Federal Privacy Commissioner, Malcolm Crompton, said the law had now come into effect, and organisations were running out of excuses if they weren't complying with the legislation. -They've got no excuse for not being ready," Crompton said.
Crompton said the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner had seen an increased level of interest, with 50 percent more calls made to its telephone hotline since the December 21 deadline for compliance.
Although he was unable to reveal details about individual complaints, Crompton did confirm that the Office had received complaints since the legislation took effect. The Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner is required to investigate any complaints that it receives. However, it may make a decision to set a complaint aside if it is of a frivalous or vexatious nature.
Crompton said there was a huge education process currently going on as organisations informed the public about their privacy policies. He also added that quite a bit of help was being given by professional organisations to their members, detailing how the privacy legislation effected them and what they needed to do to comply.
He believes there is good evidence to suggest that many large Australian brand name organisations allowed for suitably long lead times and started early to prepare for the legislative changes. -It's impossible to say at this early stage that there's been 100 percent compliance," Crompton said. -There's good signs of take-up."
