Summary

The Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA) was engaged by The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) to undertake qualitative research among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Victoria to explore their range of cultural attitudes and perspectives concerning information privacy (understood as an individual’s ability to exercise control over their personal information). Since very little research had been undertaken on this topic in the Victorian context to date, the study represents an early effort to help address this knowledge gap.

CIRCA’s specific objective for the research was to explore:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Victoria cultural attitudes and perspectives in relation to information privacy
• Whether certain forms of data collection, data use and data disclosure are considered culturally insensitive, inappropriate, or intrusive
• What organisations can do to build trust when collecting, using, and disclosing peoples’ personal information.

CIRCA’s Research Approach

CIRCA conducted three focus groups of between 3-5 participants each with a total of 12 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participants, in late May and early June of 2020. To ensure a balanced and diverse mix of participants, three age groups were created with 7 women and 5 men: 5 young (18-35 years); 5 middle-aged (35-60 years); and 2 elderly (over 60 years).

Research participants engaged with a wide range of government, community and private sector. Ancestry claimed to 10 First Nations that intersect with the state of Victoria and 3 that intersect with New South Wales. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, these focus groups were conducted online using Zoom technology.

Research Findings and Outcomes

The research identified several issues raised by Aboriginal participants in relation to the collection of personal information and in regard of the level of trust in the public institutions:

• Participants reported that they would be uncomfortable providing personal information about other individuals (for example, family members) to organisations requesting this data.
• A general sense of distrust in public institutions, including those that hold and manage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ personal information.
• Participants in all focus groups stressed the importance of genuinely and more thoroughly consulting with Indigenous communities on issues that affect their lives, including information privacy.

In addition, the final report offered several proposals on ways to build trust among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a focus on the following:

• Genuine consultation.
• Human-centred approach
• Organisational reform
• Effective communication
• Informed consent
• Transparency and accountability
• Community control

Informed by CIRCA’s research, OVIC published a paper exploring Aboriginal perspectives on information privacy, and the interaction with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). That Aboriginal Privacy Project Insights Report is available here: https://ovic.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Cultural-and-Indigenous-Research-Centre-Australia-Presentation-on-Aboriginal-Privacy-Insights-Report.pdf