Privacy Awareness Week NSW 2023

Privacy Awareness Week is a global campaign that involves both public sector agencies and citizens and aims to improve understanding and awareness of NSW privacy legislation, and to raise awareness of a person’s privacy rights and agency obligations.

Privacy Awareness Week NSW takes place from 1 – 7 May 2023 and this year’s theme is Back to Basics: Privacy foundations in NSW.

Federation Council is a proud Champion of Privacy Awareness Week NSW 2023 and is committed to protecting the privacy of NSW citizens.

In NSW, your privacy is protected by the:

Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act) which outlines how NSW public sector agencies, including government agencies, local councils and universities, manage and protect personal information Health Records Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act) which promotes fair and responsible handling of health information. The HRIP Act applies to an organisation in NSW that is a health service provider or that collects, holds or uses health information. This includes both public and private sector organisations.

This Privacy Awareness Week, follow these basic principles to protect your privacy:

Store – store personal documents such as passports, driving licences, pay slips, tax returns, bank statements and bills in a safe place. Destroy – Destroy or shred personal documents you are throwing away such as bills, receipts, credit card statements and other documents that show your name, address or other personal details. Secure - If you need to post personal documents, ask the post office for advice on the most secure method. Limit - Keep the number of documents you carry around on you to a minimum. Don’t leave personal documents in your vehicle or unattended. Check – Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for unusual transactions. Vary – Always use a different password and PIN for different accounts and take care when using public computers to access personal information. Accurate – Regularly check your records. Make sure your information is correct and up to date. Secret – Disable auto-connect to public Wi-Fi and never connect to public Wi-Fi on your work account. Use a VPN, incognito mode and/or ad blocking browser extensions, and clear out your cookie caches and browsing history to prevent your data and activity being collected. Ask – Get permission before you share photos or videos of someone, and don’t share posts that contain personal information. Never exchange sensitive information over email. Think – Think before you click links or share posts. Social media platforms have around 20 per cent more methods to scam customers than other websites, including malicious advertisements, share buttons and plug-ins. Separate – Never use a work email address on a personal social media account. Use your own email address or create a separate one. Delete – Remove unused apps from your phone, and disable location, camera and microphone access where it’s not required.

All NSW citizens have a right to have their personal information protected. If you are concerned about the breach of your privacy, you can request with us to conduct an internal privacy review. Learn more from Council’s Privacy Policy.

The Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) can also help you understand privacy laws in NSW and give you information on how to protect your personal information and assert your rights. Learn more by visiting the Privacy Awareness Week website.