- LETTERS FROM CALLUM INGRAM 12/05/05 -

Thanking the Hon. Rob Hulls, MP, Department of Justice (Victoria) for his response to my concerns, through his Assistant Director.  Dated May 12, 2005 this letter of reply,  fails to answer my concerns.   Under the impending law,  I would be breaking that law.  This would allow for the government's big brother approach for my personal conversation on a carriageway eg telephone, email or fax to be accessed under a warrant.  Many people with potentially terminal illnesses will be guilty of an offence with a fine of $110,000 liable under impending legislation.  I object strongly to this invasion of my privacy and Members of  both Governments are set to support it.   I am asking what will be the next "Right under Law,  for Governments to bug our phones because of a perceived crime about to be committed"?   Currently the legislation seeks to cover talking about methods for a peaceful death using modern technology to do so, "god" help us should we want to commit a real crime! like a bank robbery,  but then we'd probably just get a slap on the wrist for that.   Why should folks dealing already with the major drama of a bad death have to pay legal fees to defend their rights for options to be considered?.   The "good intention" of the law in tracking "in your face suicide methods" targeting the young has gone too far.

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Dear Ms Walsh

PRIVACY
I refer to your e-mail of 6 April 2004 to the Attorney-General, the Hon. Rob Hulls MP, providing a copy of your correspondence to Senator Ellison. The Attorney-General has asked me to thank you for your correspondence and to reply on his behalf.

In your email, you have expressed concerns about the potential breaching of your rights to freedom of speech and privacy. You have mentioned the implications of the tapping of telephones, computer records and faxes. The Surveillance Devices Act 1999 makes it an offence to record private conversations without a warrant or emergency authorisation issued under that Act or an authorisation under a law of the Commonwealth. If you have objective, physical evidence of such surveillance, you should bring it to the attention of the police.

You may also wish to note the following overview of privacy legislation in Australia and your rights under such legislation.
Privacy legislation has been introduced in Australia to foster a culture that recognises and responds to individuals' privacy concerns. It also enables those organisations that need to collect and use information about people to do so confidently and within a framework that allows the exchange of personal information in a transparent and responsible manner.
Such legislation requires personal and health information to be managed in accordance with a set of information privacy principles. These include the principles that personal information should, for the most part, only be used for the purpose for which it was collected and should only be disclosed to others when required by law with the person's consent.

If you consider that your personal information has been used by a Victorian government agency in a way that has interfered with your privacy, you may wish to raise your concerns with the Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner. Other queries you may have about the operation of the Information Privacy Act 2001 can also be directed to the Office at:
The Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner GPO Box 5057 MELBOURNE VIC 3001 Phone: (toll-free) 1300 666 444 Email: enquiries@privacy.vic.gov.au

The Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 creates obligations relating to the collection, use, disclosure and handling of personal information by the Commonwealth public sector.

If you consider your information to have been used inappropriately by a Commonwealth government agency you may wish to raise your concerns with the Federal Privacy Coinmissioner    Other queries about the operation of this Commonwealth Act can be directed to:
The Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY NSW 1042 Phone: (toll-free) 1300 363 992 Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au
I hope this information is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Callum Ingram
Assistant Director

Victoria -The Place To Be
In accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vie), this business unit of the Department of Justice only uses personal information contained in correspondence forwarded to us for the purpose of investigating and appropriately responding to the issues raised in the correspondence. Where necessary for the purpose of responding to correspondence, personal information may be used or disclosed to appropriate Ministerial, departmental or statutory authority staff only, in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000. In all other circumstances, your information will only be used or disclosed with your consent, or where the use or disclosure is required or permitted by law. Enquiries about access to information about you held by this business unit of the Department of Justice can be made to the Privacy Contact Officer on telephone (03) 9651 0751.