The Privacy Act exemption for small businesses will end: 10 ways your business could be affected

Small businesses should no longer be exempt from the Privacy Act, says the federal government, which has used its response to a major report from Attorney-General Mark Dreyfuss to advocate for tighter regulation around the use of data and personal information.

Months after the Attorney-General’s department called to end the small business exemption and recommended a suite of reforms to the cornerstone privacy legislation, the federal government has agreed to 38 of 116 potential areas of reform.

Its response to the report, released Thursday, could have major implications for the 2.3 million small businesses currently exempt from the Act.

Here is what your business needs to know about the proposed changes.