Ongoing uncertainty and delays

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Sarla Fernando, ADMA’s director of regulatory and advocacy, emphasises how this differs from other global privacy laws: “Consent doesn’t matter… The Australian Privacy Act reform is different to GDPR and even the US ones… [This is] something that hasn’t been seen around the world.”

However, with this part of the legislation delayed, businesses face a complex challenge.

Not only must they navigate current data privacy laws, but they also need to prepare for a more ambiguous future where the notion of “reasonable” data usage could become a legal battleground.

The ongoing uncertainty may delay budgeting and investment in new technologies or compliance initiatives that would have been essential under clearer regulatory guidelines.

How businesses can prepare
Though the most critical marketing-related provisions have been postponed, brands shouldn’t wait for the law to pass. Instead, this delay presents an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.

What organisations need to do to get ready hasn’t changed, just the timeline.

Brands should focus on reviewing their current data handling processes, especially in areas such as consent management and transparency. The delay offers a window to align practices with emerging global standards and ensure compliance with stricter privacy-by-design frameworks.

Companies that wait until the last minute risk being caught off-guard list of bahamas cell phone numbers when the law does pass, leading to significant compliance challenges.

Previously, I have outlined specific actions businesses can take to prepare for these reforms, even before they are enforced. These include auditing data collection practices, ensuring compliance with cookie deprecation strategies, and dealing with dark data, which is an essential step in building more transparent and consumer-centric data practices.