Discussion Paper Privacy Collection Notice

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

The Department of Social Services (department, we, us, our), is currently inviting participants to provide their views on the following consultation: Families and Children (FaC) Activity – Children, youth and parenting programs discussion paper (the Consultation).

The department collects personal information about individuals for a range of purposes to enable it to carry out its functions. More information about how we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy.

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

Purpose of this Consultation

The department recently concluded an internal review of FaC Activity children, youth and parenting programs. We are now conducting external consultation to explore the findings of the internal review.

The Discussion Paper includes a number of discussion questions for your feedback. You can share your views by addressing some or all of the questions outlined in the Discussion Paper.

The Department’s intention is for individuals who wish to provide feedback to have the choice to not be identified or be identifiable. However, even where individuals choose to remain anonymous, it is possible that the individual may still be identifiable due to various factors (for example, if you include personal information in your submission, or by your email address or other computer information). It is also possible that other individuals may be identified, or reasonably identifiable, from the information you provide in your submission.

Where we are able to identify you (or reasonably identify you) from your response, we will handle your response in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) as it will be ‘personal information’.

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. This applies whether the personal information is true or not or recorded in a material form or not. For example, personal information can include an individual’s name, signature, residential address, phone number, email address, date of birth, photographs, employment information, location information from mobile devices and internet protocol addresses.

‘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. Health information includes any information regarding whether an individual has a disability and the nature of their disability.

Who is collecting your personal information?

Your personal information is being collected by the Department and by Services Australia, who will be assisting the Department with some of the information technology aspects of the Consultation.

What personal information we collect

Individuals

Through your participation of the Consultation, we may collect a range of your personal information (some of which could be sensitive information).

The personal information we will ask for, but is optional to provide, includes:

• what state you live in
• whether you live in a city, regional, rural or remote area
• whether you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• whether you are from a Culturally or Linguistically Diverse background
• whether you are a person with a disability or care for a person with a disability
• whether you identify as LGBTIQ+

Please note that we are not seeking that you provide other personal or sensitive information and ask that you do not provide this information.

When providing your responses to the questions about the FaC Activity, youth and parenting programs, or issues outlined in the discussion paper, if you provide your:

• first or full name
• identify yourself through information you provide about your circumstances or experiences; or
• identify other people either by name or indirectly through other information you provide, such as family relationship or role in a community;

you are providing personal information and possibly sensitive information.

We may also collect personal information from you if you complete the Consultation by an alternative method, such as by emailing us your answers to the discussion questions.

Organisations

If you are an individual making a submission on behalf of an organisation (such as a peak body or other organisation), we will ask you for your name, work email address, the name of the organisation on whose behalf you make the submission, the type of organisation it is, and your position at that organisation. We will handle your ‘personal information’ in accordance with the Privacy Act, as detailed in this Privacy Notice, and in accordance with the Department’s Privacy Policy.

Where you make a submission on behalf of an organisation, you are confirming that you have authority to do so.

How we collect your information

Your personal information relating to your personal views will be collected if you choose to participate in the survey. We will do this by:

• collecting information from your responses to the Engage.dss.gov.au submission form
• collecting information from you directly, if you wish to provide additional information to your submission via email to families@dss.gov.au.
• collecting information from you directly by post.

Why we collect your personal information

Your personal information is collected for the purposes of:

• analysis of the submissions;
• policy development connected to the FaC Activity children, youth and parenting programs;
• informing recommendations to the Minister for Social Services;
• understanding and publishing aggregated information about the demographics of respondents;
• publishing of individual submissions on DSS Engage where consent has been provided; and
• development of policies that extend beyond the scope of the current consultations

Responses collected as part of this Consultation will be summarised in a de-identified format into a report, which will be provided to the Minister for Social Services and may published on the Engage.dss.gov.au website.

Prior to publication of individual submissions, the Department will take steps to remove any personal information that the author has not consented to the release of (such as name and email address) and personal information related to other individuals.

Where information that we collect from this consultation is to be used for research purposes other than the current consultations, the Australian Privacy Principles will apply to the handling of any personal information.

Individuals

If you do not provide your personal information (including sensitive information), we will still be able to consider your views as part of this Consultation process and your identity will remain anonymous.

Who we disclose your personal information to

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

• entities contracted to provide services to assist us with the Consultation
• Minister for Social Services
• Employees from the office of the Minister for Social Services
• Services Australia, for the purposes of assisting the Department to administer DSS Engage and providing the Department with other information technology services; and
• other parties where the disclosure is required or authorised by law. This may include, for example, if a response raises serious concerns about the welfare of any person.

No information about you will be disclosed overseas.

Any demographic information provided in your Consultation responses will only be used for internal analysis, and will not be published, except as aggregated statistics.

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.

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

If you have any concerns or questions, you can contact us at complaints@dss.gov.au.

Confirmation and consent

This section only applies if you are providing sensitive information as part of your consultation response. Please note that you do not need to provide your sensitive information if you do not wish to do so.

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