Privacy complaints and enquiries are on the rise.  We talk with Timothy Pilgrim, Australian Privacy Commissioner in the countdown to the international Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) 2014.

Australian survey results suggest that 60% of people have chosen not to deal with an organisation because they were concerned about their privacy.  Australia commenced new privacy reforms on 12 March 2014 requiring organisations to be more transparent about their information handling practices. This means organisations have to include more information in their privacy policies.  But do consumers know what to look for in corporate privacy policies?

PAW is an initiative of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum (APPA) and participating Pacific Rim nations circle from South through North America, through Asia to Australia.

About Timothy Pilgrim

Timothy was appointed as Privacy Commissioner in 2010 after holding a number of senior management positions in a range of Australian Government agencies, including the Small Business Program within the Australian Taxation Office and the Child Support Agency.

Timothy has also played an important role in the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Privacy Framework, which aims to promote a consistent approach to information privacy protection across APEC member economies. Timothy has also been closely involved in developing a framework for privacy regulators around the world to cooperate on cross-border enforcement matters.

How you can use this episode

Listen to the episode

Episode links and resources

• Privacy Awareness Week
• Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities forum (APPA)
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) Privacy Awareness Week
• Privacy Awareness Week Australian partners
• Privacy reforms (from 12 March 2014):
  • What the new reforms mean for business and government.
  • Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
• A sampler of OAIC privacy resources
  • What to look for in a privacy policy poster
  • Privacy fact sheet 24: How changes to privacy law affect you
  • A quick summary of what is covered by privacy and who is covered by privacy laws
  • Summary of key findings in the OAIC survey report (+animated infographic)
  • OAIC quarterly statistics updates
  • OAIC Community attitudes to privacy survey  (including a summary of key findings)

60-second snapshot

Tips for consumers, government and business about privacy: