The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has announced its regulatory action priorities for 2025-26, detailing the focus areas intended to enhance the protection of personal information and ensure access to government-held data.
Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd emphasised the importance of these priorities not only for individuals but also for industry and government. “In announcing our priorities, we want to ensure that the community is aware of the harms that we are focused on and why they are important. We also want to signal to industry and government the practices that they should focus on to ensure that they are upholding their obligations,” Tydd stated. She underscored the OAIC’s commitment to directing resources towards the most pressing regulatory challenges, highlighting that this approach aims to foster innovation while bolstering economic and productivity growth. “Our vision is to increase public trust and confidence in the protection of personal information and access to government-held information. We recognise that community confidence and trust will contribute to a healthy democracy and positively impact the economy,” she added.
The OAIC’s areas of regulatory focus will include:
Rebalancing power and information asymmetries: The OAIC intends to target sectors and technologies that create imbalances in power, protecting rights related to the rental and property, credit reporting, and data brokerage sectors. The agency will also scrutinise advertising technology, particularly pixel tracking, along with practices associated with artificial intelligence that undermine privacy rights.
Rights preservation in new and emerging technologies: The agency aims to protect privacy and information access rights in relation to high-impact technologies, including facial recognition and various forms of biometric scanning, as well as new surveillance technologies that involve location data tracking.
Strengthening the information governance of the Australian Public Service: The OAIC will address inadequate information handling practices within public service organisations. This will involve offering guidance to improve decision-making processes and scrutinising the use of messaging APPs by government bodies.
Ensuring timely access to government information: The OAIC will push for the timely release of government information in alignment with the freedom of information Act, focusing on systemic underperformance within agencies regarding access requests and compliance with statutory requirements. Freedom of Information Commissioner Toni Pirani remarked, “Access to information promotes government transparency and is essential to our democratic system. Our regulatory action priorities focus on supporting agencies to provide timely access to government information.”
Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind warned of the risks posed by unjust extraction and use of personal information. “Opaque and unfair extraction and use of personal information undermines consumer trust and confidence, and may ultimately impede participation in the digital economy and the adoption of new technologies. By focusing on the enforcement of privacy protections, particularly in the online environment, we can rebalance the playing field for consumers and, re-empower online users,” she stated.
The OAIC’s comprehensive regulatory action priorities seek not only to confront current challenges but also to build a framework that fosters both public trust and technological progress.
