The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has set out its strategic priorities and key activities for the next four years in its latest Corporate Plan.
Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk said the COVID-19 pandemic had focused attention on the right to privacy and the continued need for transparency across both personal information handling and Government decision-making.
“This year’s Corporate Plan sets out how the OAIC will achieve our core purpose — to promote and uphold privacy and information access rights in the context of a vastly different environment to that of a year ago,” Ms Falk said.
“Through both the pandemic and our recovery, public health and economic outcomes can be supported by promoting and upholding privacy and information access rights,” she said.
“It is this objective that my office seeks to achieve.”
Ms Falk said the plan identified four strategic priorities that would help the OAIC achieve its vision to increase public trust and confidence in the protection of personal information and access to Government-held information.
She said these were to advance online privacy protections; influence and uphold privacy and information access rights frameworks; encourage and support the proactive release of Government-held information; and the provision of a contemporary approach to regulation.
“Over the coming year, the OAIC will continue to promote strong privacy protections for the use of personal information to prevent and manage the spread of COVID-19, including oversight of data-handling within the COVIDSafe app system,” Ms Falk said.
“The OAIC will also continue to promote initiatives that facilitate proactive publishing of Government-held information.”
She said proactive disclosure of information built trust in Government and supported a more efficient and effective freedom of information system.
The OAIC’s 44-page Corporate Plan 2020-2021 can be accessed at this PS News link.
