Legal Action which
can be taken
Jurisdictions
Australia,
NSW
Criminal Offence:
disclosure of
document to
journalists.
Legislation
Delegated Legislation and
Interpretive Materials
Statutory Actions and Complaints
Canada,
Ontario
- Health Records and Information Privacy Act
2002 (NSW) ss 21 and 68;
- Privacy and Personal Information Protection
Act 1988 (NSW) ss 4A and 62;
- Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) s 10C.
- Personal Health Information Protection Act, SO
2004, c3 ss 18, 29, 31(1) and 72(1)(a)
Australia,
NSW
- Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) ss 10C and 308H;
Criminal Code s 478.1.
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
- Criminal Code RSC 1985 c 46, s 342.1;
R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 965
- Hospitals Act, RSO 1970, c 378, s 30.
Hospital Management cl 22.
- Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ss 6A, 36, 52 Sch 3
National Privacy Principles (‘NPP’) Principles
2.1, 10.1, 10.2(b)(ii)
- Health Records and Information Privacy Act
2002 (NSW) ss 42, 54 and Sch 1 Health Privacy
Principles (‘HPP’) Principles 1, 10 and 11.
- Privacy and Personal Information Act 1998
(NSW) s 45(2A).
- Personal Health Information Protection Act, SO Exemption Order SOR/2005-399
2004, c3 ss 56(1), 61, 62 and 65.
(see above)
- Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Australian
Nursing
and
(NSW) Pt 8 ss 139B, 144, 144B, 150
Midwifery Council, Code of
- Health Practitioner Regulation (Adoption of Professional Conduct for Nurses
National Law) Act 2009 (NSW) s 4
in Australia (2008), Conduct
- Health Care Complaints Act 1993 (NSW) s 7
Statement 5
- Regulated Health Professions Act, SO 1991, c O Reg 799/93, reg, 1(10).
18, Sch 2 ss 25 and 51;
- Nursing Act, SO 1991, c 32, s 5(2);
- Health Professions Procedural Code, s 51(1)(c)
Common Law Actions
- R v Ritson; R v Stacey [2010] NSWDC 160
- Director General of Education v MD
- Health Information Custodians
in the Province of Ontario
Exemption Order, SOR/2005-399
- Explanatory Memorandum,
Cybercrime Bill 2001. No. 161,
2001 (Cth)
Criminal Offence:
unauthorised access
Statutory Remedies
for Breach of
Privacy
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
Statutory
Complaint and
Disciplinary Action
of Health
Professional
Equitable discovery
of who disseminated
information to
journalists so causes
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
- Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 12;
- Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 9.
Case Law
Uniform Civil Procedure Rules
2005 (NSW) r 5.3.
- No cases decided under s 72(1)(a).
- Salter v Director of Public Prosecutions [2009] NSWCA
357;
- Salter v Director of Public Prosecutions [2008] NSWSC
1325;
- Michael James Flanagan v Commissioner of Police [2008]
NSWIRComm 11.
- R v Alexander, (2006) ONSC 26480.
- K v Health Service Provider [2008] PrivCmrA 11.
- Director General, Department of Education and Training v
MT (2006) 67 NSWLR 237.
HO-002 (2006) Information and Privacy Commissioner (July
2006) (Commissioner Cavoukian).
- James v Podiatrists Registration Board of Victoria [2009]
VCAT 142.
- Wells v Paramsothy (1996) 32 OR (3d) 452.
- Ashworth Hospital Authority v MGN Ltd [2002] 4 All ER
193;
- Idoport Pty Limited and Anor v National Australia Bank
Limited and Ors, National Australia Bank Limited v OAMPS
Limited and Ors [2004] NSWSC 695;
- McLean v Burns Philp Trustee Co Pty Ltd (1985) 2 NSWLR
623.
- Straka v. Humber River Regional Hospital, (2000) ONCA
16979
- Coco v A N Clark (Engineers) Ltd (1968) 1A IPR 587;
- Australian Football League v Age Company Ltd [2006] VSC
308
- Commonwealth v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1980) 147 CLR
39.
- Cadbury Schweppes Inc. v. FBI Foods Ltd. (1999) SCC 751;
- Peaker v. Canada Post Corp. (1990) ONCA 1570;
- Mohl v. University of British Columbia (2009) BCCA 249.
of action can be
sustained.
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
Breach of
confidence by
disseminating
information to
journalists.
Fiduciary
Obligations
Tort of negligence
for disseminating
information without
care for
consequence
Tort of invasion of
privacy.
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
Canada,
Ontario
- Breen v Williams (1996) 186 CLR 71.
Australia,
NSW
Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) ss 5B, 5E and 5O.
Canada,
Ontario
Australia,
NSW
Negligence Act, RSO 1990, c N-1, s. 1.
Canada,
Ontario
International Conventions
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, opened for signature 9 December 1966,
999 UNTS 171 (entered into force 23 March 1976) art 17.
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, APEC Privacy Framework (2005).
- McInery v MacDonald [1992] 2. S.C.R. 138.
- Brown v Capital District Health Authority (2006) NSSC 348
- Josephine V Wilson Family Trust v. Swartz (1993) ONSC
5493
- Furniss v Finchett [1958] NZLR 396;
- Tame v NSW; Annetts v Australian Stations Pty Ltd (2002)
211 CLR 317;
- Peters-Brown v. Regina District Health Board, [1996] S. J.
No. 761 (C.A.).
- ABC v Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd (2001) 208 CLR 199;
- Giller v Procopets (2008) 24 VR 1;
- Doe v ABC & Ors [2007] VCC 281.
- Somwar v McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd., 2006
ONSC 202.
- MacDonnell v. Halifax Herald Ltd., 2009 NSSC 187
- Jones v. Tsige, 2011 ONSC 1475
Journal Articles
Australian Law Reform Commission, For Your Information, Report No 108 (2008).
NSW Law Reform Commission, Privacy legislation in New South Wales, Consultation Paper 3
(2008)
Jerome Morse and Anna Casemore, ‘Doctor-Patient Confidentiality: to Disclose or not to
Disclose?’ (1999-2000) Advoc. Q. 312.
NSW Law Reform Commission, Privacy Principles, Report 123 (2009)
Graham Greenleaf, Nigel Waters and Lee Bygrave "Implementing Privacy Principles:
After 20 Years, It's Time to Enforce the Privacy Act" [2007] UNSWLRS 31