[Greens-Media] Privacy Awareness Week starts: NSW needs to up protection

[Lee Rhiannon]

MEDIA RELEASE
25 August 2008


Privacy Awareness Week starts: NSW needs to up protection

At the start of 'Privacy Awareness Week' (24-30 August) Greens MP and privacy spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on Premier Morris Iemma to lead a culture change in NSW that sees strengthened protections for people's privacy.

"Premier Iemma must immediately move to appoint a permanent, full-time Privacy Commissioner, restore resources to the privacy watchdog Privacy NSW and revamp NSW's inferior privacy laws.

"This Privacy Awareness Week there is little to celebrate when it comes to the NSW government's support individual's privacy.  NSW passed Australia's first privacy legislation in 1975 but its legislation is now extremely weak compared to other jurisdictions. 

"The Rudd and Bracks governments are championing privacy, while Premier Iemma has turned a blind eye to increasing risks of privacy breaches through new technologies.

"Poor privacy protection in NSW comes at a time when technological and administrative advancements and increased police powers pose significant threats to individual rights.

"In this internet age, NSW now has outdated privacy legislation overseen by a part-time Privacy Commissioner. Privacy NSW had its funding and staff slashed in 2003 and has never recovered, becoming little more than an answering phone.

"In the meantime the NSW government has introduced legislation that rings alarm bells for privacy, for example establishing a photo ID card, electronic health records and very weak workplace surveillance laws.

"Labor has ignored the concerns of groups like NCOSS and the Australian Privacy Foundation and the Liberals, traditionally champions of privacy, happily supported these new laws.

"A review of NSW's privacy laws by the Attorney General was tabled three years late in 2007, without any publicity, and this report and the government's response is still not available electronically to the public. 

"The NSW Law Reform Commission just released a discussion paper on NSW privacy laws which was two years behind schedule. Many of the problems raised were already covered in the Attorney General's long overdue review.

"The Iemma government is happy to let Privacy NSW fall into obscurity, killing it off slowly but surely like other independent watchdogs under NSW Labor such as the Inspector General of Prisons, the Department of Women and the Community Services Commission.

"At a time when increased powers are being handed to police and video and internet surveillance becoming more invasive a disabled Privacy NSW and weak privacy legislation deliver a lethal mix," Ms Rhiannon said.

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