e-commerce
Under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 3 December 2007, responsibility for privacy and freedom of information, including administration of the Privacy Act 1988 and the Freedom of Information Act 1982, was transferred from the Attorney-General’s portfolio to the portfolio of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Administrative arrangements are currently being settled for the transfer of the Information Law Branch of the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Responsibility for e-commerce and the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 has been transferred within the Attorney-General’s Department to the Copyright Law Branch. Responsibility for parliamentary privilege has been transferred to the Constitutional Policy Unit. The relevant pages on this website will be updated shortly to reflect the new administrative arrangements.
The Private Sector Privacy Section of the Information Law Branch gives legal and policy advice to the Attorney-General and Australian Government on a range of electronic commerce issues, including:
- Electronic Transactions Act, which removes the legal obstacles to the growth of electronic commerce,
- developments in the UNCITRAL Working Group on Electronic Commerce and other international electronic commerce initiatives, and
- advice on the legal aspects of Australia's Legal Framework for Electronic Commerce.
The following information concerns developments leading to the implementation of the Electronic Transactions Act
- Frequently asked questions
- Australia's Legal Framework for Electronic Commerce
The Commonwealth's information economy policy, Investing for Growth was released by the Prime Minister in December 1997. The Government is committed to providing a light-handed regulatory framework to support and encourage the development of electronic commerce - UNCITRAL Working Group on Electronic Commerce
The Attorney-General's Department (AGD) represents Australia at the biannual meetings of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Electronic Commerce - Electronic Commerce Expert Groups Report - 31 March 1998
The rapid development of electronic commerce is ushering in a new era of global communication and trade - Privacy and Security in the Information Age Conference Papers
Rapid developments in information technology, data networking and e-commerce raise concerns about privacy and security. The Government is actively addressing these concerns with the assistance of the private sector and looking to international developments