at LawFest 24 the premier legal innovation and technology event in New Zealand taking place on 7 March 2024.  With 20+ amazing speakers from New Zealand and abroad, the interactive programme will deliver practical insights of how to innovate and leverage technology to help you deliver legal services for today […]

The Mandatory Notification of Data Breach (MNDB) Scheme will come into effect on 28 November 2023.  It requires public sector agencies bound by the PPIP Act to notify the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals of data breaches involving personal or health information likely to result in serious harm. It also applies to […]

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have updated their joint Compliance and Enforcement Policy for the Consumer Data Right (CDR). The policy outlines the priorities, how the agencies encourage compliance and their approach to enforcement of matters. The Policy sets out that where OAIC […]

The long awaited response to the Privacy Act Review Report was released by the Australian Government on 28 September 2023.  Of the 116 proposals in the Privacy Act Review Report released in February 2023, the Government response has agreed to 38 proposals, and in-principle to a further 68 proposals and has […]

Introduction The last 30 years has seen an amazing quantity of change in the researching and teaching of law. By its very nature, law, as a discipline, would be seen as a very traditional area of study. However, the impact of technology has been profound, with a number of unexpected […]

The Information Commissioners and Ombudsmen from across Australia have released the findings of their third cross-jurisdictional study of community attitudes on access to government information. The 2023 Cross-jurisdictional Information Access Study measures citizens’ awareness of the right to access government information, and their experiences and outcomes in exercising that right. […]

Thursday, 28 September marks International Access to Information Day, which recognises citizen rights around the world to access government information. This right is encapsulated under Article 19 of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights. In recognition of this day, NSW celebrates Right to Know (RTK) Week, educating public sector […]

The latest Notifiable data breaches report was released last week, highlighting the need for organisations to strengthen data security and promptly respond to suspected breaches.  The Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said that ‘OAIC expects organisations to have robust and proactive procedures in place to protect the personal information they […]

Participation in the DATA Scheme continues to grow as shown in the Office of the National Data Commissioner’s (ONDC) Implementation Pipeline update below. New guidance to develop a data inventory  The ONDC has released a new guide to developing a data inventory.  There are now 56 organisations that have taken […]

Calling Senior Corporate, Legal, and Risk Management Professionals Ansarada invites you to take a brief 6-minute survey that will serve as the cornerstone of a data-driven report. The report developed in collaboration with industry experts, will be a treasure trove of actionable insights and expert commentary, around Operational Resilience globally. Participants will gain […]

The Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2023 released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on 8 August, shows a significant increase in the number of Australians who feel data breaches are the biggest privacy risk they face today.  Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said, ‘Australians […]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has published a shortlist of topics being considered for the 2026 Census and launched the next phase of public consultation. The publication 2026 Census topic review: Phase one directions provides outcomes from the consultation undertaken earlier this year, including the topics being considered for inclusion, change […]

The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme has concluded. Commissioner Catherine Holmes AC SC presented the Report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme to the Governor-General, His Excellency, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) on 7 July 2023. It was tabled on 7 July 2023. Read the report here