Privacy Policy

How we manage your privacy

Better Place Australia (we)are committed to ensuring your privacy. We are also bound by the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 which sets out a number of principles to protect your personal information.

You are entitled to:

  • Know why your personal information is being collected, how it is managed and how it will be used
  • Know which organisations will be given your personal information
  • Be assured those organisations will only use your information for the purposes they told you about
  • Know how to make a complaint about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles
  • Know how to ask for access to your records and have inaccuracies corrected.

 

What information do we collect?

In order to work effectively with you we need to collect:

  • Your name, address, phone numbers, email address and other contact details you give us
  • Documents that you provide (such as intervention orders)
  • Case notes taken by us during your initial interview and during subsequent mediation or counselling sessions
  • All correspondence with you (electronic or hard copy)
  • Referral information received from other programs within our organisation
  • Notes taken by your case manager in conversation with third parties

We may also need to collect, store and use sensitive personal information about you such as criminal records or other details you may want to keep confidential.

 

Using a pseudonym or remaining anonymous

In order to provide most of our services we do need to know who you are. However there may be circumstances where you wish to use a pseudonym or remain anonymous. Please discuss this someone when you call us.

 

How is information collected?

You will know if we are collecting personal information from you because you will be requested to provide it. It will only be collected from you with your consent.

There are two exceptions to this:

  • When someone else provides us with your personal information. If you do not consent to this information being collected we will not keep it
  • When we collect website visit statistics (via a web analytics service using software techniques such as web server log file analysis, clickstream data, cookies and web beacons). If you adjust your browser settings to block, reject or delete these functions, the webpage may not function in an optimal manner. We may also collect information about your IP address, although this may not identify you. While these statistics may meet the definition of ‘personal information’ under the Privacy Act, they are not used to identify you.

It is intended that this website can be used anonymously. However, for some functions, collecting personal information is unavoidable, such as when you provide an email address that happens to contain your name.

 

Why do we collect information?

We ask for this information so we may:

  • Provide you with the service or support options most appropriate to your needs
  • Administer and manage those services including billing and debt collection
  • Improve our services and overall service delivery through research and/ or participation in research projects (with your written permission)
  • Send you marketing information including direct marketing information.

 

Do we disclose this information?

It is a part of our service delivery contracts with the funding bodies  that we report some client details. These details are non-identifiable and used to aid funding bodies in their assessment of the effectiveness of services delivered. Funding bodies  will not be receive your name or other  or any other personally identifiable information about you.

No other information will be disclosed to any other organisation or individual without your written permission. This includes only disclosing your sensitive information with your consent or as required by law. Sensitive information includes health information.

In exceptional circumstances there may be protective or safety concerns that oblige us under law to breach confidentiality. Your case manager will inform you more fully of these limits.

 

Direct Marketing

When we collect your personal information, or at a time after collection, we may contact you via direct marketing initiatives. You can opt out of these direct marketing initiatives at the time of collection or at any later time by either clicking the unsubscribe button on any direct marketing email or by contacting the Privacy Officer using the contact details below. Opting out of direct marketing will not affect any other services we are providing to you at the time of opting out or any future services.

 

How do we store your information?

A file number is created for each case.  All written information is stored in a file identified only by file number. A separate record is used to match client names with file numbers.

Computer files with personal details and session records are kept in a secure client database with limited designated access. We do not use any overseas or trans-border servers or Cloud servers.

If any contact (with your written permission) is video or audio taped, it’s kept locked and erased two months from last use.

 

Who has access to this information and how is it protected?

  • Your case manager and any other staff working directly on your case
  • Administrative staff for the preparation of letters, administration and data entry
  • Managers  may access your file during a case review or an  audit process to ensure security policies are complied with.

You should also know that:

  • All Better Place Australia staff are bound by a confidentiality policy
  • In addition to building and office security, written or taped records are stored in a locked file room.
  • Electronic systems are protected by passwords and a firewall to stop unauthorised internal or external access.
  • Better Place Australia does not give your information to people overseas.

 

How do you know if your information is correct?

We take all reasonable precautions to ensure the information is accurate and complete for our purposes however we rely on you to inform us if there are any changes that we need to know about. If you think that some of the personal information we hold is inaccurate, then contact the Privacy Officer on the details below for access to your personal information.

 

Can you access your personal file?

Clients may request to access information about themselves only, subject to the Privacy Act 1988.

To request access to your personal information, a client must complete and sign the Request to Access Records Form.

Forms are to be directed to enquires@betterplace.com.au.

Please be aware that it can take up to 28 days to process a request.

 

How long do we keep your information?

By law we are required to securely retain your file for seven years from the last date of contact with you before destroying it. If any of your children have attended the Centre for our services, the file will be kept until the youngest of those children turns 25 years of age and then be destroyed.

 

What do you do if you think there has been a breach of your privacy?

You can either:

  • Phone, (03) 9556 5333, or write to the Privacy Officer, Executive Manager Quality and Service Development, Better Place Australia Mediation and Counselling, PO Box 2131, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
  • Contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by email: enquiries@oaic,gov.au, or by phone: 1300 363 992, or by fax: +61 2 9284 9666 or online: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/

All complaints are handled by us within 30 days, during which time we speak to you on the telephone and may opt to meet with you face-to-face to resolve your concerns.

 

Measuring how the website is used – cookies

We use software on this website to find out which pages are visited, for how long, on what operating systems and browsers, and from what geographical areas. This helps us understand how people use the website so that we can improve it.

Our website uses cookies (text files placed in the browser of your computer to help remember your preferences). A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive, pass on a computer virus, or capture your email address. The cookie remains on your computer as a record for future visits to this website.

The information generated by a cookie about your use of this website does not include your personal information. It does include your IP address, which is transmitted to and stored on servers in data centres within and outside Australia.

The software may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where third parties process the information on the software provider’s behalf.

By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. Find out more about Google’s privacy policy.

If you do not consent to having your usage of this website recorded, you can disable cookies via your browser internet options and delete all cookies from your computer. You can also configure your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, providing you with the opportunity to either accept or reject it.

 

Revised 11 December 2019

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