Internet and email monitoring in the workplace: Time for an alternate approach

In this article we examine changes to the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth) and the implications of those changes for the protection of workplace privacy. This examination is undertaken in the context of two factors: the absence of statutory protections for employee privacy in the workplace; and the development of sophisticated human resource management practices and increasing individualization of workplace relationships. We argue that instead of eroding privacy rights in the workplace, the federal government should implement a legal regime that poses the least threat to employees' dignity and rights to privacy in the context of work. © Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) SAGE Publications Ltd.