SharePoint Data Governance and The Australian Privacy Act: A Guide for Data Security & Protection

Why SharePoint Governance Matters Now More Than Ever

In late FY25, First Focus hosted a national event series focused on unlocking the true power of SharePoint. The sessions, held across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, attracted record-breaking attendance and revealed a consistent concern: how to better govern data in an AI-driven world.

Attendees were most interested in three main areas:

• How recent updates to the Australian Privacy Act affect their use of SharePoint
• What SharePoint governance really means in practice
• How to prepare their environments for artificial intelligence

To build on the success of the events, First Focus has launched a six-episode podcast series, SharePoint Focus, diving deeper into these critical themes.

Understanding the 2024 Changes to the Privacy Act

One of the biggest takeaways from episode one of SharePoint Focus was how overdue the Privacy Act reforms were. Originally introduced in 1988 and last updated in 2014, the legislation hadn’t kept up with the pace of data-driven technologies or AI.

Key updates introduced in December 2024 include:

• Expanded business coverage: Now applies to companies earning over $3 million annually (previously $20 million)
• Breach notification requirements: Mandatory reporting of data breaches to the OAIC and affected individuals
• Lifecycle transparency: Clear mandates to inform users how long their data will be stored, and to delete it accordingly
• Stronger fines: Penalties are now proportional to revenue, raising financial stakes
• Mandated safeguards: Businesses must demonstrate both technical and organisational protections for personal data

These changes mean small and mid-sized businesses can no longer ignore privacy obligations. Even if you operate with under 200 seats, you’re still expected to implement sound data handling practices.

The Rise of Cybercrime in Australia

The push for tighter legislation also comes in response to the growing threat of cybercrime.

Cybercrime has ballooned into a $10 trillion global industry, ranking third in global GDP comparisons. High-profile breaches involving major Australian organisations like Optus, Medibank, Latitude and Qantas have exposed millions of Australians’ personal data.

In some cases, breaches have led to legal action and potential fines in the billions. It’s clear that the cost of non-compliance can no longer be written off as minor.

For businesses collecting customer data, whether you’re a national enterprise or a suburban newsagent, the risk is real and the responsibility is yours.

Directors Are Now Directly Responsible

Perhaps the most critical change? Responsibility is now squarely on the shoulders of directors and executives.

If you lead an Australian business, you are now legally accountable for ensuring your organisation complies with the Privacy Act. That includes having systems in place to:

• Identify and report data breaches
• Maintain secure access controls
• Keep data lifecycle records
• Demonstrate governance practices during audits or legal inquiries

There’s no passing the buck. It’s on leadership to invest in tools and processes that protect data.

Why SharePoint Is Front and Centre

SharePoint has become the default document and collaboration hub for many Australian organisations. Its integration into Microsoft 365 makes it powerful but also a potential risk if not managed correctly.

Mia Tate, M365 Practice Lead at First Focus, outlined the importance of SharePoint governance for AI readiness. The bottom line? AI is only as good as the data it draws from.

Garbage data in means garbage insights out.

To prepare for AI, your SharePoint environment must be:

• Organised: Data should be structured and centrally located
• Clean: Redundant, outdated and trivial (ROT) data must be purged
• Governed: Access permissions and version controls must be in place
• Transparent: You need full visibility into what content exists, how it’s used and where it came from

ROT Data: The Hidden Barrier to AI

AI tools can pull from outdated or duplicate content without the right controls. This creates misleading outcomes and damages trust in AI adoption.

To avoid this, businesses should:

• Conduct a data stocktake: Understand what you have and where it lives
• Remove ROT data: Clear out redundant, obsolete and trivial content
• Secure sensitive content: Lock down files that should not be used for AI prompts or automation

These steps not only prepare you for automation but also reduce storage costs and compliance risks.

How SharePoint Enables AI Readiness

SharePoint can be an enabler for AI-driven productivity, but only when paired with strong governance.

Here’s how it helps:

• Centralised access: Ensures data is drawn from a single source of truth
• Metadata tagging: Helps AI tools understand context
• Permissions management: Limits access to sensitive records
• Insights dashboards: Help identify unused, outdated or duplicated files

As Mia points out, AI readiness is about more than just tech. It’s about user trust. If AI makes one poor decision, users often lose faith in the tool entirely.

What to Do If There’s a Breach

New laws now require swift action if a data breach occurs. Businesses must:

• Notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
• Inform all individuals affected
• Explain what data was compromised and how it happened

This is not only a legal obligation, but also a reputational one. Mishandled communication can further damage trust.

The Qantas data breach, which may result in up to $6 billion in fines, is a reminder of just how serious this can get.

So, Where Should You Begin?

Alyssa Blackburn recommends beginning with a risk and value framework for your data. Start by:

• Understanding what data you collect
• Identifying where it’s stored
• Classifying it by sensitivity and value
• Setting policies for access, retention and deletion

This becomes the foundation for every other decision: technical, procedural and strategic.

Don’t DIY Your Governance

While it might be tempting to task an intern or admin with organising SharePoint, that’s no longer feasible.

The scale of modern content, combined with the risk, means governance must be handled by skilled professionals using purpose-built tools. AI dashboards, classification engines and lifecycle management platforms like AvePoint are critical.

Manual sorting isn’t just time-consuming. It’s ineffective.

The Cost of Inaction

If your AI chatbot provides incorrect info due to bad data, you’re liable. If you can’t demonstrate governance during an audit, you risk fines. And if you’re hit with a data breach, reputational damage can outlast financial penalties.

Governance is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a foundational business function, just like payroll or customer service.

Looking Ahead

To help customers stay on track, First Focus has embedded its SharePoint compliance and governance framework “SharePoint Guard” into all support plans.

This includes:

• Baseline assessments
• Centralisation strategies
• Security controls
• Ongoing compliance checks

If you’re unsure where to start, reach out. You don’t need to tackle governance alone.

What’s Coming in Episode 2?

In the next episode of SharePoint Focus, we’ll break down exactly how to get SharePoint AI-ready. This includes setting up metadata, creating lifecycle policies, and configuring your environment to support secure, intelligent automation.

The future of compliance and AI adoption in Australia begins with the data you already have. Start making it work for you.