THE STATE OF LEGISLATION BY STATE/TERRITORY IN 2022
Data privacy legislation in Australia continues to evolve, as do the threats that consumer data faces. Since the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) was first released, amendments and addendums continue to be added to better support the changing data landscape and the protection of individuals.
In a 2018 update to the Privacy Act, the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme was released to guide organizations through their responsibilities of notifying affected individuals and the OAIC when a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to an individual whose personal information is involved. The impact of COVID-19 has also left more consumer data exposed than ever as people are more reliant on digital services following the pandemic. As seen with the draft of the Online Privacy Bill, Australia continues to move to keep sensitive data protected through evolving channels. In addition to privacy legislation, there are other rules and standards in place to promote the protection of your information when performing payments. This includes PCI DSS v4.0, a set of standards set by the payment card industry (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).
As legislation continues to develop, the Australian consumer is becoming both more educated and concerned about the processes and security of their data. To further explore Australian consumer sentiment around data security, you can dive deeper into our recent research study, This is Australia: The State of Security in the Eyes of Australian Consumers 2022.
Download our infographic on the state of legislation around secure data and payments in Australia to learn more.
This infographic maps Australian data privacy obligations by state and territory as at May 2022, with the Privacy Act 1988 as the principal framework. It sits those requirements alongside PCI DSS v4.0, including the standard's stricter authentication rules — passwords of at least 12 characters mixing numbers and letters. It is aimed at federal and private-sector organisations handling personal information who need to see privacy and payment security obligations in one place. A practical orientation document for compliance teams operating across Australian jurisdictions.
