Timothy was appointed as Australian Privacy Commissioner on 19 July 2010. Timothy has made a significant contribution to the field of privacy in Australia. His achievements include involvement in developing the private sector provisions of the Privacy Act 1988, which included widespread consultation with community, business and government organizations. He has also played a key role in implementing the private sector provisions which took effect on 21 December 2001. More recently, Timothy has participated in the Australian Law Reform Commissioner inquiry into Australian privacy laws and practice, and continues to work on privacy law reform. Timothy has also worked at the international level to ensure that Australia is equipped to deal with global privacy challenges. He has played an important role in the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Privacy Framework, and he has been closely involved in developing a framework for privacy regulators around the world to cooperate on cross-border enforcement matters. Timothy was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2015 Australia Day Honours List for outstanding public service in the development and implementation of major reforms to the Privacy Act 1988.