Privacy Act 1988 - Wikipedia Privacy Act 1988 Australia This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Australia Constitution Constitution of Australia Statute of Westminster Adoption Act Australia Act The Crown Monarch : Elizabeth II Governor - General : Sir Peter Cosgrove Executive Prime Minister : Malcolm Turnbull Deputy Prime Minister : Barnaby Joyce Federal Executive Council Ministry Current ( 71st ) Cabinet Legislature Parliament Senate President : Stephen Parry House of Representatives Speaker : Tony Smith Opposition Leader : Bill Shorten Shadow Ministry Judiciary High Court Lower Courts Laws of Australia Elections Federal electoral system Electoral divisions Political parties Recent elections Federal : 2016 2013 Federal by - elections Referendums States and territories Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Parliaments and Assemblies State courts State electoral systems Local government NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas NT Related topics Regions Foreign relations Defence Force Public holidays Republicanism Other countries Atlas This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( June 2014 ) The Privacy Act 1988 is an Australian law dealing with privacy. Section 14 of the Act stipulates a number of privacy rights known as the Information Privacy Principles ( IPPs ). These principles apply to Australian Government and Australian Capital Territory agencies or private sector organisations contracted to these governments, as well as to organisations and small businesses who provide a health service. The principles govern when and how personal information can be collected by these government agencies. Information can only be collected if it is relevant to the agencies ' functions. Upon this collection, that law mandates that Australians have the right to know why information about them is being acquired and who will see the information. Those in charge of storing the information have obligations to ensure such information is neither lost nor exploited. An Australian will also have the right to access the information unless this is specifically prohibited by law. Contents 1 2000 amendments 2 State legislation 3 Administration 4 Review of the Act 5 References 6 See also 7 External links 2000 amendments The Privacy Act was amended in 2000 to cover the private sector. Schedule 3 of the Privacy Act sets out a significantly different set of privacy principles ( the National Privacy Principles ) which apply to private sector organisations ( including not for profit organisations ) with a turnover exceeding three million dollars, other than health service providers or traders in personal information. These principles extend to the transfer of personal information out of Australia. State legislation Privacy principles that are substantially the same as the NPPs are also included in the legislation applying to the public sectors of some Australian States and Territories, namely the Information Privacy Act 2000 ( Victoria ), Information Act 2002 ( Northern Territory ), and Personal Information Protection Act 2004 ( Tasmania ). Administration Australia 's privacy principles, both IPPs and NPPs, depend upon the meaning of `` personal information '' ( as defined in Privacy Act 1988 s6 ). This term has not yet been interpreted in a restrictive way as has been `` personal data '' in the UK Durant case. The Privacy Act creates an Office of the Privacy Commissioner and a Privacy Commissioner in Australia. Section 36 of the Act states that Australians may appeal to this Commissioner if they feel their privacy rights have been compromised, unless the privacy was violated by an organisation that has its own dispute resolution mechanisms under an approved Privacy Code. The Commissioner, who may decide to investigate complaints and in some cases must investigate, can under section 44 obtain relevant evidence from other people. There is no appeal to a Court or Tribunal against decisions of the Commissioner except in very limited circumstances. Section 45 of the Privacy Act allows the Commissioner to interview the people themselves, and the people might have to swear an oath to tell the truth. Anyone who fails to answer the Commissioner may be subject to a fine of up to $2,000 and / or year - long imprisonment ( under section 65 ). Under section 64 of the Privacy Act, the Commissioner is also given immunity against any lawsuits that he or she might be subjected to for the carrying out of their duties. If the Commissioner will not hear a complaint, an Australian may receive legal assistance under section 63. If a complaint is taken to the Federal Court of Australia, in certain circumstances others may receive legal assistance. Even though the Privacy Act has been in force for nearly 20 years, there is as yet little case law interpreting it. The only significant Federal Court decision is Seven Network ( Operations ) Limited v Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance ( 2004 ) FCA 637 involving a dispute between a trade union and a media company which confirmed that s98 of the Privacy Act did allow ' any person ' to seek an injunction to prevent breaches of the Act. The only recent High Court decision to consider privacy issues, ABC v Lenah 208 CLR 199, did not interpret the Privacy Act. Review of the Act The Australian Law Reform Commission completed an inquiry into the state of Australia 's privacy laws in 2008. The Report entitled For Your Information : Australian Privacy Law and Practice recommended significant changes be made to the Privacy Act, as well as the introduction of a statutory cause of action for breach of privacy. The Australian Government committed in October 2009 to implementing a large number of the recommendations that the Australian Law Reform Commission had made in its report. References Jump up ^ http://www.privacy.gov.au/business/health Jump up ^ John Durant v Financial Services Authority ( 2003 ) EWCA Civ 1746, Case no : B2 / 2002 / 2636 http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2003/1746.html Jump up ^ Office of the Privacy Commissioner website Jump up ^ ALRC Report For Your Information : Australian Privacy Law and Practice Jump up ^ ALRC Australia must rewrite privacy laws for the Information Age, 1 August 2008 Jump up ^ ALRC List of Recommendations Jump up ^ http://www.alrc.gov.au/media/2009/mr1410.html See also Telecommunications ( Interception and Access ) Act 1979 Telecommunications Act 1997 Surveillance Devices Act 2004 External links Full text of the Privacy Act 1988, Australasian Legal Information Institute, URL accessed 6 May 2006. National Privacy Principles, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, URL accessed 12 June 2011. Information Privacy Principles, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, URL accessed 12 June 2011. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Privacy_Act_1988&oldid=778278674 '' Categories : 1988 in Australian law Acts of the Parliament of Australia Privacy legislation Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles in need of updating from June 2014 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 2 May 2017, at 03 : 56. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the purpose of privacy act 1988
Answer: govern when and how personal information can be collected by these government agencies