26 October 2022
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) welcomes funding announced in the October 2022-23 Federal Budget to assist its privacy investigations.
The OAIC has been allocated $5.5 million over two years from 2022-23 to support its response to the Optus incident. The OAIC recently commenced an investigation into the personal information handling practices of Optus companies.
Funding announced in the March 2022 budget has also been confirmed*.
“The OAIC has shifted to a stronger enforcement posture in line with increased privacy risks and the community’s growing concerns over the protection of their data,” Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said.
“This funding is an important addition to assist us in promoting and upholding privacy rights for the community.”
*In the March 2022 budget the OAIC was allocated $8.71 million in 2022-23 and $8.24 million in 2023-24 to process privacy complaints and enhance its capacity to take regulatory action for breaches of privacy, such as litigation against social media platforms. The budget also included additional funding of $3.6 million provided over 4 years, and $1.1 million per year ongoing for the OAIC to support implementation of the Australian Government's response to the Inquiry into the Future Directions for the Consumer Data Right.
