Did you know Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) will be held from 6-12 May 2024? While we should all be protecting and respecting personal information every day (not only in our personal lives but also as public sector employees), PAW gives us a timely reminder about the importance of privacy rights and the consequences when privacy is breached.
In Queensland, the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) runs an awareness campaign each year to help educate the community and public sector agencies about the importance of protecting and respecting personal information.
This year’s PAW theme is ‘Privacy and technology: improving transparency, accountability and security’. Advances in technology can potentially improve our standard of living, safety and give us access to greater information so that we can be informed, but it can also bring with it the potential to intrude further into our personal lives.
The Queensland public sector must ensure new technology is developed and deployed in a way that enhances transparency, accountability and security. Queenslanders’ personal information must be protected and now, more than ever, the public sector needs to ensure they’re getting it right, because it helps build and maintain community trust.
When it comes to privacy, Queensland is entering an exciting new era, with changes to the Information Privacy Act 2009 and the Right to Information Act 2009 being passed in parliament last November. The upcoming changes will improve transparency and accountability of agencies and strengthen privacy protections for the community. This includes a mandatory data breach notification scheme (expected to come into force for most agencies in 2025) and greater consistency with the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
Working for the public sector in Queensland, everyone has a role to play. This includes respecting privacy rights, upholding privacy values and fostering a ‘privacy aware’ work culture. Together, we will be in a better position for when these changes take effect.
Find out more about PAW and brush up on your privacy knowledge by:
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