Australian institute urges workplace privacy laws as employers expand AI staff monitoring
Overview
The University of Technology Sydney's Human Technology Institute releases a report calling on the federal government to build privacy protections into workplace laws as employers expand monitoring of staff.
The institute says CCTV, keystroke monitoring and AI tools are increasingly common in factories, offices, delivery work and retail, often without employees knowing. It says exemptions in the Privacy Act for employee records and for small businesses have allowed this surveillance to grow.
The report proposes a dedicated complaints scheme that would let employees bring privacy complaints to the Fair Work Commission. A March 2026 Minderoo-commissioned poll found 43% of Australians knew some employers use AI to monitor workers, but only 9% knew it was used in their own workplace.
Written by AI from the articles below · updated Oct 19, 10:43 AM ET
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- The Guardian · AINewsAustralian report calls for stronger workplace privacy laws as AI monitoring of staff grows
AIThe University of Technology Sydney's Human Technology Institute warns that employers increasingly use CCTV, keystroke monitoring and AI to track workers, often without their awareness. Its report calls on the federal government to build privacy protections into workplace laws and to let the Fair Work Commission hear privacy complaints. A March 2026 Minderoo-commissioned poll found 43% of Australians knew some employers use AI to monitor workers, but only 9% knew it was used in their own workplace.
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