Privacy Awareness Week 2023

Published on 28 April 2023

Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) is an annual event to raise awareness of privacy issues and the importance of protecting personal information.

Narrabri Shire Council is participating in Privacy Awareness Week this year, which runs from 1 - 7 May 2023. The theme is “Back to Basics – Privacy foundations in NSW” and will focus on reminding agencies and citizens of the fundamentals of privacy and highlight basic steps we can all take to keep personal information secure.

All NSW citizens have a right to have their personal information protected and agencies play a key role in safeguarding the personal information of the citizens we serve.

In NSW, your privacy is protected by the:

• Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act) which outlines how NSW public sector agencies, including government agencies, local councils, and universities, manage and protect personal information.
• Health Records Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act) which promotes fair and responsible handling of health information. The HRIP Act applies to an organisation in NSW that is a health service provider or that collects, holds, or uses health information. This includes both public and private sector organisations.

This Privacy Awareness Week, follow these basic principles to protect your privacy:

• Store – store personal documents such as passports, driving licences, pay slips, tax returns, bank statements and bills in a safe place.

• Destroy – Destroy or shred personal documents you are throwing away such as bills, receipts, credit card statements and other documents that show your name, address or other personal details.

• Secure - If you need to post personal documents, ask the post office for advice on the most secure method.

• Limit - Keep the number of documents you carry around on you to a minimum. Don’t leave personal documents in your vehicle or unattended.

• Check – Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for unusual transactions.

• Vary – Always use a different password and PIN for different accounts and take care when using public computers to access personal information.

• Accurate – Regularly check your records. Make sure your information is correct and up to date.

• Secret – Disable auto-connect to public Wi-Fi and never connect to public Wi-Fi on your work account. Use a VPN, incognito mode and/or ad blocking browser extensions, and clear out your cookie caches and browsing history to prevent your data and activity being collected.

For more information visit: https://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/PAW2023