Privacy

Any collecting and handling of information by FIELD Inc will be conducted with the objectives of the Victorian Information Privacy Act (2000) in mind. Such activities will also be compliant with the requirements of the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1998) and the Victorian Health Records Act (2001). The Privacy Policy will be updated in line with any relevant legislative changes.

These objectives are to:

  1. balance the public interest in the free flow of information with the public interest in protecting the privacy of personal information in the public sector
  2. promote the awareness of responsible personal information handling practices in the public sector
  3. promote the responsible and transparent handling of personal information handling in the public sector.

Collection and Anonymity

FIELD Inc will avoid the collection of personal information which is not necessary for the performance of its functions or activities as required by the Information Privacy Principles of the Victorian Information Privacy Act (2000). In many situations it is not necessary to get people's personal information. Individuals can be dealt with anonymously. Consequently, FIELD Inc staff will, where practicable, give individuals the option of not identifying themselves.

What information does FIELD INC collect?

FIELD Inc collects information for the purposes of improving knowledge in relation to assisting people with disabilities to participate in work preparation, induction and skills development programs. Therefore information may be collected about participants undertaking in-service courses or about people with disabilities in agencies supported by FIELD Inc. Information may also be collected about the agencies themselves.

Is any of the information personal information?

Yes. From time to time, FIELD Inc may collect information about an individual or an opinion of an individual whose identity can reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion.

Is any of the information sensitive information?

From time-to-time, FIELD Inc may collect information about an individual's disability, racial or ethnic origin or their membership of a professional trade or association. Any other sensitive information, such as sexual preference or political affiliation is most unlikely to be collected. In such cases FIELD Inc staff will seek the consent of individuals, where practicable, when they are collecting what might be sensitive information. Such information would only be collected as a necessary part of research and if it is connected with government-funded educational services (See Use and Disclosure).

Is any of the information health information?

From time to time FIELD Inc may collect information relating to an individual's disability.

How does FIELD Inc collect this information?

FIELD Inc may collect information by survey, interview (telephone or face-to-face) or via a secondary source, such as Department of Human Services data. Such information will be collected lawfully and fairly and without being intrusive, so that breaches of equal opportunity or human rights legislation will not occur.

Why does FIELD Inc collect this information?

FIELD Inc collects information to support its statement of purposes which generally seek to improve the quality of life outcomes for people with disabilities.

Does the information need to be collected in order to fulfill FIELD Inc's functions?

From time-to-time, personal or sensitive information will need to be collected to enable FIELD Inc to complete research projects or programs, to advise DHS or other relevant bodies and to advocate for people with disabilities.

What steps will FIELD inc take to ensure individuals are informed?

When FIELD Inc staff collect personal information, all reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that any individual whose information is collected is aware of:

  1. FIELD Inc's identity and how to contact FIELD Inc; staff will outline FIELD Inc's organisation, purpose, the work FIELD INC undertakes and all contact details.
  2. their right to request access to their personal information; FIELD Inc staff, where practicable and necessary, will ensure individuals are aware of its policy regarding personal information collection and its research program (See Use and Disclosure).
  3. the purposes for which the information is collected. FIELD Inc staff will always explain the purpose of its research to individuals and the reason they have been contacted.
  4. the organisations to whom FIELD Inc usually discloses information. FIELD Inc runs training programs and develops resources for other organisations to whom personal information may need to be are shared. FIELD Inc staff will ensure individuals are informed of such arrangements (See Use and Disclosure).

From time-to-time FIELD Inc collects personal information from a source other than the subject of the personal information, such as the data collections of organisations that we undertake projects for and give advice to e.g. the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS). DHS is a Victorian government agency and so is required to comply with the Information Privacy Act. Consequently, the privacy protection travels with the information.

Use and Disclosure

How does FIELD Inc usually use the information?

FIELD Inc uses the information to undertake research and other projects, to advise relevant institutions regarding people with disabilities who are disadvantaged in education, training and employment and to advocate on their behalf. FIELD Inc undertakes this work to promote enhanced quality of life outcomes for people with disabilities.

Is the information disclosed to anyone outside FIELD Inc?

Yes but rarely in a form in which an individual's identity is apparent. FIELD Inc research is generally undertaken for a particular organisation and will at times be for their eyes only. Other times, its research is generally available on request. The collection of information is always to satisfy the primary purpose of FIELD Inc's activities or is directly related to it and any individual whose personal information has been collected could reasonably expect the information to be used in this way.

In any case, where practicable, FIELD Inc will seek the consent of individuals to use collected information. Where such consent is sought and refused, FIELD Inc staff will take steps to ensure the identity of that individual is not apparent and cannot be easily ascertained, that is, we will not disclose personal information of an individual where consent is sought and refused.

Data quality and security

FIELD Inc will ensure that the personal information collected is accurate, complete, up-to-date and secure i.e. the information will not be open to misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure. FIELD Inc staff will ensure that personal or sensitive information is not stored on its computer system and that written records are destroyed when no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.

Openness

In order to ensure openness about the management of other people's information, FIELD Inc has produced a privacy information sheet. All FIELD Inc staff, including staff on short-term contracts, are informed about the privacy policy and procedures as an integral part of staff induction. The FIELD Inc policy and procedures is published on the FIELD Inc website. All staff have their own copy to refer to and a briefing and discussion on privacy policy is scheduled into staff meeting agendas whenever necessary.

Access and correction

FIELD Inc staff will let people see what information we hold about them and allow them to correct it if necessary unless the satisfaction of their request will have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals or if their request is frivolous or vexatious (and see Use and Disclosure and Date Quality and Security).

Unique identifiers

It is unlikely that FIELD Inc will share identifiers with any other organisation or carry out any data matching using unique identifiers. Nevertheless, FIELD Inc staff will minimise the creation and sharing of ID numbers that could be used to match its information about people with information about them from other sources.

Data flows

In the unlikely event that any personal information travels to others, FIELD Inc will ensure that that the privacy protection travels with it.

In the unlikely event that personal information is to be transferred, FIELD Inc staff will seek the individual's consent. Personal information will only be transferred without consent if it is not practicable to gain that consent and it will be to the benefit of the individual and the individual is likely to consent.

What do I do if I have any complaints?

If at any time, you have a question about the way your personal information is being managed, or you have a complaint in relation to privacy or confidentiality of your information, please contact us (see contact details below). If you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle your information or deal with your concerns you may make a formal complaint to the Health Services Commissioner (see contact details below).

Complaint and enforcement mechanisms

A person who believes that his/her privacy has been breached may complain to the Health Services Commissioner, who may attempt to conciliate the complaint. If conciliation fails, the complainant may take their complaint to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). VCAT can make binding determinations to resolve the complaint.

Please contact FIELD INC for clarification of any of the above or if you have any concerns regarding FIELD Inc's privacy policy or procedures or their application.