Australia privacy week urges better complaint handling
Mon, 4th May 2026
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has launched Privacy Awareness Week 2026, with a campaign focused on how organisations handle privacy complaints and disputes.
The initiative urges government agencies and organisations covered by the Australian Privacy Principles to improve complaint-handling processes as concern about personal data rises across Australia. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said the theme, "Trust is built here - In every privacy complaint. In every resolution," places dispute resolution at the centre of privacy practice and accountability.
Preliminary findings from the forthcoming Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey show 93% of Australians say protecting their personal information is important to them, while 87% are more concerned about privacy than they were five years ago.
The survey also highlights a gap between concern and action. Some 64% said they had concerns in the past year about how an organisation handled their information, but 52% did not raise them. Among those who stayed silent, 56% believed complaining would not make a difference, 51% thought it would be too hard, and 40% did not know how to complain. Of those who did make a complaint, only 9% said the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Kind linked those figures to the regulator's broader approach to privacy enforcement. Earlier this year, the OAIC said it would take a stronger, enforcement-focused approach. She said organisations should be the first place where concerns are properly addressed before they develop into broader systemic issues.
"A privacy complaint is more than a compliance task - it's a critical trust-building moment," said Carly Kind, Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
She said the data suggests public frustration stems less from a lack of interest than from poor processes. "Australians care deeply about their privacy, but most have given up on the idea that raising a concern will lead anywhere," said Kind.
"That is a failure of process, not of public interest - and it's entirely within the power of organisations to fix," added Kind.
Three steps
The campaign sets out a three-stage approach to dispute resolution. First, organisations are urged to understand their obligations under the privacy principles, carry out regular Privacy Impact Assessments, and make complaint channels visible and accessible.
Second, the focus shifts to handling individual complaints. Organisations should respond professionally, respectfully and transparently, while providing clear reasoning and documented decisions.
Third, organisations are encouraged to use complaints as a source of operational insight by strengthening governance, training staff and reviewing procedures to improve future responses.
Accountability test
Kind said complaint handling has become a key test of organisational accountability amid greater regulatory scrutiny and stronger public expectations around personal data.
"Trust isn't built in privacy policies or polished statements. It's built when someone raises a concern, and an organisation responds with clarity, fairness, accessibility and accountability," said Kind.
The OAIC is also issuing new materials to support the campaign, including a dispute resolution checklist to help organisations review how they receive, assess and resolve privacy concerns. The campaign is intended to reach a broad range of sectors, including health, finance, government, technology, legal services and education.
That reflects how privacy issues extend well beyond the technology sector. Large volumes of personal information are held across public and private bodies, and the survey results suggest dissatisfaction with complaint outcomes is not confined to one type of organisation.
Kind said better dispute handling can also have wider operational benefits. Complaint data, she said, can help institutions identify recurring weaknesses in governance or frontline practice before they become entrenched.
"As we sharpen our focus on systemic harms, organisations themselves become the first and most important place where privacy concerns should be resolved," she said.
"Effective complaint handling builds customer loyalty, improves services, and for government, earns public trust," added Kind.
She also framed complaint resolution as a marker of whether organisations are prepared for a tougher privacy environment. "Organisations that treat complaints as signals - not nuisances - are the ones that will survive this new era of privacy accountability," said Kind.
The campaign closes with a broader challenge to organisations that collect or use personal information to examine whether their current procedures match public expectations. "Trust is built here - In every privacy complaint. In every resolution," said Kind.
"I encourage every organisation that handles personal information to take a hard look at their complaint-handling practices and ask whether they are genuinely meeting the expectations of the people they serve," she added.