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Privacy Statement

This page explains how Northern Midlands Council collects and uses any information you give to us and the ways in which we protect your privacy.

In order to provide you with services we need to collect and use information about you.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and managing your personal information in a secure environment to ensure that personal information is protected and to specify guidelines for the collection, use and disclosure of that personal information.

Collection of your personal information including sensitive 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 Northern Midlands Council'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 information 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.

Northern Midlands Council may automatically record other information as well. This information is used to improve the performance Northern Midlands Council website and to provide you with better services.

When you visit this site our internet Service Provider makes a record of your visit and logs basic information for statistical purposes, including the users server address, date and time of visit to the site, pages accessed. Any data collected will not be used to identify users unless there is a legal obligation to do so. We do not record your email address unless you choose to send us a message. It will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it and will not be disclosed without your consent.

We may also track the pattern of visitor usage to Northern Midlands Council website using a facility called a cookie. Cookies are small data files that we send to your computer so we can remember (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 Northern Midlands Council 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 the Northern Midlands Council who will be required to maintain the same or similar privacy principles as specified in the privacy legislation.
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 (except when archiving is required).

You do not have to provide us with personal information to use this site however it may speed up resolution of customer requests if you choose to give us contact details, including name, address and phone number or email address

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.

If you have concerns in this regard, Northern Midlands Council has other ways of obtaining and providing information. Normal mail, telephone or fax facilities are available.

How to access and correct your information

If you wish to access or make changes to the personal information held by us please contact us (see below).

There may be circumstances where it is not reasonable to provide you with access to the personal information we hold about you. These circumstances may include where we believe that providing access would be unlawful; or may pose a serious threat to life or health of an individual or to public safety; or would reveal pending legal proceedings or prejudice an investigation in to unlawful activity.

If we do not allow you to access details of your personal information you can request access in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.

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.

Other privacy information

Northern Midlands Council site contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to our site, so you should read the privacy policy of any site 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 Australian Privacy Commissioners Website.