Introduction

50.1 The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is responsible for enforcing compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This involves investigating instances of non-compliance by agencies and organisations and prescribing remedies to redress non-compliance. While Chapter 49 examines the Privacy Commissioner’s powers to investigate and resolve privacy complaints, this chapter considers the Commissioner’s powers to investigate an act or practice on his or her own motion. It also considers the Commissioner’s power to enforce complaint determinations, report on certain activities and apply for injunctions. Lastly, the chapter recommends other enforcement mechanisms that should be introduced into the Act.