Overview
- Finance Minister Katy Gallagher asked the Australian Public Service Commission on Thursday for formal advice on whether recording-capable smart glasses should be prohibited across Commonwealth workplaces, starting a process to set national workplace rules.
- The federal government has also asked the Privacy Commissioner to treat smart glasses as a priority issue and opened consultations on national AI and data-centre standards that will remain open until October 9 with plans to legislate early next year.
- Several local councils have already introduced targeted bans in public facilities, with Brisbane and Yarra restricting the devices in playgrounds, childcare and leisure centres and Canterbury‑Bankstown banning them from its pools and gyms while Adelaide councilors are investigating similar measures.
- Prosecutors and data-protection authorities overseas are investigating misuse of the devices, courts in England and Wales have barred them from courtrooms, and consumer groups have filed complaints against major makers such as Meta, even as disability advocates warn that blanket bans could block vital assistive uses.
- Practical and legal hurdles remain because state surveillance laws differ, staff cannot easily tell smart glasses from regular frames, indicator lights do not guarantee consent, and the policy drive could prompt manufacturers to alter hardware or push more venue- and workplace-level bans.