Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General. Today the Attorney-General released the Privacy Act review that was promised but never delivered by the previous government. What are its key findings and what are the next steps for privacy reform?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Pearce for her question. The large-scale data breaches of 2022 were distressing for millions of Australians, with sensitive personal information being exposed to the risk of identity fraud and scams. Following those breaches, the government acted very swiftly to significantly increase penalties under the Privacy Act for serious or repeated privacy breaches and gave the Australian Information Commissioner improved and new powers. But we made clear at the time that more was needed to protect Australians' privacy. The Australian people rightly expect greater protections, transparency and control over their personal information.

Today I released the long-awaited review of the Privacy Act by my department. This review was commissioned by those opposite way back 2019 but they never finished it. This is just another example of the Labor government cleaning up the mess left by the Liberals and the Nationals. The comprehensive review that my department has completed now has found that the Privacy Act is no longer fit for purpose and does not adequately protect Australian's privacy in the digital age. The department's report makes 116 recommendations for change, and the government wants to know what Australians think about those suggested changes.

I encourage all Australians interested in the protection of their privacy to make a submission to help guide our decision-making. I hope the review sparks a conversation about the need for change and how that change is to be made. We are not afraid of robust debate; in fact, I welcome it. Our government listens when Australians tell us there is a problem and, unlike those opposite, we will act to fix it.