Queensland’s new RTI and privacy reforms begin
Today (1 July) marks a special day in Queensland’s privacy and right to information landscape, with commencement of new reforms, designed to strengthen privacy protections for the community and streamline processes to access government held information. These changes are aimed at improving the transparency and accountability of public sector agencies.
The changes stem from the Information Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2023 (IPOLA Act), which impacts the Information Privacy Act 2009 and Right to Information Act 2009.
Perhaps the most significant reform is the establishment of a mandatory notification data breach (MNDB) scheme in Queensland. Starting today, for most public sector agencies (except for local councils that will follow one year later), the Information Commissioner and affected individuals must be notified of eligible data breaches unless one of the exemptions apply. Queensland is the third Australian jurisdiction to implement a mandatory scheme that, alongside the new Queensland Privacy Principles, will foster a more privacy-focused public sector.
Since the IPOLA Act was passed by Parliament in November 2023, OIC has been working alongside public sector agencies to support their preparations, through the delivery of a resource library, training and regular communications.
The OIC acknowledges that the first year of the new legislation will be a period of transition for agencies and during this time, OIC will continue to support and advise agencies to achieve compliance with the QPPs.
A/Information Commissioner, Stephanie Winson, acknowledges the tremendous engagement of officers across the sector.
“I want to express my appreciation to everyone across the Queensland public sector who participated in the IPOLA implementation project. Your engagement, insights and feedback have helped OIC deliver what we hope has been a comprehensive suite of training programs and guidance on the changes along with practical resources, tools and templates,” she said.
Visit our IPOLA webpage to find out more, including what’s changing on our website from 1 July.
The legislation is available here: