This Privacy Policy applies to the handling of personal information by the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission (‘Commission’, ‘us’, ‘we’ or ‘our’). It outlines the kinds of personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we handle it.
We are also assisted by the Department of Social Services (Department) in performing our functions and activities, which may include providing services on our behalf. Read the Department’s Privacy Policy.
In this Privacy Policy:
personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. It includes information about you such as your name and contact information.
sensitive information is a subset of personal information. It includes information such as your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, and health information.
You should read this Privacy Policy if you interact with us or are thinking about doing so.
Remaining anonymous or using a pseudonym
We understand that some members of the public may not want to be identified when they interact with us, and might want to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym (a ‘fake name’).
Generally, members of the public will have the right to remain anonymous or adopt a pseudonym when dealing with us. However, it is not always possible to remain anonymous or adopt a pseudonym and we will let you know when this is the case.
How we collect personal information
We collect personal information (including some sensitive information) in different ways including:
through forms or documents provided to us
from online portals (e.g. our website)
via social media websites and accounts
through correspondence with you (e.g. letters, emails or SMS messages)
other interactions with you, whether face-to-face or over the telephone
from a person that you have authorised to provide your information to us
from referrals from the Minister’s Office or Assistant Minister’s Office
from third parties, including peak bodies, other government agencies or persons, or contractors who may assist with the Commissions work.
When we collect personal information, we are required under the Privacy Act to notify you of the purposes for which we collect the information, whether the collection is required or authorised by law, and any person or body to whom we usually disclose the information. We provide this notification by issuing separate privacy notices on our paper-based forms and online portals related to particular functions and activities. In addition, general information regarding these procedures is provided in this Privacy Policy.
What personal information we collect
Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect different kinds of information about you. This can include:
personal information about you such as your name, address, gender, date of birth, contact information (e.g. your email and phone number), organisational positions.
personal information about your circumstances such as your cultural and linguistic background and language preferences; relevant disabilities; citizenship and residency information; your racial or ethnic origin (including whether you identify as Indigenous); religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices.
sensitive information specific to the work of the Commission such as:
whether you identify as a victim-survivor
whether you identify as person with lived experience of family, domestic and/or sexual violence
whether you identify as a family member, friend or carer of a victim-survivor and/or person with lived experience
personal information about your interactions with us and your use of our online services such as information about:
online forms or applications that you fill in
feedback or complaints
mailing and subscription lists
ministerial or Commission correspondence
submissions to consultations or reviews that we administer
your telephone or face-to-face conversations with us.
information collected through our website. When you visit our website, the website server logs the following information:
the type of browser and operating system you are using
the address of the referring site (for example, the Google search page)
your IP address (a number which is unique to the modem, router or gateway that connects you to the internet)
the date, time and address of each page you visit on the website
how long you visited the website for
the date, time and address of each document you download from our website.
for Commission staff and contractors, personal information for employment and personnel matters.
Generally, we will only collect sensitive information with your consent. However, we may collect sensitive information without your consent where it is required or authorised by law, a court or tribunal order, or otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act.
Why we collect information and how we use and disclose it
We can only use and disclose your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected.
We collect personal information for a variety of different purposes relating to our functions and activities including:
engaging with stakeholders
undertaking a coordination role across government
policy development, research and evaluation
complaints and enquiry handling
performing our employment and personnel functions in relation to our staff and contractors
contract management
investigations, audits and fraud and compliance functions
managing our correspondence, including from Ministers, the media or members of the public.
We want to understand the priorities and issues reported by victim-survivors, people with lived experience, advocates and individuals to the Commission to inform the work of the Commission in influencing and promoting improved policy development, service and system reforms to ensure better services are available to those in need.
Who we disclose your information to
We may need to disclose your personal information to others for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. We will protect your information by taking all reasonable steps to ensure that any disclosure is done in accordance with the Privacy Act and with privacy best practice guidance issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
We may disclose your personal information (including sensitive information):
to the Department, so it can help us undertake our functions and activities, such as handling complaints, investigations and Freedom of Information requests
to our IT and other service providers if they need access to provide their services to us. We make sure that our service providers are bound by strict privacy and confidentiality obligations
other relevant authorities or third parties if we are authorised or required by law or otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act, such as to comply with mandatory reporting requirements in relation to suspected cases of domestic violence or abuse; or to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual, or to public health or safety.
If we are issued with a subpoena requiring disclosure of personal information, we take reasonable steps to ascertain whether disclosure might result in further harm or distress to those experiencing domestic violence or abuse. If so, we use all reasonable endeavours to object to the disclosure on any legal grounds available to us, however, the Commission may still be required to produce documents sought under a subpoena or other court order.
Disclosure of personal information overseas
We will, on occasion, disclose personal information to overseas recipients. The situations in which we may transfer personal information overseas include:
the provision of personal information to recipients using a web-based email account where data is stored on an overseas server, and
the provision of personal information to foreign governments and law enforcement agencies (in limited circumstances and where authorised by law).
It is not practicable to list every country to which the Commission may provide personal information as this will vary depending on the circumstances.
However, you may contact us to find out which countries, if any, your information has been given to.
How we store personal information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information against misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. These include:
any paper records you provide to us are stored securely and in accordance with Australian government security guidelines
personal information you provide to us is only accessed by authorised personnel on a ‘need-to-know’ basis
we monitor all access to our IT systems, with access only permitted with authenticated credentials
we ensure our buildings are secure
we regularly update and audit our data storage and data security requirements
we de-identify personal information before disclosing it whenever this is reasonably practicable, unless disclosure of your identity is required or authorised by law.
We destroy or archive personal information that we hold when it is no longer required, in accordance with the Archives Act 1983 (Cth).
How to access and correct your personal information
Accessing your personal information
You have the right to ask for access to the personal information that we hold about you. You can do this using our contact details below.
If you ask us for access to the information we must give you access, unless there is a law that allows us, or requires us, not to give you access.
If we refuse to give you access to your personal information we will let you know in writing and will provide reasons for our refusal.
The Department will assist with actioning your request.
Updating your personal information
You have the right to ask that we correct personal information that we hold about you. You can do this using our contact details below.
If you ask us to correct your personal information we must take reasonable steps to correct your information if we consider that it is incorrect.
If we refuse to correct your personal information we will let you know in writing and will provide reasons for our refusal.
The Department will assist with actioning your request.
Our website
Services Australia manages our website for us.
If you visit our website to read or download information, a range of technical information is recorded but this does not reveal your identity. This information includes your IP or server address, your general locality and the date and time of your visit to the website. This information is used for statistical and development purposes.
No attempt is made to identify you through your browsing other than in exceptional circumstances, such as an investigation into the improper use of the website.
Some functionality of the website is not run by Services Australia or us and third parties may capture and store your personal information outside Australia. These third parties include (but are not limited to) Facebook, YouTube, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, Twitter and Google, and they may not be subject to the Privacy Act at all or in the same way as Services Australia or us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties and we encourage you to examine each website's privacy policies and make your own decisions regarding their reliability.
Our website contains links to other websites. We are not responsible for the content and privacy practices of other websites and encourage you to examine each website's privacy policies and make your own decisions regarding the reliability of material and information found.
Cookies
Cookies are used to maintain contact with a user through a website session. A cookie is a small file supplied by Services Australia, and stored by your web browser software on your computer when you access our website. Cookies allow recognition of an individual web user, as they browse our website. It does not store any personal information. You may disable cookies by adjusting the settings on your web browser, but if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of our website.
How to make a complaint
How to complain to us
If you think we may have breached your privacy rights, you may contact us using the contact details set out below.
Your complaint will be sent to the Department’s Legal Services Group for investigation.
We will respond to your complaint promptly if you provide your contact details. You do not need to provide your name, or can use a pseudonym (a ‘fake name’), but we may not be able to fully investigate and resolve your complaint if you do not provide all relevant details.
We are committed to quick and fair resolution of any complaints, and will ensure your complaint is taken seriously. You will not be victimised or suffer negative treatment if you make a complaint.
How to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
You also have the option of contacting the OAIC if you want to make a privacy complaint against us.
The OAIC website contains information on how to make a privacy complaint to the OAIC.
If you make a complaint directly to the OAIC, the OAIC may recommend you try to resolve the complaint directly with us in the first instance.
How to contact us
If you want to:
ask questions about this Privacy Policy, or how your personal information is collected, held, used or disclosed
obtain access to or seek correction of your personal information
make a complaint about a breach of your privacy
please contact us using the following contact details:
If you want to access this Privacy Policy in an alternative format (e.g. hard copy) please contact us using the contact details above. This Privacy Policy is available free of charge.
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission (the Commission) acknowledges the individual and collective expertise of those with a living or lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence. We recognise their vital contribution at all levels, and value the courage of those who share this unique perspective for the purpose of learning and growing together to achieve better outcomes for all.
The Commission also values the unique experiences, protective factors and strengths of children and young people and acknowledge that they are affected by domestic, family and sexual violence in their own right.
This site contains references to domestic, family and sexual violence.
You can exit the site at any time by clicking the quick exit button in the top right corner.
If you are in immediate danger, call 000. For assistance and support, call 1800RESPECT.
