Privacy Awareness Week (29 April – 5 May) is an annual event during which the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities join forces to remind everyone to take steps to protect their own privacy and safeguard personal information about others that they might hold.

“Privacy is recognised in many countries, including Australia, as a human right,” says Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. “Serious consequences can arise when someone’s privacy is breached and we all have responsibilities to look after the personal information we handle.”

“If you collect personal information in the course of your work, remember that having access to people’s personal information comes with responsibilities­­, such as using this information only in ways that they expect and ensuring that it is protected.”

Mr Pilgrim says that good information handling practices make good business sense, and provide a range of benefits.

“You'll enhance your organisation’s reputation and increase the trust and confidence of those who share their personal details with you.”

Protect client information by:

• Being familiar with the privacy policy of your workplace
• Only collecting personal information that is necessary
• Making sure that personal information is used only for the purposes for which it is collected
• Regularly monitoring your information handling practices to ensure they are secure
• Keeping your security systems up to date

By ensuring that privacy is safeguarded and respected, you are not only fulfilling obligations you may have under the Privacy Act, but, more importantly, respecting the trust of those who share their personal details with you.

Find out more at www.privacyawarenessweek.org/oaic