Information sheet

• Privacy Victoria

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02 December 2010This Information Sheet is designed for employers bound by the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) (IPA) – for example, Victorian state government organisations (including local councils, Victoria Police and courts). 
 
The IPA is about information privacy: it regulates how Victorian public sector organisations collect and deal with personal information about individuals. “Personal information” is recorded information from which an individual can be identified. Unlike some other jurisdictions such as New South Wales, Victoria does not have a specific Act that deals with workplace privacy. The Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) issued a report on workplace privacy in 2005 which recommended the implementation of a Victorian Act, but as of the date of this Information Sheet, only parts
of the VLRC’s report have been implemented. Instead, a Victorian public sector employer must abide by the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) under the IPA. Other relevant laws may also apply in different contexts, such as the Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (Vic) (SDA).