Insights

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM). CSAM is an annual reminder for Australians to stay safe online and protect your online information and assets. The theme for CSAM 2023 is ‘be cyber aware – don’t compromise’. CSAM is an opportunity for businesses to review their understanding of ‘cyber security’ as a concept while continuing […]

Over the past 12 months we have observed a seismic shift in the focus on the privacy landscape in Australia and across the globe, with several high profile and large scale data breaches shining a spotlight on how individuals, business and governments treat and store personal information. Privacy is at the forefront of individuals’ minds. […]

The Australian privacy landscape is changing. In December 2022, amendments came into force to amend the Privacy Act 1998 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) to increase the maximum penalties related to serious and repeated breaches of the Australian Privacy Principles (the APPs) and the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme. As a result of these amendments, the maximum […]

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) introduced the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in February 2018 (the Scheme). The Scheme serves the dual purpose of enhancing accountability of entities engaging with personal and sensitive information, and arming affected individuals with the necessary information to lessen the severity of a data breach. The Scheme has […]

While 84% of Australians consider privacy to be important when they are choosing a website or digital service, only 20% read privacy policies and are confident they understand them.[1] This highlights the trust Australians place in service providers – trusting that their personal information will be handled with integrity and care. This year’s Privacy Awareness […]

The Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk, recently determined that 7-Eleven interfered with up to 1.6 million customers’ privacy by collecting sensitive biometric information, via in-store customer satisfaction surveys, that was not reasonably necessary for its functions and without adequate notice or consent. This determination is a timely reminder to businesses to collect […]

Vaccinated Australians will have, by now, accessed their COVID-19 vaccination certificate, a token of our roadmap out of lockdown. However, the token comes with personal and, in some formats, sensitive information. For example, the: COVID-19 digital certificate which can be saved to a smart phone reveals date of birth; the International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate that […]

Does the name you have adopted for your business describe the nature of your business and also make reference to the geographic region in which your business operates? Naming your business after its geographical location can provide a trading advantage in attracting customers. The location of the business and the core function of the business […]

A recent decision of the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner highlights the responsibilities of global corporations with Australian users under Australian privacy law, particularly where the handling of personal information of Australians is outsourced to a company based overseas, whether that be a company within the same corporate group, or an unrelated third party. It […]

We published an article outlining the collective bargaining class exemption for small to medium businesses approved by the ACCC earlier this year. This exemption came into effect on 3 June 2021 and allows eligible small and medium businesses to engage in collective bargaining with their suppliers without being in breach of the Competition and Consumer […]