Qld finally starts looking for new privacy commissioner

The Queensland government has opened recruitment to hire a state privacy commissioner after its last statutory appointment to the role left in December 2011.

The position, which jointly heads up Queensland’s Office of the Information Commission, has been filled by temporary hires for nearly three and half years, since the last permanent appointment Linda Matthews departed the organisation.

The privacy commissioner is the statutory officer charged with executing the Queensland Information Privacy Act, which governs the way personal information is used and protected by public entities and health organisations.

The state is offering up to $186,079 and a five-year term to the successful candidate.

The news will be welcomed by members of the Queensland parliament’s legal affairs and safety committee, which has repeatedly urged the government to fill the role, complaining that the OIC’s privacy functions were unable to settle on a firm strategic direction without permanent leadership.

In its last report on the matter, handed to the former LNP government, the committee said it had no concerns about the competence of the interim commissioners that have stepped in, but argued that the agency had been destabilised by the vacancy.

The recently-released role description says the state is looking for candidates who “will champion and promote the privacy principles, monitor compliance, and support stakeholders”.

The successful applicant will become the public sector’s peak advisor on the use, disclosure and storage of personal information, responsible for issuing formal guidance on cloud computing, information sharing amongst agencies and dealing with third party service providers.

They will also lead the OIC’s resolution of privacy complaints against public entities and will monitor and enforce agency compliance with the Queensland Information Privacy Act.