Details of a range of ACS submissions and related documents are at:
http://www.acs.org.au/index-positions.htm
An ACS opinion piece by Dr Roger Clarke FACS arising from the submission below, titled 'Privacy Bill Needs Much More Work' was published in The Australian of Tuesday, 15 February 2000.
Ms Helen Daniels
Assistant Secretary, Information Law Branch
Attorney-General's Department
Robert Garran Offices
National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600
Dear Ms Daniels
Re: Key Provisions of the Private Sector Privacy Scheme
I refer to the Attorney-General's 14 December 1999 request for comments on A privacy scheme for the private sector: Release of Key Provisions.
The Australian Computer Society comprises 16,000 information technology professionals. The Society's Code of Practice has always required its members to place a high value on the privacy of individuals during the design, implementation and operation of information systems. Consistently since the late 1960s, it has urged the passage of appropriate legislation. It accordingly welcomes the Government's commitment to establish a privacy protection regime relating to the private sector.
The Society's Economic, Legal and Social Implications Committee has considered the 'Key Provisions' document, together with the analysis prepared by one of the Society's longstanding Fellows, Dr Roger Clarke, which is available at:
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/DV/PAPSSub0001.html
The Committee agrees with the critique in that document. It suitably expresses our serious concern about inadequacies in the draft Bill. In its current form, the Bill seems to contemplate a reduction in privacy protection, and even appears to sanction privacy-invasive practices. In our respectful opinion the Bill needs to be very substantially revised to address the deficiencies identified in Dr Clarke's paper. The Australian Computer Society would welcome the opportunity to participate in the development of a revised Bill.
A copy of this letter will shortly be made publicly available on the Web from http://www.acs.org.au/index-positions.htm
Yours sincerely
Philip Argy
Philip N. Argy
Chairman
Economic, Legal & Social Implications Committee
Community Affairs Board
Australian Computer Society, Inc.
Phone (61 2) 9296 2054
Fax (61 2) 9296 3954
pargy@msj.com.au
http://www.acs.org.au/ Have you visited lately?