Victorian woman wins $30,000 in case that recognised right to privacy in Australian law

The Victorian court’s decision resulted in the woman, who could not be named, being awarded $30,000 damages for invasion of privacy and $10,000 damages for breach of confidence. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

A Victorian court has recognised invasion of privacy in Australian common law in a decision published only weeks after the federal government introduced a bill to tackle the issue.

The decision resulted in compensation worth tens of thousands of dollars for a woman who successfully argued her father breached her privacy in a series of media interviews he gave after he survived a murder attempt orchestrated by her mother.