26/05/2026 Unions are continuing to sound the alarm on the impact widespread adoption of AI could have on workers’ rights, warning the lack of legal guardrails risks the erosion of job security and further entrenchment of socioeconomic inequality. A union backed report released by the John Curtin Research Centre (JCRC) has highlighted the importance of …
Read more
25/03/2026 The NACC has released its report into Operation Myrtleford, which investigated six individuals that were referred to the NACC by the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme. The NACC’s investigation was confined to specific events in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and determining whether the conduct of any of the six referred people constituted serious …
Read more
25/02/2026 A recent Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) decision on Bunnings Group Limited’s (Bunnings) use of facial recognition technology (FRT) has overturned some of the Privacy Commissioner’s findings in relation to the contravention of the Australian Privacy Principles (APP). Departing from the Commissioner’s findings, the ART found that Bunnings lawfully collected the sensitive information of individuals entering its stores via FRT in accordance with APP 3.3 as …
Read more
06/02/2026 As workplaces continue to grapple with the emergence and implications of AI, Microsoft has announced a landmark Framework Agreement with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), to ensure workers have a voice in how AI and other emerging technologies are implemented in Australian workplaces. The continuing improvements in AI capabilities has caused increased …
Read more
12/12/2025 On 12 November 2025, the Australian Government released the AI Plan for the Australian Public Service. The Plan aims to improve efficiency and productivity in the APS by substantially increasing its use of AI in the next 18 months. It includes 15 initiatives under 3 mutually reinforcing pillars (Trust, People, and Tools) which aim …
Read more
22/10/2025 The Federal Court recently ordered Australian Clinical Labs (ACL) pay $5.8 million in civil penalties following a mishandled ransomware attack in 2022. As noted by Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind, “for the first time, a regulated entity has been subject to civil penalties under the Privacy Act…” On 25 February 2022, Medlab Pathology, now a …
Read more
24/09/2025 Australian retail giant Kmart’s facial recognition practices have been found to have breached Australia’s Privacy Act. The Privacy Commissioner, Carly Kind, of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), handed down her determination on 26 August 2025. Kmart deployed facial recognition (FR) cameras in 28 of its stores during a pilot program between …
Read more
22/08/2025 In 2022, Optus suffered one of the most notorious data breaches since the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme began in 2018. The data breach affected approximately 9.5 million Australians, being current and former Optus customers who all had varying amounts of their personal information stolen by hackers. The information stolen included names, dates of birth, …
Read more
You may have used or seen a Quick Response code, more commonly known as a QR code. A QR code is a grided barcode that when scanned with a device’s camera, can take the user to websites, connect to Wi-Fi networks, allow the user to view and order food, download files, authenticate services or even …
Read more
In November 2024, following the infamous Bunnings Determination the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) published a guide for organisations in using facial recognition technology (FRT). The guide walks organisations through how the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) should be applied in the context of using facial recognition technology (FRT) in a commercial setting. FRT …
Read more