What approach will the OIC take to enforcing the PRIS Act from 1 July 2026?
The Office of the Information Commissioner WA (OIC) is the independent regulator, fostering trust and accountability in WA through privacy and freedom of information. To facilitate this mission, the OIC has a combination of proactive and reactive enforcement powers under the Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024 (WA) (PRIS Act).
Since the establishment of the new office on 1 July 2025, the OIC has been preparing the office to perform its new privacy functions, as well as promoting the objects of the PRIS Act and compliance with the privacy obligations, including the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).
Our reactive enforcement powers, including the ability to investigate, conciliate and determine privacy complaints, commence on 1 July 2026, along with the substantive privacy provisions contained in the PRIS Act.
From 1 July 2026, the OIC will consider any complaint received on its merits, which in some cases may involve issuing determinations, ordering compensation or requiring certain actions to be undertaken. However, the OIC also recognises uplifting existing personal information handling practices takes time and building a robust privacy program is a journey of continuous improvement.
Accordingly, the OIC will continue to prioritise working with regulated entities to raise awareness of their obligations and uplift capability. In support of this, the OIC also intends to publish information about its decisions in response to complaints, as well as embedding case studies in guidance where relevant.
The OIC is committed to taking regulatory action in a transparent manner. We will continue to communicate information about our regulatory approach as it evolves over time.
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