Privacy Policy Introduction In this policy, “ACOSS”, “we”, “us” or “our” refers to the Australian Council of Social Service.We recognise the utmost importance of protecting the privacy and rights of individuals in relation to their personal information. This Privacy Policy has been developed in accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulations, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, as amended from time to time.This Privacy Policy explains how ACOSS handles personal information relating to individuals with whom ACOSS interacts, including people with lived experience, donors, customers, members, professionals, consultants and contractors (referred to in this policy as ‘you’). This Privacy Policy does not apply to our acts and practices directly related to a current, prospective or former employment relationship between us and an employee, or to an employee record held by us relating to the employee. Anchor Links Introduction Personal Information and Sensitive Information What personal information we collect How we collect your personal information Cookies External Sites For what purpose does ACOSS collect, hold and use personal information? What happens if you do not provide us with the personal information we request? How does ACOSS securely hold your personal information? To whom may ACOSS disclose your personal information? Does ACOSS disclose personal information to anyone outside Australia? Your rights in relation to your personal information What is the process for complaining about a breach of privacy? Changes to this Privacy Policy Contacting us about an enquiry or complaint Personal Information and Sensitive Information The expression “personal information” means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable (directly or indirectly). This may include your name, address, telephone number, email address, online identifier (such as an IP address) and your profession or occupation.Some personal information is also “sensitive information”. Sensitive information includes health information, information about your racial or ethnic origins, your political opinions, your political associations, your religious beliefs/affiliations, your philosophical beliefs, whether you are a member of a trade or professional association or trade union, your sexual orientation/practices or your criminal record. What personal information we collect We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions or activities. Depending on the nature of your interactions with us, we may collect the following types of information (whether in hard copy or electronic form):Name;Date of birth;Contact details (e.g., email, phone number);Bank account or credit card details if you are making a donation or payment;Any other information relevant to an ACOSS project you have agreed to participate in;Information collected through the use of cookies on our websites;Information relating to how you respond to our communications; andAny other information you voluntarily provide to us.We may also collect sensitive information (e.g., health, ethnicity) with your explicit consent, where relevant to our work.We may also collect information from time to time that is not “personal information” (and therefore falls outside of this Privacy Policy) because it does not identify you or any other individual. For example, we may collect anonymous answers to surveys or aggregated information about how people use our website and services. How we collect your personal information We endeavour to collect your personal information directly from you unless it is unreasonable or impractical to do so. If we collect your personal information from someone other than you, we will take such steps (if any) as are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that you are or have been made aware of what information has been collected, and the circumstances and purpose of that collection. When collecting personal information from you, we may collect it in ways including:Online forms and registrations;Email, phone, or written correspondence;Donations and event participation;Through your access and use of our website (including through the placement of cookies discussed below); orThird-party service providers or campaign partners.All collection is done lawfully and fairly, and we provide clear notice of options for consent. Cookies Like most websites, our websites use ‘cookies’ to improve your online experience and to help us to monitor and improve our websites and services for future visitors.A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies can collect information such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the URLs of sites you have visited before or after accessing the website, and how long you have spent on a particular site. Cookies cannot execute programs or be used to access other information on your device.By using our websites, you give us your permission to the placement of cookies on your device.If you would like to limit the use of cookies, you can do so by changing your internet browser settings. This means that you can set your preferences regarding the use of cookies before you start browsing, or you can delete cookies once you have finishing visiting a website. External sites Our websites may contain links to external websites. Those websites are not subject to this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any other website and have no knowledge of whether cookies or other tracking devices are used on those sites. You will need to contact those websites directly to ascertain their privacy standards, policies and procedures. For what purposes does ACOSS collect, hold and use personal information? We may collect, hold or use your personal information (including sensitive information) for one or more of the following purposes:To provide services to you;To verify your identity, respond to your requests or as otherwise directed by you;To provide you with news, information and material (including marketing material) in relation to our services;To promote our programs and activities, including fundraising;To update our records and keep your contact details up to date;To process and respond to any complaint made by you;To contact government representatives on your behalf;To process donations and provide receipts;To enhance your experience of our websites;To comply with any law, rule, regulation, lawful and binding determination, decision or direction of a regulator, or in co-operation with any governmental authority;For any other purposes that we notify you of, or that you consent to; andOtherwise as permitted by law.We will not use your personal information in a manner that is unlawful, unrelated to or inconsistent with the purpose of its original collection, unless you have consented (other than as permitted or required by law such as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches [NDB] scheme).You may opt out of receiving communications from us in relation to news, marketing and fundraising at any time by contacting us using the contact details set out below, or where applicable selecting the unsubscribe option in our electronic communications.Please note that you cannot opt-out of receiving contractual notifications, such as changes to our terms and conditions for the supply of services or other important information.In relation to sensitive information, we will not use or disclose this for the purposes of direct marketing unless you have expressly consented. What happens if you do not provide us with the personal information we request? Where possible, we will give you the option not to identify yourself (i.e., to remain anonymous) or deal with us through the use of a pseudonym or not to provide us with your personal information.If we do request personal information and you decline to provide it, please note that in some cases we may not be able to provide the requested services to you, either to the same standard or at all, and we may not be able to provide you with information about services that you may want, including information about related services. Without your personal information, we may also not be able to work with you on an ongoing basis or issue tax deductible receipts, or you may be unable to participate in or have access to our research programs, events and activities. How does ACOSS securely hold your personal information? We will take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect all personal information that we hold from misuse or loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We do this by ensuring that our systems, databases and facilities are secure, and our staff (including paid employees, volunteers and contractors) are bound by and comply with our policies and procedures regarding personal information and confidentiality, and by putting in place appropriate contractual terms with third parties.Risks are also mitigated through ACOSS’s commitment to de-identifying or destroying any personal information that is no longer required by us, where possible.While we will take all reasonable and appropriate steps, please note that we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of your personal information. This is particularly so in relation to personal information that you send to us using our website or other online means. Although we will take reasonable steps to protect such information, we are not able to warrant or guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us over the Internet (including through our website), and you do so at your own risk. To whom may ACOSS disclose your personal information? In connection with the purposes set out above, we may provide your personal information to:Our staff, which includes our paid employees, volunteers and contractors;Our professional advisors;Our partners, affiliates, research collaborators, contractors and consultants;Any organisation or any authorised person with your express consent;A person or organisation to whom we are compelled by law, or otherwise permitted by law, to provide your information; orYour organisation, if you are acting on behalf of an organisation.Where we transfer your personal information to a third party, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is protected and is handled by that third party in accordance with applicable privacy laws.If we refer you to a third-party service provider, that service provider may also collect and store your personal information. We make no representation or warranties in relation to the privacy practices of any third-party service provider and we are not responsible for their collection, use or disclosure of your personal information. Third party service providers are responsible for informing you about their own privacy practices. Does ACOSS disclose personal information to anyone outside of Australia? ACOSS stores personal information on systems located in Australia and through third-party IT and service providers whose servers may be located in the United States and the Philippines. Where we engage third-party providers, we ensure they comply with strict privacy and security standards. If personal information is transferred outside of Australia, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with Australian Privacy Principle (APP) 8. This includes contractual obligations and other measures to protect your information. Your rights in relation to your personal information We will take reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, up to date and complete.You may request access to any personal information we hold about you at any time. However, there may be instances where we cannot grant you access to the personal information we hold. For example, we may need to refuse access if granting access would interfere with the privacy of others or if it would result in a breach of confidentiality. If that happens, we will give you written reasons for any refusal.If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate, then you may request that we amend it. If the personal information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate, we will take reasonable steps to correct the information without delay. In some circumstances where we correct or update a record, we may still require retention of the original record.You can also ask us to delete or de-identify the personal information we hold about you. There may be instances where we cannot agree to your request, such as if we still need the personal information for the purpose for which we collected it, or we need to do so in order to comply with our legal obligations. If this is the case, we will once again give you written reasons for declining your request.If you wish to access your personal information, or request that it be corrected or deleted, please make your request by contacting the Operations Manager (see details below). What is the process for complaining about a breach of privacy? If you believe that your privacy has been breached, please contact theACOSS Operations Manager (see details below) and provide details of the incident so that we can appropriately investigate and remedy it.We may require any complaint to be made in writing first. We will thenendeavour to respond to your complaint as soon as possible and within 30 days (or otherwise in accordance with our legal obligations). You are also entitled to report any privacy breach to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.You may also lodge a complaint under the ACOSS External Complaints Management Policy (GOV-05). Changes to this Privacy Policy We reserve the right to change, modify or update this Privacy Policy. Any revision to this Privacy Policy will be published on our website. The revised version shall take effect immediately upon publication. Contacting us about an enquiry or complaint If you have an enquiry about this privacy policy, or a complaint regarding the treatment of your personal information or a possible breach of your privacy, please contact the Operations Manager at:Position: Operations ManagerEmail: [email protected]We will treat your enquiry or complaint confidentially. One of our staff will contact you within a reasonable time after you have made contact with us to discuss your enquiry or complaint and outline options regarding how it may be dealt with. We will aim to ensure that any complaint is resolved in a timely and appropriate manner.