Bunnings gets green light to introduce facial recognition following landmark victory

Bunnings will begin rolling out facial recognition technology across its stores in Australia over the next 18 months following a major appeal win. The hardware giant says the technology will be used to help protect staff as incidents of theft, abuse and aggression continue to rise. This week, the Administrative Review Tribunal overturned a 2024 decision by the Australian privacy commissioner, which had ruled that Bunnings broke privacy laws by scanning customers’ faces. The tribunal found the company was allowed to use the technology, but agreed Bunnings failed to clearly inform shoppers that facial scanning was taking place.

Bunnings previously used facial recognition in 62 stores across New South Wales and Victoria between January 2019 and November 2021, reported The Guardian. The rollout followed a short trial in a single store in 2018. During that period, hundreds of thousands of customers had their faces scanned as they entered stores. Those images were compared with a database of people who had been banned from Bunnings locations. If no match was found, the image was automatically deleted. The decision clears the way for Bunnings to reintroduce the technology nationwide, while also highlighting the need for clearer signage and stronger customer notification.

According to the Australian Financial Review, Bunnings and its sister brand Kmart - both owned by WA-based Wesfarmers - have been under investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner since July 2022 over how they handled customer data. The probe focused on the use of facial recognition technology in stores, which many shoppers did not realise was being used.


Both retailers paused the technology while the investigations were ongoing. In late 2024, the privacy commissioner ruled that Bunnings had breached privacy rules, a decision the company later appealed. That appeal has now succeeded. Kmart was also criticised by the privacy watchdog last year and is still waiting for the outcome of its own appeal.

Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider, who has strongly opposed the OAIC’s original ruling, said the safety of staff and customers had always been the retailer’s top priority.

“Our intent in trialling this technology was to help protect people from violence, abuse, serious criminal conduct and organised retail crime,” Schneider said as quoted by The Age.

Schneider acknowledged the tribunal identified areas where Bunnings had fallen short and needed to improve. “We accept that feedback,” he said.

“Keeping people safe in and around our stores is a responsibility we take very seriously, and we remain committed to engaging constructively on how safety and privacy are balanced in the future.”

According to The Age, Australian Retail Council CEO Chris Rodwell said facial recognition technology can help keep workers and customers safe, provided it is used transparently and supported by strong privacy protections. He said this must include clear signage so customers know when facial monitoring is in place.

“Retail crime is escalating and is often driven by repeat, high-harm offenders. Its critical retailers have the capacity to use suspect-matching to identify these known offenders. Workers and customers depend on it,” Rodwell said.

“This is a positive step forward in combating retail crime.”