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Ministers agree to pursue national privacy laws

Friday, 04 November, 2005
  
 

In a statement issued after the Standing Committee of Attorneys General met in Sydney today, Mr Hulls said his counterparts had agreed to look at a range of models, including the recent recommendations of the Victorian Law Reform Commission.

He said that all Australian jurisdictions lacked a legislative framework to deal with the many issues of privacy in the workplace.

“The modern workplace does not stop at state boundaries and a national approach to this issue is required to make any regulation effective”, Mr Hulls said.

“The law must keep pace with modern workplace practices which have changed dramatically over time.

“Employers now have access to technology and medical science allowing unprecedented access into workers’ lives.”

In its report, the Victorian Law Reform Commission recommended that employers be prevented from unreasonably breaching workers’ privacy.

It called for an outright ban on some practices, including surveillance in private areas of the workplace where people had a higher expectation of privacy, like toilets and changerooms.

In a statement issued before the meeting, Northern Territory’s attorney general, Peter Toyne, signalled its support for greater regulation of workplace privacy.

Mr Toyne said the NT wanted the creation of an independent regulator to oversee the operation of legislation and to educate, investigate and resolve complaints about breaches of workplace privacy.

The attorneys general also discussed whether to introduce ‘R18+’ classifications similar to movies for some computer games, as well as e-conveyancing.

Mr Toyne said settling a home would be easier if reforms allowing electronic settlement were introduced.

 
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