We offer a national team of advisers with extensive experience in privacy and data protection. Individual members of the privacy law practice have more than 10 years experience in the application of privacy and data protection standards in a commercial environment.

Our approach is to find practical and commercially realistic solutions to privacy and data protection issues. Our privacy law practice has gained recognition for its work with individual clients and also for its efforts in developing appropriate privacy standards for Australian industry sectors and in regulatory policy formulation and reform.

Our services cover the full range of privacy issues, including advice on effective protection of personal, credit, health and employee information, surveillance, communications monitoring and use of biometric technologies. Our team is able to offer you comprehensive legal, policy, educational, compliance and project management services.

We constantly monitor Australian and international developments in privacy and data protection and are able to alert our clients when policy positions and compliance measures might need to be reviewed. 

We have provided privacy services to leading organisations throughout Australia and around the world ranging from the development of privacy codes and company privacy policies, to detailed compliance advice on transborder data flows.

Whether we are writing policy statements, providing advice on legal issues or helping to build a privacy compliance program, we are focused on our clients' requirements for excellent, timely and cost-effective service.

The headings below give you further details of our experience in the following industries:

E-commerce/internet

• Preparing privacy statements for small, medium and large e-commerce and internet-based organisations.
• Analysing e-commerce ventures involving privacy and transborder data flows for multinational insurers.
• Reviewing website privacy and security provisions for internet-based companies.
• Providing privacy advice to a Europe-based technology company setting up a network of websites in various international jurisdictions.
• Developing privacy frameworks for online customer loyalty programs.
• Advising foreign corporation on the suitability of global privacy policies in the Australian environment and developing compliance frameworks.
• Carrying out due diligence for the acquisition of an internet-based company by a global telecommunications consortium.
• Preparing the Australian database for a US-based law firm establishing an international e-commerce law network.

Telecommunications

• Establishing and implementing privacy compliance programs for major telecommunications companies.
• Developing corporate privacy policies and procedures for major telecommunications companies.
• Developing an issues paper and internal procedures on privacy and telecommunications interception obligations for a start-up telecommunications carrier.
• Preparing a privacy regulatory framework submission to government for major telecommunications companies.
• Developing telecommunications industry privacy codes.
• Providing advice to various corporations on monitoring communications.

Financial services

• Assisting the Australian arm of a global credit card provider to establish a customer loyalty program.
• Undertaking a privacy audit and report for a major Australian financial institution.
• Advising on and preparing contractual arrangements for the Australian arm of a global credit card provider. 
• Carrying out due diligence on the Australian credit reporting laws for US-based corporations.
• Developing a privacy compliance manual for a major Australian financial institution.
• Advising on privacy and confidentiality obligations for a major Australian financial institution.
• Advising on interception, surveillance and privacy issues for a major Australian stockbroking company. 
• Advising on voice recording in customer call centres for a foreign bank establishing a presence in Australia.
• Developing a privacy policy for funds management companies.
• Advising large credit card companies on credit reporting provisions.
• Advising a major insurance organisation on call centre monitoring.
• Advising on privacy requirements for superannuation fund trustees.

Retail and marketing

• Advising on privacy implications of a direct marketing initiatives for major Australian retailers.
• Analysing privacy issues in a proposed CRM joint venture for a marketing consultancy group.
• Making a submission to government on specific aspects of the proposed Australian privacy regulation framework for a major Australian retailer. 
• Preparing a privacy issues paper for the Australian subsidiary of a large multinational corporation.
• Preparing and advising on the contractual arrangements of a leading Australian retailer in respect of its credit card group.

Media

• Developing a privacy policy for a major media organisation. 
• Preparing an online privacy compliance survey for a global media and communications company.

Government and government business enterprises (GBEs)

• Developing a privacy compliance strategy and framework for nationwide processing of driver licensing and vehicle registration information.
• Negotiating agreements for appropriate and secure access to sensitive information held by government.
• Developing privacy clauses for outsourcing contracts involving major GBEs. 
• Undertaking a privacy compliance review and developing a training program for a government-owned public utility.
• Providing advice on data-matching proposals for GBEs.

Employee relations

• Advising numerous major Australian and multinational corporations on employee relations matters, including which activities with respect to 'employee records' are exempt from the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
• Providing privacy guidelines in relation to medical, psychological, drug and alcohol testing.
• Advising on criminal record checking processes.
• Reviewing recruitment processes and documents for privacy compliance.
• Assisting clients to audit information handling practices, including drafting organisation surveys.
• Advising on video and audio surveillance in the workplace. 
• Advising on email and computer monitoring of employees. 
• Reviewing and developing privacy policies and email/computer usage policies.
• Providing privacy advice to the education sector, including a major Australian university.

Training

• Developing and delivering interactive, practical and customised privacy training programs for large private and public sector organisations and government bodies.
• Developing a national half-day training program 'Privacy Essentials in Employment'.
• Developing a training program 'Privacy Essentials in Recruitment'.

Other

• Developing privacy code to address standards required by European Union Directives.
• Advising a charitable institution on privacy implications associated with the release of client information.
• Advising a publicly listed corporation on the privacy implications of using of its shareholder register.
• Assisting multinational companies to comply with global privacy standards, including EU Directives and US 'Safe Harbor' provisions.