ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011

Australia: Australian Capital Territory

vA2011-4, Republication No 6 effective 23 June 2021 (last amendment A2021-12), current on the ACT Legislation Register as at 30 September 2026

4 domains

22 controls

Australian Capital Territory law on workplace surveillance of workers (employees, contractors, labour hire and volunteers): written notice 14 days ahead with its eight required items, good faith consultation, visible cameras and signs, a data surveillance policy, tracking notices, limits on blocking email and websites and on using records for adverse action, worker access to records, covert surveillance only with a court authority, prohibited non-work areas, and record security and destruction.

Verified

ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 is a compliance framework from Australia: Australian Capital Territory with 4 domains and 22 controls that map to 3 other frameworks. The largest domains are Part 3: Notified surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (11 controls), Part 4: Covert surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (6 controls), Part 5: Prohibited surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (3 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.

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Framework Domains (4)

Part 3: Notified surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011

11 controls

Controls in the Part 3: Notified surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 domain of ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 — 11 controls
Code	Title	Description
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::13	s 13 Written notice of surveillance, 14 days ahead, with the required content	Workplace surveillance of a worker is lawful only after the employer has given that worker written notice under s 13, an...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::14	s 14 Good faith consultation with workers on proposed surveillance	Where s 13 notice is required, the employer consults the worker in good faith about how the surveillance will be run, fo...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::15	s 15 Optical surveillance: device clearly visible and signs at each entrance	An employer uses an optical surveillance device to conduct surveillance of a worker only if the device (camera housings...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::16	s 16 Data surveillance: policy on computer resource use, logging, access and auditing, notified in advance	An employer uses a data surveillance device to conduct surveillance of a worker only in line with an employer policy on...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::17	s 17 Tracking: visible notice on the tracked vehicle or thing	An employer conducts surveillance of a worker that tracks a vehicle or other thing with a tracking device only if a plai...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::19	s 19 Surveillance by agreement for a purpose other than surveillance of workers	Surveillance is treated as meeting Part 3 where the worker consents to it for some purpose other than watching the worke...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::20	s 20 Stopping email or website access only under a notified policy	An employer blocks an electronic communication (for example email or instant messaging) to or from a worker, or blocks a...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::21	s 21 Stopped delivery notice to the worker as soon as practicable	When the employer blocks an electronic communication, it tells the worker as soon as practicable (a stopped delivery not...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::22(1)	s 22(1) and (2) No adverse action on the basis of surveillance records unless the notice said so	An employer does not use a surveillance record from its surveillance of a worker as the basis for adverse action (as def...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::22(3)	s 22(3) Use and disclosure of surveillance records limited to permitted purposes	An employer running workplace surveillance of workers makes sure its records are otherwise used or disclosed only: for a...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::23	s 23 Worker access to surveillance records on written request	On a worker's written request, the employer lets the worker access surveillance records relating to them. If it does not...

Part 4: Covert surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011

6 controls

Controls in the Part 4: Covert surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 domain of ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 — 6 controls
Code	Title	Description
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::26	s 26 Applying to the Magistrates Court for a covert surveillance authority	An employer may make a written application to the Magistrates Court for authority to watch a worker covertly at a workpl...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::31	s 31 Conditions of a covert surveillance authority, including worker access before adverse action	Every authority carries statutory conditions: the surveillance supervisor gives no one access to covert surveillance rec...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::35	s 35 No covert surveillance of a worker without a covert surveillance authority	An employer runs no covert surveillance of workers at a workplace unless it is done under a covert surveillance authorit...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::36	s 36 Security surveillance defence: sole security purpose, real risk, prior written notice	An employer relying on the defence to a s 35 charge must prove that the covert surveillance was conducted solely to secu...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::37	s 37 Report to the Magistrates Court within 30 days after the authority ends	An employer granted an authority gives the Magistrates Court a written report within 30 days after it ends, covering: th...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::39	s 39 Covert surveillance information used or disclosed only for a relevant purpose	No one uses or discloses information from a covert surveillance record except for a permitted purpose (someone unaware,...

Part 5: Prohibited surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011

3 controls

Controls in the Part 5: Prohibited surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 domain of ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 — 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::41	s 41 No surveillance in toilets, change rooms, showers, parent or nursing rooms, prayer rooms, sick bays or first-aid rooms	No employer surveils a worker in any prohibited non-work area of a workplace, namely a toilet facility; a change room; a...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::42	s 42 No surveillance of a worker who is not in a workplace, with limited exceptions	No employer surveils a worker who is outside any workplace. Exceptions (the employer carries an evidential burden): data...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::43	s 43 No use or disclosure of records from non-deactivatable tracking outside the workplace	Records about a worker produced by a tracker that cannot be switched off, while the worker is outside any workplace (the...

Parts 5A and 6: Enforcement, record security and regulations – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011

2 controls

Controls in the Parts 5A and 6: Enforcement, record security and regulations – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 domain of ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 — 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::44(1)	s 44(1) Reasonable steps to protect surveillance records	An employer takes reasonable steps to keep its surveillance records safe from misuse and loss and from access, alteratio...
act-workplace-privacy-act-2011::44(2)	s 44(2) Destroy or permanently de-identify surveillance records no longer needed	Once a surveillance record has no remaining use or disclosure purpose that the Act permits, the employer takes reasonabl...

Your Compliance Coverage

If you comply with ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011, you already cover:

Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)

50%

11 controls mapped

Compare →

ISO 27002:2022

36%

8 controls mapped

Compare →

GDPR

23%

5 controls mapped

Compare →

See all 3 mapped frameworks ↓

Maps to 3 other frameworks

22 total controls

Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)

11 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered

50%

ISO 27002:2022

8 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered

36%

GDPR

5 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered

23%

Compare ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 with Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)

Coverage is not the same as your position

This page shows what ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.

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What is ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 and who does it apply to?

ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 is a compliance framework from Australia: Australian Capital Territory with 4 domains and 22 controls. Australian Capital Territory law on workplace surveillance of workers (employees, contractors, labour hire and volunteers): written notice 14 days ahead with its eight required items, good faith consultation, visible cameras and signs, a data surveillance policy, tracking notices, limits on blocking email and websites and on using records for adverse action, worker access to records, covert surveillance only with a court authority, prohibited non-work areas, and record security and destruction. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What does ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 actually require?

ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 has 22 controls organised across 4 domains. The largest domains are Part 3: Notified surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (11 controls), Part 4: Covert surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (6 controls), Part 5: Prohibited surveillance – ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (3 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

If I already comply with another framework, how much of ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 do I already cover?

ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 maps to 3 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) (50% coverage), ISO 27002:2022 (36% coverage), GDPR (23% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.

How do I implement ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011?

Start your ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about ACT Workplace Privacy Act 2011 requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 22 controls and track your progress.

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