Former High Court judge Michael Kirby has thrown his weight behind a push to bring in laws in New South Wales allowing people to sue for damages for invasions of privacy.

Mr Kirby describes as "unacceptable" the fact no "adequate" privacy laws exist anywhere in Australia, saying in a speech in Sydney he has been fighting for them for 40 years.

A NSW parliamentary committee recently examined the issue and recommended the state "lead the way" in creating a new legal action for serious invasions of privacy.

Mr Kirby said the emergence of social media had made the problem worse, and was also scathing of the role of some media.

"The conduct of relentless personal campaigns against individuals is a feature now of much contemporary Australian media, not only in the print media and not only in tabloids," he said.

"Media and other publishers become judge and jury of their own abuses. They decide whether any correction or redress for breaches of privacy will be granted. The law is effectively silent for those who want to challenge such self interested decisions."

Federal Parliament has 'messed around for 40 years'

In an interview with the ABC, Mr Kirby criticised the federal Parliament for failing to act, despite four reports by the Law Reform Commission.

"I think our politicians have been bamboozled by the media and maybe even bullied into doing nothing in these cases," he said.

"I'm not saying it should be open slather because someone's upset that their privacy has been invaded but I believe most Australians would be offended by instances of serious invasion of privacy, and they would be surprised and shocked that those privacy laws don't exist.

"So we need laws, preferably federal laws, but because the federal Parliament has messed around with this for over 40 years, we remain in the position that there really are no adequate laws.

"The time has come, I think, for the NSW Parliament to step in and provide protection for its citizens."

The former High Court justice said instances of serious invasion of privacy were on the rise.

He cited one case presented to the NSW parliamentary inquiry where a woman had her private parts photographed in a health care context, which was allegedly later used to laugh at and humiliate her.

"There was no legal remedy for her," Mr Kirby said.

"The remedies existed if the photograph had been taken for sexual gratification. But that wasn't the case, the purpose was to simply laugh at her and humiliate her.

"And she saw lawyers but they told her that there is no right to privacy that's enforceable by the law and that is something that should be changed."

Complaints could be heard by privacy commissioner

Mr Kirby said if the laws were introduced in NSW, many complaints could be heard informally by the privacy commissioner, with other matters going before the courts.

"But the value of having a courts remedy is that it would make sure that the standards and principles are set by the courts," he told the ABC.

"It's not that there are going to be thousands of people coming to bring action when they just get offended because it's extremely expensive to mount a legal action in court and people don't have that sort of money.

"It's not expensive to go to the privacy commissioner so presumably most people would opt to go there in the first instance."

The NSW Government said it was still considering the committee's recommendation to bring in privacy laws and will respond by September.

Mr Kirby said it was his hope that it would act and other states would follow suit.

"This is just about little people who are insulted, humiliated, belittled and have their privacy invaded ... and they have no remedy under the law of Australia," he said.

"If the Federal Government won't do it, then it's up to the state governments to look after the citizens of their state."