Scope

NET Ministries is incorporated under the Archdiocese of Brisbane, but our reach is across all of Australia and New Zealand. The privacy of all individuals with whom we interact is very important to us and we are committed to protecting all personal information we collect and hold. We do this by handling information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act, 1988. This policy sets out how we collect, use, disclose and otherwise manage personal information about you through your association with our staff or teams. This policy applies in addition to any other privacy policy and processes which may be adopted by any parish, school or agency of the Catholic Church in relation to their specific functions or activities. In the event of an inconsistency between this policy and any other policy or process, this policy prevails.

Collection

TYPES OF INFORMATION COLLECTED

We may collect and hold personal information about you, that is, information that can identify you, and is relevant to providing you with the services you are seeking. The kinds of information we typically collect include: name, address, date of birth, age, contact details like phone numbers and email addresses, as well as electronic information from your use of our website (see further below). We may also collect and hold sensitive information about you, including information about your religious beliefs and information about your health.

METHOD OF COLLECTION

Personal information will generally be collected directly from you through the use of any of our standard forms, over the internet, via email, or through a telephone conversation with you. In particular, we may collect personal information about you from application forms, registration forms and from third parties who assist us with carrying out our functions and activities. There may, however, be some instances where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is unreasonable or impractical to collect personal information directly from you. We will usually notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected. Except as otherwise permitted by law, we only collect sensitive information about you if you consent to the collection of the information and if the information is reasonably necessary for the performance of our functions and activities, set out below.

PURPOSE OF COLLECTION

The personal information that we collect and hold about you, depends on your interaction with us. Generally, we collect, use and hold your personal information if it is reasonably necessary for or directly related to the performance of our functions and activities and for the purpose of:

Except as otherwise permitted by law, we only collect sensitive information about you if you consent to the collection of the information and if the information is reasonably necessary for the performance of our functions and activities, set out above.

Failure to Provide Information

If the personal information you provide to us is incomplete or inaccurate, we may be unable to provide you, or someone else you know, with the services or products you, or they, are seeking.

Internet Users

If you access our website, we may collect additional personal information about you in the form of your IP address and domain name. Our website uses cookies. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and to prepare customised web pages for them. Cookies do not identify you personally, but they may link back to a database record about you. We use cookies to monitor usage of our website and to create a personal record of when you visit our website and what pages you view so that we may serve you more effectively. Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and linked websites are not subject to our privacy policies and procedures.

Use and Disclosure

Generally, we only use or disclose personal information about you for the purposes for which it was collected (as set out above). We may disclose personal information about you collected by our teams and/or staff to: (a) other teams/staff to facilitate our and their internal business processes; (b) third party service providers (such as Diocese, schools or parishes) who assist us in operating our organisation. By consenting to the disclosure of your personal information, Australian Privacy Principle 8.1 does not apply and you agree that we do not have to take reasonable steps to ensure that information is treated in accordance with the Privacy Act. In some circumstances, the law may permit or require us to use or disclose personal information for other purposes (for instance where you would reasonably expect us to and the purpose is related to the purpose of collection). Except as otherwise permitted by law, we only disclose your sensitive information with your consent, for the purposes for which it was collected, and to the parties described above.

Security

We store your personal information in different ways, including in paper and in electronic form. The security of your personal information is important to us. We take all reasonable measures to ensure that your personal information is stored safely to protect it from misuse, loss, interference, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including electronic and physical security measures.

Access and Correction

You may access the personal information we hold about you, by making a written request. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period. We may charge you a reasonable fee for providing access to your personal information (but not for making a request for access). We may decline a request for access to personal information in circumstances prescribed by the Privacy Act, and if we do, we will provide you with a written notice that sets out the reasons for the refusal (unless it would be unreasonable to provide those reasons). If, upon receiving access to your personal information or at any other time, you believe the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please notify us immediately. We will take reasonable steps to correct the information so that it is accurate, complete and up to date. If we refuse to correct your personal information, we will provide you with a written notice that sets out the reasons for our refusal (unless it would be unreasonable to provide those reasons), including details of the mechanisms available to you to make a complaint.

Complaints and Feedback

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act or Australian Privacy Principles that applies to us, please contact us as set out below and we will take reasonable steps to investigate the complaint and respond to you. If you are not happy with our response, you may complain directly to the federal Privacy Commissioner. If we ascertain that your enquiry or complaint concerns a Catholic Church entity that is not part of NET Ministries we will try to direct you to the appropriate contact. If you have any queries or concerns about our privacy policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Postal Address: PO Box 294, Ellen Grove, Queensland, 4078

Email Address: info@netministries.com.au

Telephone: +61 7 3217 5299

More Information

For more information about privacy in general, you can visit the federal Privacy Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au