Three layers of law govern video surveillance in Australia. This page sets out what each one requires before a camera is switched on.
Regulatory framework
Three layers govern video surveillance in Australia: the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) at the Commonwealth level, state Surveillance Devices Acts, and work health and safety law at the state level. Since 2023, OAIC guidance on AI-enabled surveillance has sharpened considerably, and the states have been catching up.
OAIC guidance
- Privacy impact assessments. If your deployment collects personal information, a PIA is not optional. The regulator expects one before, not after.
- Notice and signage. People in view need to know they are being monitored, and why.
- Data minimisation. If you can achieve the operational goal without raw video, you should. Edge inference is increasingly the obvious answer.
- Cross-border disclosure. If your video flows to a cloud region offshore, APP 8 applies.
Getting started
- Map every camera on your site. Which ones are feeding a CV model? Which ones are storing raw video?
- Run a short PIA. We will provide the pack.
- Consult affected workers or tenants, as required by state law.
- Post signage that describes what the system actually does.
- Define a retention policy before the first unit ships.