Privacy Collection Notice

This Privacy Collection Notice (Notice) explains how the Australian Government Department of Social Services (Department, we, us) will collect, use and disclose information shared in connection with Consultation with respect to the Commonwealth Government’s ‘National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032’ (Consultation).

Engaging with us

This Notice applies to each of the ways you may engage with the Department during the Consultation – including when you:

  • submit a survey response via DSS Engage (engage.dss.gov.au);
  • submit a written response via (engage.dss.gov.au); or
  • participate in an event related to the Consultation, such as a roundtable, panel or webinar.

What we’re after

The purpose of this Consultation is to gather views, ideas and feedback on policy matters relating to family, domestic and sexual violence.  We would be grateful for your candid views on these policy matters, as relevant to the format in which you are engaging with us.

We may collect limited personal information from you:

  • in order to enable you to participate in the Consultation (such as to manage your attendance at a Consultation event), or manage your queries regarding the Consultation.

You may not be able to participate in the Consultation if we don’t receive this information.

What we’re not after

Except as set out above, we are not seeking any other identifying information about you, or anyone else, in your response to the Consultation. We particularly do not want to collect information that might allow a person with a lived experience to be identified.

For example, your submission should not:

  • include identifying information about you; or
  • provide identifying information about any other person.

If you feel you need to share a story, we ask that you do so on an anonymous or non-identifying basis.

How we will use and disclose your information

Information provided during the Consultation will be used by the Department to inform the development of Action Plans under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, and to support related policy development and implementation activities, including the:

  • Second Action Plan required to be delivered under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032;
  • the Second Action Plan for Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031;
  • Second Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan for Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031;
  • First Action Plan supporting implementation of Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-2036; and
  • the Attorney-General’s Department’s National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030.

The Department intends to remove or redact any identifying information provided in submissions before they are shared with our research teams such that individuals are no longer reasonably identifiable. We will use our best endeavours to review all submissions and remove any personal or identifying details prior to this process occurring.

Where you consent, we may also use AI tools to process information you submit to us, in order to support the above activities.

We may disclose information contained in Consultation responses:

  • to third party contractors who support us in conducting the Consultation, including the providers of third-party tools we use to process your responses to the Consultation;
  • other Federal, State or Territory government agencies (e.g. the Attorney-General’s Department) to progress work on related policy areas; and
  • to the public, if you consent to us doing so.

There may also be situations where we have to disclose your personal information. For instance, we may be required by an Australian law or a Court or a Tribunal order to share your personal information.

Overseas disclosures

We do not disclose personal information to recipients located outside Australia.

Further information

We store your personal information (and delete your information when it is no longer needed) in accordance with the Archives Act 1983. In relation to any personal information contained in records stored under the Archives Act 1983, we will ensure that this can only be accessed by relevant staff on a need-to-know basis as permitted by law.

The Department’s privacy policy contains further information about how you can access and correct personal information the Department holds about you, as well as information about how you may submit a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Australian Privacy Principles, or a registered APP code (as applicable).

If you have any questions about this Consultation or how your information will be handled, please contact Secondactionplan@dss.gov.au.

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