CouncilConnect Website Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the CouncilConnect website and reviewing our privacy policy.

CouncilConnect has developed a privacy policy in order to show our commitment to protecting your personal privacy.

In order to provide you with services we need to collect and use information about you and this statement explains how we collect and use any information you provide and the ways in which we protect your privacy.

This statement addresses how we collect, use and disclose personal information that may be obtained through the use of CouncilConnect.

This statement covers the following: ·

• How we collect personal information
• How we use and disclose your personal information
• How we keep your personal information secure
• Anonymity

How we collect personal information

We will only collect necessary personal information from you directly and with your express consent. We will clearly indicate what information is necessary to access CouncilConnect’s products and services including transactions. We may offer the opportunity for you to provide further information so that we can provide you with improved services; however, provision of this information is at your discretion (except where it is a legal requirement).

We will not ask for or collect any sensitive information about you such as religion, marital status, health or gender unless it is necessary to meet legal, public interest or statistical requirements related to and required by the transaction you have requested. Provision of this information is at your discretion except where it is a legal requirement and you will be notified if this is the case.

CouncilConnect may automatically record other information as well. This information is used to improve the performance of this website and to provide you with better services.

When you visit this site our Internet Service Provider makes a record of your visit and specifically logs the following information for statistical purposes: ·

• The Internet Protocol Address and a component of the domain name (.co, .gov, .au etc). The Internet Protocol address is a number assigned by your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. The Internet Protocol Address is used to direct Internet traffic to you where this is required.
• The type of browser and operating system you used. · The date and time of your visit.
• The web pages or services you accessed.
• The time spent on individual pages and the website.
• The type of files you have downloaded.

Any data collected will not be used to identify users unless there is a legal obligation to do so.

In some cases the website also collects contact information (eg your postal address or your email address) however we do not record them unless you choose to provide this information. The reasons for collecting this information will be displayed on the relevant page. If you choose to provide these details they will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided them and will not be disclosed without your consent.

Personal information is defined as “information or an opinion whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably ascertained, from the information or opinion”.

We do not collect personal information unless you voluntarily participate in an action that asks for that information (sending an email, filling in a form online). If you choose not to participate in these kinds of activities it will not affect your ability to use other features of CouncilConnect.

We also track the pattern of visitor usage to the CouncilConnect website using a facility called a cookie.

Cookies are small data files that we send to your computer so we can remember information such as your user ID, your password for access to our site, how many times you visited us before, the way you have chosen to view our site on earlier occasions. Cookies can make using the CouncilConnect website easier for you by storing information about your preferences on a particular website. The use of cookies is an industry standard and most major websites use them. Most Internet browsers are pre-set to accept cookies but if you would prefer not to receive any cookies, you can configure your browser to refuse them, or to give you the option to receive them or not each time.

How we use or disclose your personal information

We will keep you informed of the personal information we hold. We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which you gave it to us and we will not pass your information on to third parties unless:

• you have given us your consent to do so; or we are required by law to do so, or
• there are reasonable grounds to believe that disclosure is necessary to prevent a threat to life or health: or
• the person or organisation is an agent or contractor with CouncilConnect who will be required to maintain the same or similar privacy principles as specified in the privacy legislation.

You have a right to access the personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it if you believe it is incorrect or out of date.

The information we automatically collect or store is used to improve our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. CouncilConnect analyses website logs to improve the services we provide to you. The logs are not personally identifiable and we make no attempt to link them to individuals.

We use your email or other details you provide to respond appropriately to you either to advise receipt or to forward details to a Council for appropriate action.

Security and quality of the information you send

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure the data quality and security of your personal information and undertake to remove it from our system when it is no longer required.

We have security measures in place to protect the information you send to us against loss, misuse and alteration.

Where personal information is requested, protection is provided by using 128-bit SSL encryption. Your browser may display a warning message to tell you that you are beginning or ending a secure session and a small padlock might appear in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

This website has been issued with digital certificates by internationally recognised certificate authority, Verisign (http://www.verisisgn.com.au). These certificates allow you to be confident this is the CouncilConnect website and information entered into this website is secure. The certificates contain keys that are used to set up an SSL session, which encrypts all information exchanged between your web browser and this website.

Online payment and credit card details are not stored in any log file or data base on our website.

For some transactions that involve the holding of personal information (for example financial details held in the Rates Request service), you will be required to register with a Council and complete a 100-point identification check in order to access this type of service. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your user name and passwords for the registration process. Please be responsible and careful when using this information.

Unfortunately no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, as with other channels of communication, fraud is always a possibility. While we take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from our online products or services.

Anonymity

You do not have to disclose personal information to browse this site. Wherever it is legal and practical to do so transactions may be carried out without you having to identify yourself.

Disclaimer

The CouncilConnect website contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to our website, so you should read the privacy policy of any website that collects personal information.

Please be aware that if you post personal information on public sites (chat rooms) you may receive unsolicited messages.

You can obtain more information about privacy by referring to the website of The Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner.

How to contact us

If you have any questions or concerns or if you wish to contact us about your privacy, please contact The Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT), 34 Patrick Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 7000. Telephone: +61 03 6233 5966; Fax: +61 03 6233 5986; or Email to admin@lgat.tas.gov.au