10 June 2025 has passed and the new Privacy Act reforms are in effect. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner now has expanded enforcement powers - including larger fines and increased compliance audits. Are you prepared to advise your clients on these significant changes? Are you clear on what the new tort for serious invasions of privacy means for your clients? Have you reviewed compliance to mitigate risks of emotional distress claims or injunctions? What do the tighter exemptions under the Privacy Act mean for your clients? And with the rise of AI and automated decision-making, how robust is your client’s consent process? Join Peter Leonard one of Australia’s leading experts for a practical update to understand the real impact of these reforms and how to navigate the new privacy environment confidently.
1.00pm to 2.00pm Navigating the New Privacy Act Reforms and Enforcement: The Past is No Guide to the Future
- The New Active Enforcement Posture of the Privacy Commissioner
- Learnings from recent Determinations
- Which business processes and practices are now risky
- Likely Use of New Enforcement Powers
- Compliance notices and enforcement notices
- Mid-range penalties
- Civil penalty proceedings
- Specific and general deterrence – where the Commissioner may strike next
- Prospective New Enforcers
- Statutory cause of action – likely areas of impact
- Potential other direct rights of action
- Relevance of Standards and Industry Codes
- Standards
- Industry codes
- Commissioner guidance
- Clean rooms and anonymisation
- Q&A Session
Presented by Peter Leonard, Principal, Data Synergies, Adjunct Professor, UNSW Law and Justice; Member of the OECD Expert Group on AI, Data, and Privacy; Australia’s National Data Advisory Council and the statutory NSW Information and Privacy Advisory Committee
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Presenters
Peter Leonard, Principal, Data Synergies
Peter Leonard is a data and technology business consultant and lawyer. His business, Data Synergies, is a business and legal consultancy that assists businesses and other organisations. He serves on the OECD Expert Group on AI, Data, and Privacy; Australia’s National Data Advisory Council; the Australian Treasury’s CDR Standards Advisory Committee; the TGA’s Technical Reference Group for SaMD [Software as a Medical Device] and AI; and the statutory NSW Information and Privacy Advisory Committee. Peter also serves on a number of corporate boards, including as chair of Dynamic Crowd Measurement and as a director of Iridium Satellite Australia, Elker and Bodd. Among other industry association commitments, Peter was the first chair of the Australian Computer Society’s AI Ethics Technical Committee, and continues to be an active member of that Committee.
