Who Do I Contact About a Privacy Concern?

Start with the organisation

If you have a concern about how your personal information has been handled, a sensible first step is usually to raise it with the organisation involved. Many concerns can be understood and resolved through a direct conversation.

Organisations are generally expected to take privacy concerns seriously and to respond. Giving them the chance to look into it often leads to the quickest and most practical outcome, since they hold the relevant information.

Starting here is not just procedure. A direct approach frequently clears up misunderstandings or resolves issues without the need for anything more formal, which suits everyone involved. A direct approach often resolves matters more quickly than anything more formal.

Being clear helps

When raising a concern, it helps to be specific: what happened, what information is involved, and what outcome you are hoping for. Clear detail makes it easier for an organisation to investigate and respond meaningfully.

A calm, factual approach tends to work best. The goal is usually to understand and resolve the issue, and clear communication supports that on both sides, even where there is an initial difference of view.

Setting out your concern plainly also helps you. It focuses the conversation on the specific matter and the result you would like, which makes a constructive response more likely. Setting out the matter plainly keeps the conversation focused on the outcome you would like.

The regulator's role

Australia has an independent privacy regulator, the OAIC, that oversees the framework and can consider certain privacy matters. It plays an important role in the system as a whole, beyond any single organisation.

It is generally appropriate to approach the organisation first. The regulator's guidance explains how it can help and when it may be appropriate to involve it, so it is a useful reference if a concern is not resolved.

The OAIC also publishes useful information for individuals about their rights and options. This is general information only and not legal advice, and the regulator's material is the authoritative source. Keeping the regulator's guidance in mind is helpful if a concern is not resolved directly.

Contacting us

If your concern relates to a matter involving us, we would genuinely like the chance to help. We take such concerns seriously and aim to respond respectfully and sensibly, focusing on understanding and resolving the issue.

Telling us clearly what has happened and what you would like helps us assist you effectively. We would much rather you raised a concern than left it unspoken.

You can contact us and we will do our best to assist. Our privacy page explains our approach to handling information. We take concerns seriously and would much rather hear from you than have a worry go unspoken. It is well worth a few minutes of your time.