Privacy Policy - Australian Centre for International Justice

The Australian Centre for International Justice (“ACIJ”) (ABN 55 630 673 308) values your privacy.

This policy explains how we use information that you may provide while visiting our website and accessing our services in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) which are contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)(Privacy Act) and other relevant legislation such as health record, spam and legal professional laws.

Privacy management is a continuous and evolving process and we will regularly update our policy for changes in our activities, legislation and technology. We may modify this policy from time to time so we encourage you to check this page periodically to ensure you are aware of our current privacy policy.

For the purposes of this policy, ‘personal information’ means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

If you have any questions or feedback about this policy or the way in which ACIJ handles personal information you can contact us on the details below. You can also request a hard copy of this policy using the details below.

Contact Us

Privacy Officer
Australian Centre for International Justice
PO Box 480
Roseville NSW 2069

info@acij.org.au

What type of information do we collect and hold

The types of personal information that we collect about you will depend on the type of dealings you have with us. For example:

Clients

We collect clients’ personal information in the course of our work, including each client’s name, address, telephone number, email address, employment history, next of kin, date of birth, health and welfare information, as well as information associated with their legal problem.

Donors and supporters

Information we may collect in relation to our donors and supporters include names; addresses; email addresses; dates of birth; telephone numbers; bank account and credit card detail; and details of donations.

Volunteers

Information we may collect in relation to our volunteers include name; address; telephone number; email address; date of birth; qualifications; employment history; interests, skills and hobbies; previous voluntary work; current NSW Working With Children Check clearance results; driving licence; and contact details of referees and next of kin.

Types of sensitive information we collect and hold

Some information, such as health, medical or other personal information requires a higher level of protection under the Privacy Act. We may collect and hold sensitive information of clients, staff and volunteers which is necessary to perform our activities. We will only collect sensitive information directly and with your consent, or as otherwise authorised by law.

How do we collect personal information

We collect personal information in a number of ways, including through our website, directly from our clients and stakeholders and third parties, or at events and forums.

Why do we collect personal information

The main purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information are set out below.

We collect personal information that is necessary to enable us to perform our functions and activities.

In the case of clients, the information we collect will be restricted to what is relevant and necessary for the proper discharge of our professional obligations and our clients’ welfare and support.

We collect information about volunteers for the purposes of administering an individual’s contribution to the work of ACIJ, for insurance purposes and in order to send updates about our work, events and appeals.

We collect information about donors, supporters and other people who interact with us in order to process donations, issue tax receipts, manage event registrations, set up online fundraising pages, and send updates about our work, events and appeals. Recipients of our communications can choose to have their names and addresses removed from our distribution lists by contacting us at any time.

Who do we disclose your personal information to

We will treat personal information as confidential and will only use or disclose it for the primary purpose for which it was collected or for a directly related purpose.

The nature of the services provided by ACIJ means that it may be necessary for us to disclose your personal information to other parties. These include our contractors, service providers, employees and volunteers. Such disclosure may include disclosure to contractors and services providers located outside of Australia.

Common third parties we might need to disclose your personal information to include:

the legal providers that give legal assistance to our clients;
other community legal service providers;
financial institutions for payment processing;
our funding providers (although personal information will only be provided with consent);
contracted service providers which include: information technology service providers; event organisers; and marketing, communications, analytics, and research service providers.

Though we make every effort to preserve user privacy, we may need to disclose personal information when we have a good-faith belief release is appropriate to comply with the law. This could be in response to a warrant, subpoena, or other court order, the purposes of worker’s compensation or in response to legislative requirements or if we believe on reasonable grounds that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of a stakeholder or that of another person.

What if you don’t provide us with your personal information

In some circumstances, we allow individuals the option of not identifying themselves, or of using a pseudonym, when dealing with us (for example, when viewing our website). Donations may also be made anonymously, but in this case ACIJ may not be able to issue a tax-deductible receipt.

Direct marketing

Direct marketing is the promotion of goods and services directly to you including through emails, SMS, phone calls and the post. We will only send you direct marketing materials if you would reasonably expect to receive them or you have consented. If it is impractical to gain your consent, we will always provide a simple means for you to request not to receive the material (‘opting out’). We will not use your sensitive information for the purposes of direct marketing unless you have given us prior consent.

Opting out

You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us by using the unsubscribe facility that we include in our commercial electronic messages (such as email and SMS) to opt out of receiving those messages, or contacting us by email at info@acij.org.au, or by post in the details provided above.

Cross border disclosures

We may disclose personal information to our contracted information technology service providers that are hosted off-shore.

Security and retention of personal information

We will:

take reasonable steps to store personal information securely (whether it is held in paper, electronic or any other form), protecting it from unauthorised access;
take reasonable steps to safeguard personal information collected from misuse, loss and modification;
destroy personal information in accordance with our professional obligations.

If you are a client, we will return any of your original documents that we have to you when your matter has been finalised. Copies of your documents will remain on your file with us and will generally be kept for 7 years after the date that your file has been closed.

The security of your personal information is important to us and we use the recommended industry standards when storing and dealing with your personal information. We use a secure server using the latest 128-bit SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption technology to process any financial transactions.

The steps we take to secure the personal information we hold include:

website protection measures (such as encryption, firewalls and anti-virus software);
access restrictions to our computer systems (such as login and password protection);
restricted access to our office premises;
staff training and implementation of workplace policies and procedures that cover access, storage and security of information.

Confidentiality of personal information

All employees, contractors, and volunteers at ACIJ are bound by:

ACIJ’s Privacy Policy;
by state and federal privacy legislation;
by any agreement they sign with the ACIJ (including any Contract of Employment; Volunteer Agreement; and/ or Confidentiality Agreement).

Our employees, contractors and volunteers are required not to release information that can identify clients other than with their consent or on their instructions. This information must be kept confidential and not released into the public domain.

The obligations of staff and volunteers in relation to the confidential information survive after they cease working with ACIJ and their obligations in relation to the confidential information shall be enforceable at any time at law or in equity and shall continue to the benefit of and be enforceable by ACIJ.

Website security

While ACIJ strives to protect the personal information and privacy of users of our website, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you disclose online and you disclose that information at your own risk. If you are concerned about sending your information over the internet, you can contact ACIJ by post in the details above.

You can also help to protect the privacy of your personal information by letting us know as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breach.

Third party websites

Links to third party websites that are not operated or controlled by ACIJ are provided for your convenience. ACIJ is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those websites. Third party websites should have their own privacy and security policies, which we encourage you to read before supplying any personal information to them.

Email Disclaimer/Policy

Email communications and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged between ACIJ and the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient of an email from ACIJ, any use of such a communication is strictly prohibited. Confidentiality and privilege is not waived, and we request that you delete the email and notify us. ACIJ does not warrant and/or guarantee that the integrity of email communications has been maintained or that it is free of any virus, interception or interference. Any opinion expressed in it is not the opinion of ACIJ unless that is stated or apparent from its terms.

Access and Correction to personal information

We will ensure you have a right to seek access to information held about you and to correct such information if it is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or not up-to-date, subject to exceptions permitted by law.

Some relevant exceptions are:

if providing access to the information would pose a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of any individual;
if providing access would have an unreasonable impact upon the privacy of other individuals; or
if providing access would be unlawful.

As the accuracy of information held depends largely on the information you provide, we recommend that you:

advise ACIJ if there are any errors in your personal information; and
keep ACIJ up-to-date with changes to your personal information, such as name and address details.

Note that we will need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will endeavour to respond to your request within 30 days.

Individuals can change what type of information they receive from ACIJ by contacting ACIJ, or by following the opt-out instructions included in emails.

Complaints

ACIJ is committed to fostering a culture that is respectful of the privacy of individuals. If you have a complaint about how ACIJ has collected or handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided under the heading ‘Contacting Us.’

We will ask you to complete a Privacy Complaint Form, which provides us with the details we need from you to assess your complaint. We can assist you with completing the Form if required.

We will endeavour to respond to your complaint within 30 days of receipt of the Privacy Complaint Form (while complex cases may take longer to resolve, we will keep you updated on the progress of your complaint).

If you are unhappy with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or, in some instances, other regulatory bodies, such as the New South Wales Privacy Commissioner. To make a complaint to the OAIC, please visit the OAIC’s website or phone 1300 363 992.

January 2019