2014 was a big year for privacy. Following the introduction of new privacy laws for the private sector and Commonwealth agencies early in the year, the Privacy Commissioner was given additional powers to impose fines of up to $1.7 million for serious breaches of privacy.

So far the new laws have been running smoothly with the Commissioner publishing a raft of guidelines to assist the private sector in adopting the new laws. The public sector has lagged behind with a checklist for identifying privacy issues being released in June 2014.

In a year that saw privacy become a significant topic of discussion, the key (and persistent) issues to emerge were:

Surveillance and privacy:

The use of drone (remotely piloted) aircraft is set to be the next big issue in privacy and is guaranteed to create significant debate. It has been reported that NSW police are trialling the use of unmanned drones with the aim of using them in emergencies. However, this has already sparked a backlash from those who fear privacy is at risk.

Another issue that emerged last year was the use of drones by real estate agents and strata corporations. Read more about this issue here...

While 2013 saw the Shoalhaven City Council case result in a change to legislation regarding surveillance, there is no doubt more to come.

In the UK, the long-standing CCTV Code of Practice has this month been updated to deal with emerging surveillance issues.

A new NSW Privacy Governance Framework:

The recent release of a Privacy Governance Framework by the Privacy Commissioner is great news and all agencies will be able to use this resource to assist in establishing a robust privacy governance framework. The framework will assist agencies to develop and refine their Privacy Management Plans.

This will be the topic of Holding Redlich's next Government Lawyer's Day which will be held in February. Stay tuned for more information on this.

This publication does not deal with every important topic or change in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you have found this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances please contact one of the named individuals listed.