Consultation period

15 December 2023 - 3:00 pm To 29 January 2024 - 11:59 pm

National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee Expression of Interest – Privacy Collection Notice

The Department of Social Services (department, we, us), is currently seeking nominations for carers to join the National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee (the Committee) through an Expression of Interest process.

As part of this Expression of Interest process, we ask that you provide your first and last name however, we do not ask for you to provide your phone number or address. The department’s intention is for people to be identified and provide information that will assist in filling membership positions for the Committee. Noting we are requesting information that identifies you, we will handle your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) as it will be ‘personal information’.

We will collect your information (including any personal information) for one or more of the above purposes. This notice is designed to ensure you are aware of the purpose and certain matters in relation to that collection, as required by the Privacy Act.

Your personal information is protected by law, including under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

This privacy collection notice is designed to ensure you are aware of certain matters in relation to the department’s collection of your personal information, as required by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

What is ‘personal information’ and ‘sensitive information’?

Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

Sensitive information is a subset of personal information. It includes information or an opinion about your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of associations or unions, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, or health, genetic or biometric information.

What personal information we collect

Through your participation in the Expression of Interest process, we will collect a range of your personal information (some of which could be sensitive information) including:

  • First and last name
  • email address
  • gender
  • age bracket
  • race
  • disability
  • caring experience
  • demographic information

We may collect personal information from you about:

  • your experience with matters impacting carers,
  • skills and experience in connecting with and representing the views of carers,
  • skills and experience in working in advising or working with government, and
  • experience and understanding of matters impacting diverse communities (e.g. First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, women and girls, LGBTIQA+, regional and remote communities and people with complex needs)

How we collect your information

Your personal information relating to your personal views will be collected if you choose to submit your Expression of Interest. We will do this by:

  • collecting information from your responses to the Expression of Interest form hosted on Engage.dss.gov.au; and
  • collecting information from you directly if you submit your form via email or post.

Why we collect your personal information

Your personal information is collected for the purposes of seeking nominations for membership for the Committee.

If you do not provide your personal information (including sensitive information), you will not be considered to join the Committee. The information being collected will assist with determining the make-up and membership of the Committee and ensure the Committee includes carers with lived experience from diverse backgrounds.

Some of the information collected by us from our targeted or public consultations or surveys has research value in developing policies that extend beyond the specific consultation or survey for which it was originally collected. Where this is the case, the information that we collect from this consultation may be used for our other research purposes. In doing so, we will apply the Australian Privacy Principles to the handling of any personal information.

Who we disclose your personal information to

We may disclose your personal information to the following people, organisations or third parties:

  • Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
  • Employees from the office of the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
  • Carers Australia
  • other parties where the disclosure is authorised by law.  If we receive information in response to this Consultation that indicates there is a risk of harm to the respondent or another person, we are required to report it under Australian Law. This may include referral to the relevant state or territory authorities, in line with the relevant state, territory and Commonwealth legislation, and
  • Services Australia for the purposes of assisting the Department to administer DSS Engage and providing the Department with other information technology services

All entities contracted by us are subject to strict confidentiality, privacy and security obligations.

No information about you will be disclosed overseas.

Storage of your personal information

Storage of personal information (and the disposal of information when no longer required) is managed in accordance with the Australian Government records management regime, including the Archives Act 1983, agency-specific records authorities and general records authorities. This ensures your personal information is held securely by the Department.

All personal information collected by the Department is stored on Services Australia’s cloud storage, on servers located in Australia. Services Australia and the Department retains effective control over any personal information held on our cloud, and the information is handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Any information disclosed to third parties will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act and stored in accordance with agreed security protocols.

More information

More information about how we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy. Our Privacy Policy contains more information about how you can access any personal information that we hold, and how to seek correction of that personal information. It also contains information about how to make a complaint about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles, as set out in the Privacy Act. If you have any concerns or questions, you can contact us at privacy@dss.gov.au.

Confirmation and consent

By providing personal information as part of your Consultation response, you consent to the Department’s collection and handling of personal information in accordance with this collection notice and the Department’s Privacy Policy.

By providing your sensitive information as part of your response, you consent to the department collecting your sensitive information and handling your sensitive information in accordance with this collection notice and the Department’s Privacy Policy.