Following on from its move to fast track the issue of whether Australians should have a statutory right to privacy, the Minister for Privacy and Freedom of Information Brendan O’Connor today released an issues paper to discuss proposed legislation on the topic.
The issues paper is in response to a 2008 Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) proposal that legislation be introduced to allow Australians to take legal action if they feel that their privacy has been seriously invaded. As it currently stands, Australians have no legal right to privacy, and cannot take legal action when their privacy is invaded.
Before mass adoption of devices such as smartphones and the use of social networks, privacy had been a relatively simple issue, with O’Connor stating in the paper he released today that serious invasions are infrequent. However, he said that advances have made the issue more complex, and that discussion is now warranted as to whether legislation that gives Australians the right to privacy is appropriate — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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