The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has launched an online knowledge base called Ask Us, to answer questions about information privacy and the Privacy Act 1993.

Ask Us is similar to using a search engine, but it is designed to answer questions users may have about information privacy and the Privacy Act.

Privacy Commissioner John Edwards says Ask Us gives people access to privacy advice at all times. 

"We have designed this tool with a 360 degree view of who might find it useful. It can assist anyone from individuals to small business operators to people working within government agencies who need privacy information in a timely way. We will also enhance the content on an ongoing basis," he says.

"Last year, our office took over 8,000 enquiries from the public through our 0800 phone line and via email.  We also received nearly 300 media enquiries on a wide range of topics including data breaches, the Harmful Digital Communications Act, drones, and public registers."

The technology behind Ask Us is available for other government agencies to adopt and adapt for their own use. Developed and built by SilverStripe, the Ask Us knowledge base is powered by a combination of the SilverStripe content management system and the Solr search engine, and is hosted on the all-of-government Common Web Platform.