Take part in Privacy
Awareness Week
This year’s campaign is about the simple
foundations we can put in place to protect
our personal information.
Angelene Falk
Australian Information Commissioner
and Privacy Commissioner
For Privacy Awareness Week this year we are highlighting privacy as the foundation of trust.
Trust is essential to taking the community with us as the digital economy continues to grow and play a major part in our lives. It is essential that the public can trust organisations to handle their personal information with integrity and care; transparently, accountably and in ways that the community would regard as fair and reasonable.
That trust will not occur without privacy as the foundation.
Our campaign design, using colourful building blocks, is a dynamic way of bringing to life the different components that can contribute to the right privacy foundation.
However, as important as it is to get the foundations right, we need to remember that our privacy platforms need ongoing upgrades. This is especially so as our world is rapidly transformed by innovations in technology, with our personal information now a major fuel source of the digital economy.
Organisations need to consistently revisit and revise their privacy settings and anticipate changes in their environment. They also need to be aware and responsive to the needs and concerns of their customers and the wider community.
The best organisations will not only focus on what good privacy practices can prevent, but what privacy can enable.
If the right foundations are in place, organisations will have the ability to increase the focus on those issues that are unique to them and make privacy part of their competitive advantage – and the community will respond. And government agencies can uplift their standing as trusted custodians of Australian’s personal information, building confidence in the work of agencies overall.
In advance of Privacy Awareness Week, we will be sharing tips to build strong privacy foundations, at home and at work. The cornerstone is to be proactive.
For individuals it’s easy to build good privacy habits. There are simple foundations you can lay to protect your personal information, such as strengthening your passwords and making sure your privacy settings are solid.
For organisations, taking a privacy by design approach and training your staff to prevent data breaches are some of the essentials.
Don’t forget to sign up your organisation as a PAW supporter to show your commitment to good privacy practice and receive our toolkit to help you increase privacy awareness among your staff, customers and stakeholders.
From all of us at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, thank you for supporting Privacy Awareness Week and protecting the personal information of all Australians.
Assets
We’ve got everything you need to start a conversation about privacy and show your support for Privacy Awareness Week. The assets here include an A3 poster, PowerPoint template, email signature, web banner and images for social media. Please feel free to adapt these resources to suit your needs.
For more assets and to access our toolkit, sign up as a supporter.
Become a PAW supporter
Becoming a PAW supporter gives your organisation access to our supporter toolkit to help increase privacy awareness among your staff, customers and stakeholders. It shows your commitment to good privacy practice and advancing the privacy rights of individuals.
Our supporters
Leading Australian organisations support and participate in Privacy Awareness Week.
Events
Discover what’s on during
Privacy Awareness Week.
Insights and lessons – Preparing for MNDB
Tuesday 3 May, 930amThis online session will focus on assisting NSW public sector agencies to prepare for the upcoming Mandatory Notification Data Breach Scheme. Please note this event is for NSW public sector employees.
OVIC lightning talk: Raising the bar – enhancing trust through complaint handling
Tuesday 3 May, 2pmThe Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner’s first lightning talk will focus on enhancing trust through privacy complaint handling. The session is for Victorian public sector employees.
OVIC Privacy Awareness Week panel discussion
Wednesday 4 May, 10amJoin the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner for their Privacy Awareness Week panel discussion that will explore the importance of building public trust in an information age.