Guidelines for data matching by Commonwealth government agencies were issued in February 1998 under s 27(1)(e) of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). They are not legally binding but are very persuasive particularly when considering an agency's obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles. The guidelines apply to any agency involved in larger computerised comparisons of two or more databases containing information on more that 5000 individuals, and relate to such requirements including to:

Data matching is carried out regularly and frequently in an overnight 'data dump' by the following major Commonwealth agencies: Centrelink, Australian Tax Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Home Affairs, and Department of Education and Training. Any match found may lead to investigation of fraud or overpayment, or of breaches of immigration laws such as overstaying an entry permit.