{"id":232467,"date":"2019-04-05T13:07:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T03:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=232467"},"modified":"2020-09-21T12:35:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T02:35:49","slug":"attack-map-could-attract-400000-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/04\/05\/attack-map-could-attract-400000-fines\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Attack Map’ Could Attract $400,000 Fines"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Federal Agriculture Minister and Member for Maranoa
David Littleproud<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 5, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The organisation behind a website labelled by farming groups as an “attack map” for animal rights activists will face fines of more than $400,000 if it breaches the Privacy Act.<\/p>\n

The Federal Government has taken\u00a0special action in a bid to rein in mounting anger in the farming community about recent “farm invasions” by vegans and animal rights protesters.<\/p>\n

Attorney-General Christian Porter said on Friday the activities of Aussie Farms Inc – the not-for-profit group behind the website – created an unacceptable risk to hardworking farming communities and producers.<\/p>\n

For this reason, the organisation would now be listed under the Privacy Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company publishes information about Australian farmers and agricultural producers including their names and addresses, exposing them to potential trespass, biosecurity hazards, and reputational damage,\u201d the Attorney-General said.<\/p>\n

\u201cListing this activist group as an organisation under the Privacy Act, now means that the company will have to abide by the provisions of the Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agriculture Minister and Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said he had repeatedly asked Aussie Farms to take the website down before someone was hurt or worse, but the group behind the website had flatly refused.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe farming families who grow our food deserve to be able to do so without fear of invasion on their property and harm to their children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Aussie Farms website is intended to be an attack map for activists and it is already working as one. The fact Aussie Farms refused to take the website down when invasions began happening on farms displayed on their map shows they intend for it to be used as an attack map for activists.<\/p>\n

\u201cAussie Farms will now be required to comply with the Privacy Act, which includes laws against the misuse of personal information. I note the maximum penalty for an offence under the Privacy Act is $420,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Littleproud, who has called the protesters “un-Australian”,\u00a0 also called on State Governments to beef up trespass laws to provide “real penalties” for trespass, and to publicly state they expected the police to uphold these laws.<\/p>\n

The Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner had previously found that Aussie Farms Inc was exempt from the Privacy Act because its annual turnover was less than $3 million.<\/p>\n

The move to prescribe Aussie Farms Inc as an “organisation” under the Privacy Act means the group must act in accordance with the Act, regardless of its annual turnover.<\/p>\n

The Information and Privacy Commissioner can now investigate, either in response to a complaint or on its own initiative, if Aussie Farms Inc breaches the Privacy Act.<\/p>\n

The prescription comes into force on Saturday (April 6).<\/p>\n