Progress made, but more to do
Information Commissioner’s review highlights gaps in use of privacy impact assessments and improvements for managing camera surveillance in public spaces.
Today the Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly tabled in Parliament the Information Commissioner’s Report No. 2: ‘Camera surveillance through the privacy lens: Local government use of camera surveillance in public spaces and privacy impact assessments’.
The review examined the use of privacy impact assessments by Queensland’s local governments when implementing, expanding or upgrading their use of camera surveillance in public spaces. The review also examined in greater detail privacy impact assessments from six local governments.
As we move through our local communities going about our daily lives, increasingly our image, location and movements are being captured by camera surveillance systems installed in public spaces to monitor and respond to public safety risks and deter unlawful and unsafe conduct.
Local governments are increasingly adopting advanced surveillance technologies, including body-worn cameras, drones, and artificial intelligence-enabled systems. These advancements underscore the need for robust privacy protections to address the unique risks associated with these technologies.
Camera surveillance systems that capture personal information are subject to the provisions of the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) (the Information Privacy Act). The Information Privacy Act protects information privacy when agencies collect, store, handle, manage, use or disclose personal information.
A privacy impact assessment supports agencies in meeting their obligations under the Information Privacy Act, including the privacy principles. They assist agencies in identifying risks and issues upfront putting the agency in a position to proactively manage or mitigate any risks.
Our observations and findings were reported to the Speaker of the Parliament. The Speaker tabled the report in Parliament on 21 April 2026.
