Can police view & distribute my Facebook profile information & statuses?

[Sibzan]

Today, I received an e-mail from my Grandmother with the following line in it:

"I saw some things on your face book [sic] which I was not impressed with. Hope it is old stuff and you have changed.? [sic] It is better to drink in the Holy Spirit than gin and tonic,ect,ect. [sic]"

The issue here is that that old lady isn't a friend of mine on Facebook in any capacity (and I have a private profile).

This access of hers is frustrating, because with a broken family I occasionally like to vent on Facebook (and with such intrusions, you can imagine why). What I don't want is for every Tom-Dick-and-Harriet to be able to read what I write.

So my question is in a couple sections... First, is it possible for any old lady to just jump on somewhere and read your status updates from Facebook? Second, my step-mother works for N.S.W. Police Counter-Terrorism Command (in North Sydney). Could she have used Police tools to view the status updates? And would doing so, in Australia, without a warrant, be a criminal act?

Thanks everyone,

Ace.