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To modernise and strengthen Australia’s privacy framework for the digital era, the Albanese government has issued a consultation paper alongside draft legislation.
Proposed reforms have recently been announced with the aim of enhancing privacy safeguards for Australians while addressing emerging challenges posed by novel technologies, such as artificial intelligence and smart glasses.
Australians are increasingly vulnerable to escalating threats, including sophisticated scams, identity fraud, and significant data security lapses.
As legal practices integrate cloud computing and AI in 2026, tech adoption is being approached as a critical nexus of security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Firms have already been encouraged to implement rigorous ongoing vendor oversight, robust access protocols, and proactive governance frameworks to mitigate evolving risks.
As per a statement from the Honourable Michelle Rowland MP, the privacy protections are aimed to be achieved through a range of different schemes.
The first is the implementation of a fair and reasonable test, with the aim for companies to no longer explain why they are collecting more data and personal information than is required, and utilising it in ways that Australians would never anticipate.
The second initiative that was portrayed is the right to erasure, enabling individuals to ask to remove personal information from major digital platforms such as social media and search platforms.
The third aim is to have stronger and more meaningful standards for consent, ensuring that Australians make an educated decision about the information they distribute, without any undisclosed decisions.
The final initiative is having measures to stop businesses from trading in personal information without clear permission, to prevent things such as shopping habits, online interests, or location data from being purchased and sold without regular Australians being aware.
Rowland indicated the need for these privacy laws in the current digital environment, which is consumed in technology.
“The Albanese government is modernising Australia’s privacy laws to ensure they are fit for purpose in the digital age,” Rowland said.
“Australians expect their personal information to be protected, not exploited. Yet almost four in five Australians report they have very little or no control over how their personal information is collected or used.
“As more of our lives move online, these reforms will help strengthen privacy protections, boost accountability, and ensure Australians can embrace technology with greater confidence.”
In a recent interview, Rowland indicated the government’s proposed privacy reforms will give Australians greater control over how their personal information is collected, used and shared.
“We need to make sure that people who are utilising digital platforms are able to do so in a way that is safe, that is not one that is susceptible to being fed algorithms that simply reinforce not only stereotypes, but behaviours that, again, are harmful to Australians,” Rowland said.
The measures have been conducted after thorough consultation, including feedback from the Privacy Act Review and the 2024 reforms to the Privacy Act, with the government now looking for opportunities for how the reforms may operate.
Australians, commercial entities, researchers, and community groups are encouraged to add their perspectives via the Attorney-General’s Department consultation hub, with the window for formal feedback closing on 18 September 2026.
