Privacy Awareness Week 2023

Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) is coming up from 1 to 7 May 2023 and this year’s theme is ‘Privacy 101: Back to basics’. It’s a great reminder that every day we can do essential things to protect our privacy, and the privacy of others.

PAW is an annual celebration shining a light on the importance of protecting and respecting personal information. Here at West Moreton Health, we take your privacy seriously and we do everything we can to ensure your privacy rights are respected.

If we ever ask for your personal information, we should also tell you why we need it, how we will keep it safe and if it will be shared.

Apart from making sure agencies and organisations look after your personal information, there is also a range of things you can do to protect your privacy. This PAW, we’re going back to basics and sharing helpful, simple tips to protect your personal information:

  1. Update your privacy and security settings on all of your devices.
  2. Share with care. Be mindful of what you share on social media about yourself and others.
  3. Use multi-factor authentication to better protect your online accounts.
  4. Be wary of public wi-fi and avoid using it for things like internet banking.
  5. When you sign up for a new service or app, be sure you know what you’re agreeing to in the terms and conditions.

Did you know that the Queensland Government has endorsed that public sector agencies will have to report on privacy breaches? This is referred to as a mandatory data breach notification scheme, and it was a recommendation from the Coaldrake Review ‘Let the Sunshine In’. The scheme signals a significant change for privacy rights and responsibilities in Queensland and it would mean you are better kept informed about any breaches.

For more information, resources and tips about PAW, please visit the Office of the Information Commissioner’s website. You might also like to check out the OIC’s handy video about privacy rights in Queensland.

Don’t forget, you can also view our Privacy Policy and if you are concerned about how our agency has collected, used, stored or shared your personal information, you should contact our Privacy Officer via wm-privacy@health.qld.gov.au.