On 16 November, PIAC will give evidence to the Law and Justice Committee inquiry into whether remedies for serious invasions of privacy in NSW are adequate.
Privacy has been the subject of significant public debate recently, from federal legislation requiring the retention of meta data to the Labor Party’s recently tabled bill to criminalise ‘revenge porn’ (whereby intimate images are distributed without consent using the internet and social media).
In its evidence to the Committee, PIAC will reiterate its opinion that there are significant gaps in the current legal framework, meaning that some victims of serious invasions of privacy are left without a legal remedy. Accordingly, PIAC will again call for a statutory cause of action protecting the right of privacy, pointing out that this accords with recommendations made by both the Australian and NSW Law Reform Commissions.
PIAC also supports amendment of current criminal offences, or the enactment of a new, targeted offence, to address the non-consensual distribution of an intimate image with the intention of causing harm. See PIAC’s written submission to the Committee here.