AUSTRALIAN Pork Limited has been busy advocating for the safety and privacy of producers in recent months.
The Aussie Farms Inc website, which identified the location and addresses of hundreds of producers, was released and promoted earlier this year accompanied by edited pictures and videos. Some of this footage is of family homes.
APL made it clear to multiple parliamentary inquiries that stronger laws were needed to protect primary producers from interference and disruption. In response, the Commonwealth Parliament has passed laws making it an offence to use a carriage service to incite trespass. This means those who encourage or ask others to trespass on your property using a computer or mobile phone may be guilty of an offence.
If you, or anyone on your property feels unsafe or threatened by the actions of animal activists, contact the police. Additionally, the Commonwealth Attorney-General has listed Aussie Farms Inc under Federal Privacy Legislation, meaning the Australian Privacy Principles now apply to Aussie Farms. This is normally reserved for businesses with a turnover of more than $3 million.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has invited individuals who believe their personal information has been breached to make a complaint. This can be done by lodging a Privacy Complaint Form at oaic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us
Whether your property is family owned or part of a larger organisation, you may still have had identifiable personal information included on the Aussie
Farms Inc map, and thus entitled to make a complaint. APL cannot make a complaint on behalf of an individual. For any further information about the recent changes, please contact Alister Oulton on alister.oulton@australianpork.com.au or 0427 423 869.
