Introduction

15.1 This chapter considers how the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) interacts with a number of federal laws that regulate the handling of personal information. The chapter first discusses the interaction between the Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act) and the Archives Act 1983 (Cth), and considers whether the three Acts should be combined in the one Act and administered by a single body. The chapter then examines how the Privacy Act interacts with secrecy provisions in federal legislation. The final section of the chapter considers whether the confidentiality provisions in Part VIII of the Privacy Act are still required.