The federal government will appoint a standalone privacy commissioner, restoring the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to a three-commissioner model covering privacy, information and FOI.

Australian Information Commissioner Angelene Falk has served a dual role as Privacy Commissioner since August 2018.

She will hand over the role of privacy commissioner but remain information commissioner and head of OAIC.

The government is also recruiting for a new FOI commissioner following the resignation of Leo Hardiman.

The announcement of the shake up comes after a series of major data breaches involving sensitive private information held by Medibank and Optus last year.

“Australians rightly expect their privacy regulator to have the resources and powers to meet the ongoing challenges of the digital age and protect their personal information,” Attorney general Mark Dreyus said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mr Dreyfus also announced the appointment of Toni Pirani as acting Freedom of Inform Commissioner, replacing Mr Hardiman who announced his resignation in March, citing frustration over lack of access to government information.

The OIAC is an independent government agency established in 2010 to oversee privacy, freedom of information and government information policy.

The responsibilities of the office include conducting investigations, reviewing decisions, handling complaints, and providing guidance and advice.

The OIAC was previously known as the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner.

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