SPEAKERS
Ms Karen Curtis
Commissioner
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
Karen Curtis was appointed as Privacy Commissioner for five years from 12 July 2004. Karen has had a policy interest in privacy for some time. She was appointed by the Governor General to the Privacy Advisory Committee in December 2000 and in her previous position as Director, Industry Policy, of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) she had responsibility for privacy from a business perspective.
Karen was with ACCI, a peak industry association representing over 350,000 Australian businesses, for seven years. In that time she had responsibility for a range of industry policy and small business issues affecting the competitiveness of Australian business including innovation, electronic commerce, telecommunications, regulatory reform, corporate social responsibility, food policy, government purchasing, water policy, energy policy, and environmental policy including climate change.
In 1998 and 1999, Karen was the inaugural Executive Director of Australian Made Campaign Limited which relaunched the Australian Made Logo Scheme in 1999.
She is a member of the Consultative Committee for the National Judicial College, and has previously been a Councillor on Standards Australia's General Council, and a member of numerous government committees including the ACCC Small Business Advisory Group, the National Small Business Forum and the Government Business Climate Change Dialogue. She is Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Karen was a Director of Small Enterprise Telecommunications Limited for four years, including two years as Chair.
Prior to joining ACCI, Karen held positions with the federal government where she provided policy advice on industry policy and S&T issues. Karen is a graduate of the University of Queensland in history, politics and law.
Karen's community involvement has included Chair, ACT Junior Girls Hockey, Member of the ACT Sport and Recreation Ministerial Advisory Committee, and she is a Director of the Daramalan College Board in the ACT.
