10 October 1997
An invitation to join the Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws
The Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws has been established by concerned
consumer organisations, privacy organisations and businesses to campaign for
the introduction of effective privacy legislation in Australia. The campaign
is an informal alliance of organisations and individuals who believe that
privacy protection can best be achieved through the development of a
national scheme backed by legislation. Any organisation or individual who
believes in this goal can join the campaign - there are no membership fees
or formal structure.
The Campaign is simply an alliance of parties who share the same interest -
there are no restrictions on what individuals and organisations say or do in
their own right.
Members of the Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws believe:
- Privacy protection is a vital issue for both consumers and business.
- Effective privacy protection can best be achieved by a compulsory national
scheme backed by legislation, including enforcement provisions.
The Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws will:
- Lobby the Federal Government to develop a national scheme for privacy
protection backed by appropriate legislation.
- Support, where appropriate, attempts by the Federal Opposition and minor
parties to achieve this goal through the political process.
- Continue to highlight the inadequacy of present privacy safeguards in
Australia.
- Press for a meeting to be held with Government representatives at which
consumer organisations, privacy organisations and businesses can make a case
for national privacy legislation.
Campaign Coordination and Membership List
Tim Dixon, Director of the Australian Privacy Foundation and Chris Connolly
from the Australian Privacy Charter Council have been coordinating this
campaign to date. They provide a central contact point for information and
correspondence, and handle media inquiries. Greg Taylor from Electronic
Frontiers Australia maintains the campaign web site:
http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Privacy/
A list of members of the Campaign will be kept by Chris Connolly and will be
made available in lobbying and media campaigns. The list will also appear on
the campaign web site.
To join the campaign simply complete the attached form and mail or fax it to
Chris Connolly at the address shown, or just send an email or call to say
you wish to join.
Boycott of the Voluntary Code Process
A number of organisations and individuals have decided to boycott the
development of a voluntary privacy code initiated by the Prime Minister.
This is a separate issue from the general campaign, and is optional.
Most consumer and privacy organisations have decided to boycott the
development of a voluntary code because we believe:
- Our involvement may weaken the campaign for legislation.
- We do not have the time or resources to commit to a process to develop a
code which would not be enforceable.
- Consumer and privacy organisations would have no bargaining power in the
development of the content of a voluntary code.
- A voluntary code would give consumers a false expectation of privacy
protection.
International Developments
Both the Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws and the boycott of the voluntary
code have attracted international attention. With less than one year to go
before the European Union Directive on Data Protection comes into force,
there is a growing interest in the position of the various parties in
Australia in relation to privacy protection.
Australia's privacy protection measures will be under international
scrutiny, and this campaign will be publicised in the international press,
on the Internet and through Privacy International. The situation in
Australia has already been the subject of media reports in the UK, France,
Germany, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, China and Japan.
Any Questions?
Please contact us to discuss any issue relating to the campaign or the
boycott. Whether you are a supporter or an opponent of privacy legislation,
we are keen to hear from you.
| Chris Connolly | Tim Dixon |
| Member | Director |
| Australian Privacy Charter Council | Australian Privacy Foundation |
YES I would like to join the Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws
Name: _____________________________________
Title: _____________________________________
Organisation: _____________________________________
Address: _____________________________________
_____________________________________
Tel _________________ Fax _____________ email _______________________
I am joining the campaign as an individual
My organisation is joining the campaign (you can tick both!)
(Optional)
YES I will be boycotting the development of a voluntary privacy code
As an individual As an organisation
The boycott involves not participating in the development of the national
voluntary privacy code being undertaken (at the direction of the Prime
Minister) by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The boycott will end
if the word 'voluntary' is removed from the process and replaced with a
commitment to legislation or co-regulation.
Send completed forms to:
Chris Connolly
Campaign for Fair Privacy Laws
GPO Box 846
Sydney NSW 2001
You can also join by telephone, fax or email:
Tel (02) 9262 4237
Fax (02) 9262 4151
Email [email protected]
