Privacy Statement

Council views the protection of an individual’s privacy as part of its commitment towards accountability and integrity and are committed to protecting an individual’s right to privacy.

The Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014 and the Health Records Act 2001 outline Council’s obligations in relation to how it collects, stores, uses and accesses the information we hold about you. All information collected is held securely and used solely by Council for a specific and/or directly related purpose. Council may disclose the information collected to other organisations if required or as permitted by legislation.

Both Acts give you greater control and certainty over how Council collects, disclose, use and access your personal information.

Information collected when using City of Darebin websites

You can access the City of Darebin website anonymously without disclosing personal information.

Statistical information is collected each time you visit the site to tally the number of times you visit the site, the time and duration of your visit, your use of specific pages and the address of the last site you visited (if you linked into the Darebin site from another website).

Email addresses and other contact details you may have provided to request information will not be added to a mailing list or disclosed to a third party without your consent unless we are required to do so by law.

As the Darebin website contains links to other web sites, we cannot be held responsible for these sites’ privacy practices or content. Darebin advises web users to check the privacy statements of linked sites.

Security of your personal information

Darebin City Council aims to protect the quality and integrity of your personal information and uses appropriate security and technology to maintain information, prevent unauthorised access and ensure the correct use of information.

What is personal information?

Personal information is recorded information or opinion, whether true or not, about an identifiable individual.

Personal information typically includes, but is not limited to the following;

• Name
• Address - postal and email
• Telephone - home, work and mobile
• Date of birth
• Medicare number
• Credit card and bank account numbers
• Motor vehicle registrations

The City of Darebin only collects your personal and health information for the purpose of delivering Council services or if required by law. Individuals can access their own personal and health information. We have applied formal processes and safeguards to ensure that your personal information is protected at all times.

What are Council’s information privacy obligations?

Under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, Council has obligations in relation to how it collects, stores, uses and accesses personal information that you provide us.

Council is required to set out clearly a policy on its management of personal information. The policy is based on the ten information privacy principles (IPP’s) Council’s Information Privacy Policy must be available to anyone who asks for it.

Customer Service privacy statement

Darebin City Council (“Council”) collects, holds and manages personal information and health information under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (“PDP Act”) and Health Records Act 2001 (“HR Act”). Your personal and health details are collected so that Council can resolve or lodge your enquiries. For redirection to, and action by, the relevant Council Department.

Council Customer Service staff will include your personal and health information on Council’s internal databases/systems so that the appropriate member of Council staff can use that information to action your concern.

To assist with your questions/requests we will share information with the:

• Council Staff, including our language aides.
• If Council receives a request in error we will forward to the correct body.
• The Council may provide personal information to its agents, such as its lawyers, contractors and interpreters.
• If Council is transferred your request for action from another body we will action on your behalf.
• At times, the Council may be legally required to disclose personal and health information, for instance to the police.

Council commits to assessing our progress and performance on service delivery and improving customer experience by engaging customers in a Satisfaction Survey.

The Council’s contractors (such an independent market research agency) may conduct surveys on behalf of the Council. Please advise us if you do not wish to participate in a survey by emailing privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au.

If you choose not to provide your personal and health information we may not be able to provide a full range of services. We accept anonymous requests and complaints, however we will be unable to provide feedback, responses or an outcome to you without your contact details.

You can access the Council’s privacy policy on our website, by emailing privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au or from our customer centre.

For further information on privacy matters please call Council’s Privacy Officer on 03 8470 8888 or email to privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au.

If you would like to gain access to your personal information, you can contact Council’s Freedom of Information officer on 03 8470 8888 or email to foi@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Kindergarten and child care privacy statement

Darebin City Council (“Council”) collects, holds and manages personal information under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (“PDP Act”) and health information under the Health Records Act 2001 (“HR Act”). You and your child’s personal and heath information is collected so that the Council can assess your child’s eligibility, and if eligible, process your child’s registration for kindergarten and an allocation of place at a kindergarten.

We will share this personal and health information with participating long day care and kindergartens as these kindergartens operate the registration system. Darebin City Council administers the registration system on behalf of participating centres and does not manage these centres. Relevant Council Officers will save the forms into Councils’ Business Systems such as the Records Management System, as part of management of receiving and processing for the forms.

The Council may provide personal and health information to its agents, such as its accountants or lawyers. At times, the Council may be legally required to disclose personal and health information, for instance to the police, courts or The Orange Door who is a voluntary support service for women, children and families.

If you choose not to provide you or your child’s personal and health information, we will be unable to assess their eligibility for kindergarten registration and cannot provide a place at a kindergarten.

You can access the Council’s privacy policy by emailing privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au or from our customer centre. For further information on privacy matters please call Council’s Privacy Officer on 03 8470 8888 or email to privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au.

If you would like to gain access to your personal information, you can contact Council’s Freedom of Information officer on 03 8470 8888 or email to foi@darebin.vic.gov.au.

Disclosure of personal and health information

Your personal information and Health information will not be disclosed to anyone unless:

• You tell us we can
• The disclosure is related to the purpose of collection and you would expect us to disclose the information or
• The law requires us to disclose the information.

Some laws allow us to disclose your information in certain circumstances eg: when your neighbour (or neighbour’s agent) requires your contact details for the purpose of contributing to the cost of a fence, which adjoins your properties.

If you require your neighbours contact details you should first take a look at the Fencing Act 1968 and once you have undertaken all preliminary requirements, you will need to complete and submit the Application for Ownership/Property Information Form. The application form is available from any of our customer service centres.

Access to and correction of personal information

Requests for access to documents containing your personal information are made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. Requests must be made in writing stating as precisely as possible what information is required and should be addressed as follows:

Freedom of Information Officer
City of Darebin
PO Box 91
Preston Vic 3072

People and Culture privacy statement

Darebin City Council collects, holds and manages staff's personal information under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (“PDP Act”).
The personal information provided to People & Culture Department for the purpose of processing and managing employment related matters (i.e. employment engagement surveys and employment contracts).  We may also need to contact staff from time to time for directly related purposes.

Relevant Officers will enter personal details into Councils’ Business Systems such as the Payroll system Chris21 and the Records Management System as part of the management of receiving and processing the forms. Instances where we may share this personal information include:

When we are legally required to, for instance to the Police or Courts.
To Council’s agents, such as lawyers.
With Council Staff, including Payroll and Finance in order to process requests

For further information on privacy matters please call Council’s Privacy Officer on 03 8470 8888 or email to privacy.officer@darebin.vic.gov.au.
 

Who do I contact if I believe the Council has dealt with my personal information inappropriately?

If you think the privacy of your personal or health information has been interfered with, within Council or we have breached the Information Privacy Principles, and would like to make a complaint, please:

• Forward details of your complaint, in writing, to the Privacy Officer, City of Darebin, PO Box 91, Preston, Vic 3072
• Forward details of your complaint by email to Privacy.Officer@darebin.vic.gov.au
• Telephone the Privacy Officer on 03 8470 8888