Australia Privacy Act Redaction
AI-powered redaction to protect personal information under Australian law. Meet your APP obligations and avoid OAIC enforcement.
What the Privacy Act Requires
The Privacy Act 1988 and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out how organisations must handle personal information. Proper redaction is essential for meeting several APP obligations.
APP 12: Access Requests
Individuals can request access to their personal information. When providing access, you must redact information about other identifiable individuals unless they've consented.
APP 6: Use & Disclosure
Personal information can only be used or disclosed for the primary purpose it was collected, or a related secondary purpose. Redaction allows sharing documents while limiting disclosure.
APP 11: Security
Organisations must take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access or disclosure. Redaction before sharing is a key protective measure.
APP 11.2: Destruction
When personal information is no longer needed, it must be destroyed or de-identified. Redaction can de-identify documents that must be retained for other purposes.
Personal Information to Redact
Standard Personal Information
- Names and signatures
- Residential addresses
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Tax File Numbers (TFN)
- Medicare numbers
- Driver licence numbers
- Bank account details
Sensitive Information
- Health information
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Political opinions
- Religious beliefs
- Sexual orientation
- Criminal record
- Trade union membership
- Biometric data
2022-2024 Privacy Act Reforms
Australia significantly strengthened its privacy regime following major data breaches at Optus and Medibank. The reforms dramatically increased penalties and expanded enforcement powers.
Increased Maximum Penalties
- Before 2022: $2.22 million maximum for serious or repeated breaches
- After 2022: The greater of $50 million, three times the benefit obtained, or 30% of adjusted turnover
The Medibank breach affected 9.7 million Australians and led to these reforms. OAIC enforcement is expected to increase.
Key Australian Privacy Principles for Redaction
APP 6 — Use or Disclosure
Personal information collected for one purpose must not be used for another unless an exception applies. When sharing documents with third parties, redact personal information not relevant to the new purpose.
APP 11 — Security of Personal Information
Organisations must take reasonable steps to protect personal information. Redacting unnecessary personal data before sharing documents externally is a "reasonable step" under this principle.
APP 12 — Access to Personal Information
Individuals can request access to their data. You must provide their information while redacting other individuals' details — similar to GDPR DSARs and Canadian access requests.
OAIC Penalties (Post-2022 Amendments)
A$50M
per serious/repeated breach
Bodies Corporate
Or three times the benefit obtained, or 30% of adjusted turnover — whichever is greatest. A 23x increase from the prior A$2.2M cap.
A$2.5M
per serious/repeated breach
Individuals
Directors and officers can be personally liable for failing to implement reasonable data protection measures.
Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) Scheme
Since February 2018, organisations must notify the OAIC and affected individuals of eligible data breaches.
Trigger
Unauthorised access to or disclosure of personal information where a reasonable person would conclude there is a likely risk of serious harm.
30-Day Window
Once aware of a suspected breach, you have 30 days to assess whether it is notifiable.
Prevention
Properly redacted documents may not constitute a notifiable breach — the redacted data cannot cause harm even if the document is compromised.
How SafeRedact Helps
AI Detection
Automatically identifies TFNs, Medicare numbers, addresses, and other personal information in your documents.
Permanent Removal
Data is permanently removed—not just covered. Meets APP 11.2 de-identification requirements.
Fast Processing
Meet 30-day access request deadlines with automated detection and batch processing.
Protect Personal Information. Meet APP Obligations.
AI-powered redaction for Australian Privacy Act compliance. Start free—no credit card required.
Start Redacting Free