New law stops Aus bosses short

2005-05-04 14:06

Sydney - Employers in an Australian state will be banned from spying on their workers' e-mails under a new law to be introduced to the New South Wales parliament on Wednesday.

Under the Workplace Surveillance Bill, bosses will only be able to monitor their employees' e-mail and internet usage web if they inform them that they could be watched.

New South Wales is the first state in Australia to introduce such a law, which prevents employers from using video cameras, email and tracking devices to keep an eye on their workers.

"While some employers argue that this is necessary to protect their legitimate interests, employees expect that their private correspondence, like their private telephone calls or private conversations, should never be the subject of secret monitoring," the state's Attorney General Bob Debus said in a statement.

"We don't tolerate employers unlawfully placing cameras in change rooms and toilets. Likewise, we should not tolerate unscrupulous employers snooping into the private emails of workers."

Will face fat fines

Individuals who break the law face fines of up to $4 255 and directors of companies which breach the legislation face a similar fine, a spokesperson for the minister said.

The Australian Workers Union, which represents more than 130 000 workers, has praised the law which it said tries to strike a balance between the rights of workers and those of employers.

"The e-mail is the modern version of the telephone and I think that most employees would reasonably say that their phones shouldn't be tapped at work automatically and I think that should apply to the internet," union secretary Bill Shorten said on Channel Nine.

- AFP