Privacy Policy
Workskills Privacy Policy
Workskills Privacy Policy is determined by Australian Government legislation, namely the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, which amends the Privacy Act 1988.
Schedule 1 of the 2012 Act outlines the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which replaced the former National Privacy Principles and the Information Privacy Principles, as from 12th March 2014.
It is the policy of Workskills Inc. to collect, handle and store personal information in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Workskills clients are notified, in writing, at their Initial appointment of this Privacy Policy and particular mention is also made of the fact that we are unable to give personal information to others without the written permission of the client. This, however, does not include client information that we are required by the Social Security Act and the Employment Services Deed to share with the Department of Employment and the Department of Human Services.
Workskills has other policies and procedures that support the Privacy Policy.
These include:
- Confidentiality Policy
- Records Management Policy
- Accessing Client Data Policy
- Fraud Control Policy
- Use of Social Media Policy
- Communication Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Providing Access to Records Procedures
- Employee Assistance Program
- Australian Privacy Principles
The full text of the Australian Privacy Principles is available from us on request, or from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (see details at the end of this document).
The Principles are summarised in the next section.
Part 1— Consideration of personal information privacy
APP 1— open and transparent management of personal information
Workskills has policies (outlined above) on the management of personal information which covers the kinds of personal information that we collect, the purpose for which we collect information, how individuals may access personal information and how individuals may make complaints if they are not happy with how we deliver services.
APP 2 — anonymity and pseudonymity
Individuals have the option of remaining anonymous when contacting Workskills. However this does not apply in cases where it is not legally permissible or practical to do so.
Part 2 — Collection of personal information
APP 3 — collection of solicited personal information
Workskills Inc. collects information from clients and stakeholders to carry out its functions. Where possible, information is collected directly from the individual. Where information is collected from a third party the individual is informed, or they may reasonably expect that we have been given this information in order to undertake the requirements of our contract with the Australian Government (for example, a client using our employment services will be told, or can be expected to know, that we have already received some information on them from the Department of Human Services).
APP 4 — dealing with unsolicited personal information
If Workskills receives unsolicited personal information from or about clients, we must determine whether this information could have been collected under Principle 3. If not, we must, if it is lawful and reasonable to do so, destroy the information as soon as practicable.
APP 5 — notification of the collection of personal information
Workskills must contact clients if personal information is collected from someone other than the client or if the client is not aware that we have collected this personal information.
Part 3 —Dealing with personal information
APP 6 — use or disclosure of personal information
Generally, information is used solely for the purpose for which it was collected. Information provided for employment purposes could be disclosed to employers, to the Department of Employment and to the Department of Human Services for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
APP 7 —direct marketing
Workskills must not use personal information about clients for the purpose of direct marketing unless such information has been agreed by the client to be disclosed. Individuals may also request not to receive direct marketing information from Workskills.
APP 8 — cross-border disclosure of personal information
Workskills must take steps to ensure data will be protected when forwarded to a third party. Therefore Workskills ensures client data is sent to government agencies under secure conditions. No data is sent overseas.
APP 9 — adoption, use or disclosure of government related identifiers
Organisations must not adopt a government related identifier of an individual as its own identifier unless legally authorised to do so. In dealing with government agencies, Workskills is often obliged to collect and use identifying numbers issued by those agencies. However, this is done according to law or regulation as required by each agency.
Part 4 — Integrity of personal information
APP 10 — quality of personal information
Workskills must ensure that personal information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete. If we are disclosing personal information we must ensure that it is also relevant.
APP 11 — security of personal information
All personal information is held under secure conditions with access restricted to those individuals who need it to carry out their work under Workskills' programs. Workskills has a Records Management policy which outlines security requirements of data storage and time frames for destruction of personal information, based on guidelines published by the Department of Employment.
Part 5 — Access to, and correction of, personal information
APP 12 — access to personal information
It is Workskills' policy to give individuals access to their data on request. However, the full text of this APP lists exceptions to this right, mainly where access to the information may impact adversely on the individual or others. We have documented 'Providing Access to Records Procedures' that staff need to follow when requests are made to access personal information. If access is refused or restricted, Workskills will give an explanation for this decision.
APP 13 — correction of personal information
When Workskills is made aware of instances where personal information we hold is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading we will take steps to update this information. Personal details are checked regularly and updated when appropriate. Discussing or accessing your information with Workskills You may wish to discuss, or obtain access to your personal information as held by Workskills or which you believe may be held by Workskills. If you have regular contact with a particular staff member, we suggest you contact that staff member in the first instance. Otherwise, you should contact the relevant Site Leaders, whose details appear below.
Further information Further information on the Australian Privacy Principles can be obtained from:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Telephone: 1300 363 992
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001
www.oaic.gov.au
Quality Team email: QA@workskills.org.au
Workskills Incorporated ABN 78 329 753 378
Information Security Management System
Workskills is committed to protecting the security of its business information in the face of incidents and unwanted events and has implemented an Information Security Management System.
As an employment services provider delivering employment services programs on behalf of the Australian Government, Department of Education, Skills and Employment. The growing security threats require the establishment and implementation of a strong information security management and governance system.
Compliance with our security policies, guidelines and procedures is of great importance to ensure strategic activity that preserves the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information by applying risk management processes to adequately manage threats.
For further information please feel free to contact us if you would like a copy of our Information Security Policy.