Condensed Privacy Policy

Scope

This Condensed Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

The OAIC has adopted the Layered Privacy Notice format.* This document provides you with a succinct overview of how we handle your personal information.

Our complete Privacy Policy can be accessed on our website. Both this Condensed Privacy Policy and the complete Privacy Policy were last updated in March 2013.    

Personal Information Handling Practices

Collection

We usually collect personal information about individuals directly from those individuals or their authorised representative.

We sometimes collect personal information from a third party or from a publicly available source, but only if:

• the individual has consented to such collection or would reasonably expect us to collect their personal information in this way, or
• if it is necessary for a specific purpose such as the investigation of a privacy complaint.

We only collect personal information for purposes which are directly related to our functions or activities under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act), Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) or the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 (AIC Act), and only when it is necessary for or directly related to such purposes.

Use and disclosure

We only use personal information for the purposes for which we collected it - purposes which are directly related to one of our functions or activities.

We do not give personal information about an individual to other Government agencies, private sector organisations or anyone else unless one of the following applies:

• the individual has consented
• the individual would reasonably expect, or has been told, that information of that kind is usually passed to those individuals, bodies or agencies
• it is otherwise required or authorised by law
• it will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to somebody's life or health, or
• it is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of public revenue.

Data security

We take steps to protect the personal information we hold against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuse.

When the personal information that we collect is no longer required, we destroy or delete it in a secure manner, in accordance with the OAIC’s Records Disposal Authority.

Your choices

You can access the personal information that we hold about you, and you can ask us to correct the personal information we hold about you. For more information, see our complete Privacy Policy – ‘access and correction’.  

If you are listed on one or more of our media or network email lists you can opt out at any time. You can unsubscribe by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ option in our emails.  

Our obligations

The OAIC is bound by the Information Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act. 

For more information see our complete Privacy Policy.

How to contact us 

For further information contact us at enquiries@oaic.gov.au or alternatively you can write to us at GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia.

Assisted contact options are also available.

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*   The Layered Privacy Notices format was endorsed by Data Protection & Privacy Commissioners in 2003, further developed in the Berlin Memorandum and endorsed in Opinion WP 100 by the Article 29 Committee of European Data Protection Commissioners.

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