Australia: Opened consultation on an exposure draft of the Privacy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (Online Privacy Bill)

On 25 October 2021, the Attorney-General of Australia issued an exposure draft of the Privacy Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, aiming to enhance the privacy protection of individuals in the online sphere. The bill would create a binding online privacy code (OP code) that will be applied to online platforms, social media organizations, and data brokers. These entities will have to follow new privacy requirements and implement stronger protections for children and vulnerable groups. In addition, the act will introduce penalties of up to AUD 10 million or more, for privacy breaches and increase the regulatory and enforcement powers of the Australian Information Commissioner. The exposure draft was released alongside a discussion paper on the proposals to reform the Privacy Act 1988. The public consultation on the Online Privacy Bill will run from 25 October until 6 December 2021 and will gather feedback from stakeholders before it is introduced to Parliament.