Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important

This statement outlines the Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW policy on how we use and manage personal information provided to or collected by us.

The Prisoners Aid Association of NSW is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act and is compliant with the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012.

We may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing legal environment.

What kind of personal information do we collect and how do we collect it?

The type of information the Prisoners Aid Association of NSW collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including sensitive information, about:

·         Criminal history.

·         Employment history.

·         Medical records.

We will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of phone calls or formal meetings. You do have the right to seek to deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym, but in almost every circumstance it will not be practicable for us to deal with you or provide any services to you except for the most general responses to general enquiries, unless you identify yourself.

Personal Information provided by other people:

In some circumstances the Prisoners Aid Association of NSW may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example funding providers, the government, Corrections NSW.

In relation to employee records:

Under the Privacy Act the Australian Privacy Principles do not apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy does not apply to the Prisoners Aid Association of NSW’s treatment of an employee record, where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the Association and employee.

How will we use the personal information you provide?

We will use personal information we collect from you for the primary purpose of collection, and for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose of collection and reasonably expected, or to which you have consented.

In relation to direct marketing, we will only use your personal information for direct marketing where you have provided that information, and you are likely to expect direct marketing, and we have included an opt out. We will always obtain your consent to use sensitive information as the basis for any of our direct marketing.

Job applicants, staff members and contractors:

In relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, the Prisoners Aid Association of NSW’s primary purpose of collection is to assess and (if successful) to engage the applicant, staff member or contractor, as the case may be.

The purposes for which we use personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:

·         For insurance purposes;

·         To satisfy our legal obligations,

Volunteers:

The Prisoners Aid Association of NSW also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist us in our functions or conduct associated activities.

Who might we disclose personal information to?

We may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about an individual to:

·         Government departments;

·         Police services

·         Corrective Services NSW

·         People providing services to us,

·         Anyone you authorise us to disclose information to.

Sending information overseas:

The Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:

·         Obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or

·         Otherwise complying with the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.

We do use overseas providers of IT services including servers and cloud services, and ensure that these providers meet the standards of the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.

How do we treat sensitive information?

In referring to ‘sensitive information’, we mean:

“information relating to a person’s racial ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences or criminal record, that is also personal information; and health information about an individual”.

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.

Management and security of personal information

The Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW’s staff are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.

The Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW has in place steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, interference or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and password access rights to computerised records.

Updating personal information

The Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

The Australian Privacy Principles require the Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW not to store personal information longer than necessary.

You have the right to check what personal information we hold about you at any time. You may seek to access or update personal information held by us by contacting the Privacy Officer at any time.

The Prisoner’s Aid Association of NSW may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. No fee will be charged for accessing your personal information or making a correction.

How long will we keep your information?

Under our destruction and de-identification policies, your personal information that is no longer required will be de-identified or destroyed. In many circumstances, however it will be kept for marketing purposes, as you will have consented to that in writing with us.

Enquiries and privacy complaints

If you would like further information, please contact us at: info@prisonersaidnsw.org

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint within 30 days from this meeting, then you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner via:

·        Email:  enquiries@oaic.gov.au

·        Phone:  1300 363 992