CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: BEST IN PRIVACY
13 November 2009
Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, today congratulated the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service on being named the winner of the Symantec Government category at the Australian Privacy Awards 2009 held in Sydney last night.
“This is well earned recognition for Customs and Border Protection’s good privacy practices and the promotion of privacy principles,” Mr O’Connor said. “Namely, through its new EU-Australia Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement, the first of its kind for Australia.”
The EU-Australia PNR Agreement articulates arrangements for sharing passenger data between the European Union and Australia within the context of data-protection and privacy laws.
The Agreement has succeeded in striking an balance in supporting effective border protection while maintaining the privacy of individuals and data protection.
A number of key changes to the Agreement have since been made by Customs and Border Protection to further enhance privacy and data protection measures in relation to passenger information.
"This is a groundbreaking agreement that ensures that the sharing of passenger data accords with strict privacy standards," said the Australian Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis.
The Agreement was jointly negotiated by Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, and the Attorney General’s Department.
The European Union delegation and the Slovenian Presidency also played a positive role in assisting to secure the Agreement.
The Australian Privacy Awards aim to encourage, recognise and reward businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations that engage in good privacy practices. The Awards are judged by a panel of professionals chaired by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.
Media Contact: Brian Humphreys 0438 595 567
