Do I Have to Tell People What I'm Collecting?
Select the ways your business collects personal information. Get an instant APP 5 check across 17 common Australian collection touchpoints.
Under APP 5 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you must take reasonable steps to notify an individual — or otherwise ensure they're aware — of specific matters at or before the time you collect their personal information, or as soon as practicable after if that's not possible. Select the touchpoints below to see where your notice obligations sit.
Last updated: 2 July 2026
What an APP 5.2 notice must cover
| Matter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Identity & contact details | Who your business is and how to contact you |
| Fact & circumstances of collection | Required if collected from a third party, or the individual may not be aware they've been collected from |
| Legal authority | Whether collection is required or authorised by a specific law, and which one |
| Purpose of collection | Why you're collecting the information |
| Consequences of not collecting | The main effects on the individual if they don't provide it |
| Usual disclosures | Other entities or types of entities the information is usually disclosed to |
| Access & complaints | That your privacy policy explains how to access, correct or complain about your information |
| Overseas disclosure | Whether it's likely to be disclosed overseas and, if practicable, which countries |
Why collection notices are easy to get wrong
A link to your privacy policy in a footer isn't automatically an APP 5 notice. The notice needs to reach the individual at or before the point of collection — on the form itself, on signage, or spoken over the phone — and the policy it points to still needs to cover the specific APP 5.2 matters for that collection.
It's also easy to assume APP 5 only applies to online forms. It applies just as much to a phone order, a walk-in customer at a counter, a job application, and information collected indirectly from a referee or a public directory. The exceptions are narrow: no notice is needed where no personal information is actually collected, or where you've already given the same notice for the same kind of information, from the same person, for the same purpose, on a recent previous occasion.
Collection notice check
Select every point where your business collects personal information. For each one that isn't automatically exempt, tell us whether you currently give an APP 5 notice there. You'll get an instant report at a permanent URL you can revisit or share.
When you need a collection notice check
- — Your forms, signage or phone scripts have never been reviewed against APP 5
- — You're newly covered by the Privacy Act following the 1 July 2026 threshold removal
- — You collect candidate information from recruiters, referees or public profiles
- — You use overseas cloud tools to store or process personal information you collect
- — You're preparing for an OAIC inquiry or a compliance audit
Frequently asked questions
What does APP 5 of the Privacy Act require?
APP 5 requires a business to take reasonable steps to notify an individual of specific matters at or before the time it collects their personal information, or as soon as practicable afterwards if that's not possible.
What matters must an APP 5 collection notice cover?
Your identity and contact details, the circumstances of indirect collection, legal authority for collection, the purpose, the consequences of not providing the information, usual disclosures, access/correction/complaint information, and likely overseas disclosure.
Do I need to give a fresh notice every time a returning customer gives me the same details?
No — APP 5.1 doesn't require reasonable steps to notify again where you've already done so recently, for the same kind of information, from the same individual, for the same purpose.
What does the free collection notice check check?
It checks the touchpoints you select against a catalogue of 17 common Australian scenarios, flagging which ones need a notice you don't currently give, and which are exempt.
Select your touchpoints above to get an instant APP 5 collection notice report.
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