chronology of Australian privacy development

This page offers a basic timeline highlighting key events in Australian privacy development at the national and state/territory levels. A more general timeline about communications history is here.

     beginnings

1901 Commonwealth of Australia established - privacy not featured in federal Constitution

1937 decision by High Court in Victoria Park Racing v Taylor that there are no property rights in a 'spectacle'

1948 adoption by UN of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1966 International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights

1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

1969 listening device legislation passed in Victoria and NSW

1971 Invasion of Privacy Act in Queensland

1971 Information Storage Bill in Victoria

1973 report of inquiry by Morison into Privacy in New South Wales

1973 Human Rights Bill introduced in Senate but lapses with 1974 Double Dissolution

1975 Fair Credit Reports Act in South Australia

1975 Privacy Committee Act in NSW

     moves for Federal legislation

1976 Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) directed to report on privacy

1976 Mann Committee reports on Privacy & Data Protection in Western Australia

1978 Listening Devices Act 1978 in Western Australia

1978 Credit Reporting Act in Victoria

1979 ALRC report on Unfair publication: defamation & privacy

1979 ALRC report on Privacy & the Census

1979 Commonwealth Telecommunications (Interception) Act

1980 OECD Guidelines on Data Privacy Protection & Transborder Data Flows released.

1983 ALRC report on Privacy

1984 Privacy Committee Act in Queensland

1984 Listening Devices Act in New South Wales

1984 Federal Government adopts OECD guidelines

1986 Commonwealth Privacy Bill proposed but abandoned

1986 Australia Card proposed

     Federal legislation

1988 Commonwealth Privacy Act passed, regulating most federal public sector agencies

1988 Tax File Number introduced

1988 Commonwealth Cash Transaction Report Act

1988 Data Protection Bill in Western Australia

1989 Privacy Committee established in South Australia

1990 Queensland's Privacy Committee Act 1984 amended and extended for a year

1990 Bill of Rights Act 1990 in New Zealand

1991 Privacy Bill introduced in South Australia

1991 Review of Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979

1991 Listening Devices Act 1991 in Tasmania

1992 Amendments relating to credit reporting made to the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988

1993 Privacy Act 1993 in New Zealand

1994 NSW Privacy & Data Protection Bill introduced but lapses

1995 report on privacy by Commonwealth Parliament House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal & Constitutional Affairs

1995 NSW Privacy Committee releases Invisible Eyes report on video surveillance in the workplace

1996 Federal Attorney-General’s Privacy Protection in the Private Sector discussion paper released

1997 public inquiry on privacy issues conducted by Federal Privacy Commissioner

1998 National Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal Information (voluntary code of regulation for the private sector) established by the Federal Privacy Commissioner

1998 ACT Health Records (Privacy & Access) Act came into force

1998 Privacy & Personal Information Act in NSW passes

1998 Data Protection Bill in Victoria (later named the Information Privacy Act)

1998 Surveillance Devices Act in Western Australia

1999 Workplace Video Surveillance Act in NSW

1999 Senate Legal & Constitutional References Committee's Privacy & the Private Sector report released

1999 Commonwealth Attorney-General releases draft provisions of the proposed new privacy legislation

2000 Surveillance Devices Act 1999 in Victoria, which repeals Listening Devices Act 1969, commences

     extension to private sector

2000 first reading of Commonwealth Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Bill. Legislation is subsequently passed after minor amendments and community criticism

2000 EU submission to House of Representatives Committee indicates that Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Bill would not meet EU’s test of "adequacy"

2000 Information Privacy Act in Victoria passed

2000 Information Privacy Act in Queensland lapses

2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases draft code development guidelines

2001 Health Records Act in Victoria passed

2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner announces research projects on Privacy & the Community and on Privacy, Business & Government

2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases draft NPP and draft Health Privacy guidelines

2001 Tasmania and Western Australia commence drafting privacy legislation

2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner releases consultation paper on Privacy Issues in the Use of Public Key Infrastructure for Individuals

2001 National Health & Medical Research Council releases draft s 95A guidelines

2001 Information Privacy Act in Victoria comes into effect

2001 Federal Privacy Commissioner begins to approve industry codes

2001 new federal regime comes into effect

March 2002 Health Records Act in Victoria comes into effect