Media Announcement: Privacy Commissioner publishes case notes 1 - 7 for 2007

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25 May 2007

The Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, has today released seven new case notes covering a range of different privacy issues and topics:

A v Licensed Club [2007] PrivCmrA 1 relates to the disclosure of personal information by a licensed club resulting in the harassment of the individuals concerned.

B v Surgeon [2007] PrivCmrA 2 looks at the rights of patients to obtain access to, and copies of, their medical records.

C v Australian Government Agency [2007] PrivCmrA 3 involves the disclosure of sensitive personal health information through the publication of a hearing transcript by a government agency.

Own Motion Investigation v Australian Government Agency [2007] PrivCmrA 4 considers an example where the collection of a particular type of personal information by a government agency during a recruitment process was unnecessary.

Own Motion Investigation v Bankruptcy Trustee Firm [2007] PrivCmrA 5 examines whether the appearance of certain personal information on a bankruptcy trustee firm's website involved the improper disclosure and inadequate protection of that information.

D v Insurance Company [2007] PrivCmrA 6 involves the appearance of an insurance account holder's personal information on another person's account.

E v Retail Organisation [2007] PrivCmrA 7 examines some of the obligations relating to personal information stored on individual computer hard-drives.

The Privacy Commissioner publishes case notes of finalised complaints that are considered to be of interest to the general public.

Most cases chosen for inclusion in case notes involve interpretation of the Privacy Act or associated legislation in new circumstances, illustrate systemic issues, or illustrate the application of the law to a particular industry or subject area.  The case notes are intended to offer a synopsis only.  They are not intended to be a comprehensive account.

It is a function of the Commissioner to endeavour to resolve complaints by conciliation where appropriate (s.27(1)(a)).  As a result, the outcome in any particular case will be affected a number of factors, including the applicable law, the facts of the matter and the approach to the conciliation process taken by both the complainant and respondent.  Please visit the Complaint Case Notes and Complaint Determinations page for more details.