Coalition: The Coalition is committed to avoiding unnecessary red tape or costs for businesses that pose a low privacy risk, such as most small businesses. The Coalition will continue to encourage self regulation in privacy, promoting Australian businesses to adopt sound privacy practices and encouraging Australian businesses to recognise that good privacy is good business. User confidence, particularly in the area of privacy, has been identified as a critical factor in the uptake of electronically delivered services, especially e-commerce.
The laws have been designed to minimise compliance costs. The Coalition believes that protection of data that businesses hold on individuals should be seen as part of their normal business running costs.
Democrats: The Democrats are concerned that the current privacy framework has exemptions far in excess of those required.
The main justification behind the Coalition's exemptions to small business from the application of the NPPs has been the issue of compliance costs. Despite this being constantly brought up as the major justification for broad-ranging exemptions, there has been limited evidence to substantiate such claims. The Democrats note the lack of substantial compliance costs or other significant difficulties associated with the implementation in other countries of private sector privacy legislation. Why have these countries implemented privacy regimes in the recent past without wide-ranging small business exemptions?
Greens: Protecting the privacy of individuals is an essential public policy issue. Businesses should not be subsidised for their past failures to build privacy protection into their systems.
Labor: Labor called for and then supported laws to extend privacy regulation to the private sector. Businesses that recognise that "good privacy is good business"-and protect their customers personal information rather than exploiting it-are more likely to be rewarded with the loyalty and support of their customers.
One Nation: Declined to answer.
It's disappointing that the only party the failed to address the current problems is the incumbent Liberal Party. It's equally disappointing that the Liberals were reelected.