The privacy collection notice explains how the scheme will manage your information. The Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) is committed to protecting your information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
The law
The Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014
The Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (the Privacy Act) is the law that regulates how the Victorian Public Sector collects and handles personal and sensitive information.
Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual that can identify the individual.
Sensitive information is information about a living person’s race or ethnicity, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual preferences or practices, criminal record or membership details, such as membership of a trade union.
The Privacy Act requires that the department complies with a number of obligations in the way it collects and handles personal and sensitive information about individuals. This includes the way that we collect, use, protect, store, access and share personal and sensitive information.
The department is required by law to have a policy on how it handles information. You can access the department’s Information Privacy Policy
The Health Records Act 2001
The Health Records Act 2001 (the Health Records Act) is the law that regulates how the public and private sector collects and handles health information.
Health information is information or an opinion about the physical, mental or psychological health of a person, a disability of a person, a person’s wishes about the future provision of health services to them, or health services that are provided or will be provided to them, that is also personal information.
The Health Records Act requires that the department complies with the fair and responsible handling of health information.
There are consequences for not complying with the Privacy Act and the Health Records Act. We take our obligations under these laws very seriously.
Collection of your personal, sensitive and health information
We may collect personal and health information about you where it is reasonably necessary to perform our functions under the Fiskville Redress Scheme. You are not required to provide sensitive information in your application, and we may only collect this type of information with your consent, as indicated in the Acknowledgement in the application form.
The information we may collect through your application to the scheme may include:
- your name, contact information and date of birth
- information about your connection and experiences at or near the former Fiskville Training College. This could include information relating to your:
- employment or volunteering at the former Fiskville Training College site, including position or title, role and duties, employment arrangement
- training at the former Fiskville Training College site
- provision of service at the former Fiskville Training College site, including the type of service performed
- residence at or near the former Fiskville Training College site
- attendance or work at the Fiskville State School
- any other connection to the Fiskville Site.
Privacy obligations require that strict protocols for viewing and handling these documents are complied with by every Fiskville Scheme employee. Information must only be accessed on a need-to-know basis by authorised department employees. Staff must not disclose a participant’s information to any other party outside the Scheme without consent, unless otherwise required or authorised by law.
We may collect this information from you or from someone you nominate to assist you in making an application to the Fiskville Scheme.
We will not add your personal information to any mailing lists or disclose your personal information to any other party unless you consent to it, or unless it is required or authorised by law, or where disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a person’s life, health or safety.
Use of your personal, sensitive and health information
We will use your personal, sensitive and health information for the purpose of assessing your application to the scheme. Your information will only be accessed on a need-to-know basis by authorised employees of the department.
If you choose not to provide all or part of the personal information that we request, we may not be able to provide you with services under the scheme that you would otherwise be eligible for.
We may use your de-identified information as part of an aggregated data set for the purposes of the scheme’s service planning or design.
Accessing your personal, sensitive and health information
You can request access to personal, sensitive and health information the scheme holds about you at any time. If it comes to your attention that any personal, sensitive or health information the scheme holds about you is wrong, out of date or incomplete, you can request that it be corrected.
Your request can be made by emailing fiskville.info@justice.vic.gov.au
You can also make an application to the department’s Freedom of Information Unit by calling 03 8684 0063 or in writing to GPO Box 4356, Melbourne VIC 3001.
Data security
All areas of the department have security measures to protect personal, sensitive and health information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access or disclosure.
The department stores information in accordance with policies aligned with the Public Record Office Victoria guidelines which set out how information is retained and securely disposed of.
Information security risks
We have policies, measures and employee training to protect the personal, sensitive and health information that we have under our control.
We take reasonable measures to protect your information, however, you should be aware that there are risks transmitting your information over the internet.
If you have concerns about providing your information over the internet, please contact the scheme.
Making a privacy complaint
The department is committed to resolving complaints about privacy in a timely, fair and reasonable way.
If you would like to complain about the way your personal, sensitive and health information has been handled, you can contact the scheme by emailing fiskville.info@justice.vic.gov.au
Alternatively, you can directly contact:
The Manager, Information Privacy Unit
Security Management, Assurance
Department of Justice and Community Safety
GPO Box 4356
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
Email: privacy@justice.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 8684 0178
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC). OVIC is an independent body that investigates complaints about possible privacy breaches made by the public sector. For more information, you can visit the OVIC website or call 1300 666 444.
You can also make a complaint to the Health Services Commissioner, who can resolve complaints about healthcare and the handling of health information in Victoria. For more information visit their website call 1300 582 113.
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