Summer blog
Former Victorian Privacy Commissioner Paul Chadwick, has been appointed to the new ABC position of Director of Editorial Policies. He will report to the Managing Director providing independent assessment of editorial performance. It's another feather in Chadwick's hat, after an outstanding 5 years as the first Privacy Commissioner in Victoria.
Chadwick previously was a journalist with the Age (a Walkley Award winner for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 1997), wrote a book on FOI in the 1980s. acquired a law degree along the way and also headed the Communications Law Centre in Melbourne.
He is a great appointment to what is likely to be another hot seat.
This blog takes an interest in issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. Information contained on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Follow Peter Timmins on Twitter: @foiguru Follow the open government cause through the Australian Open Government Partnership Network. www.opengovernment.org.au and @opengovau
no he's not.
ReplyDeleteThe Privacy Commissioner in Victoria has to be the biggest joke I have ever seen. For the paltry number of complains lodged it would be cheaper to shut the commission and give everyone who complains a free BMW. Would have saved on his 150k salary too, and the ludicrous publicly funded 'Privacy Awards' and 'Privacy Awareness' campaigns.
Privacy laws have stopped parents knowing where their disabled children are, stopped police from finding out the nearest of kin of deceased persons, and generally formed a ludicrous nonsensical overregulated load of rubbish. In the meantime , they do nothing to stop intrusive telemarketers, banks flooding people with junkmail and other assorted nonsense.
Having a 'Privacy Commissioner' is just a government PR stunt to throw some red tape over a problem which is poorly defined and which very few people actually complain about.