ABSTRACT
Australia has ratified various international covenants that recognise the existence of a right of privacy, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. Article 12 provides: ‘No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family home, or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour or reputation. Everyone has the right to protection against such interference or attacks.’ The European Convention on Human Rights (1950) re-affirms the Declaration. Finally, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) protects against interference with privacy that is arbitrary, abusive or unlawful.
