Scope of Policy
This statement outlines the policy of St Anne & St Joachim Catholic Parish of Sunraysia (the Parish) on how it uses and manages personal information provided to or collected by it. It does not relate to records collected and held by individual schools.
The Parish may from time to time review and update this policy to comply with all relevant legislation and to take account of changes in technology, changes to the Parish’s operations and practices, and to make sure that it remains relevant to the work of the Parish.
This Parish is not bound by the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000. However, the Parish respects and values the personal information entrusted to it, and will abide by the spirit and principles of the privacy legislation.
What kind of personal information does the Parish collect and how does it collect it?
The Parish collects and holds includes personal information, including sensitive data relating:
- Information collected by parishes regarding children and their parents and/or guardians. This information may be related to the spiritual and pastoral care of the child(ren) including administration of the sacraments.
- Information collected by parishes regarding the spiritual and pastoral care of the faithful including administration of the sacraments, or acting as witnesses to sacraments.
- Job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors.
- Parish clergy.
- Members of religious congregations undertaking work in the Parish.
- Information collected from individuals for the purposes of Fundraising.
Personal information you provide
The Parish will generally collect personal information held about an individual in one of the following ways:
- forms completed either by the person or the parent/guardian;
- face to face meetings;
- interviews; and
- telephone calls.
Personal information provided by other people
In some circumstances the Parish may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, e.g. a reference about an applicant for a position.
Exception in relation to employee records
This policy does not apply in relation to the treatment of an employee record, where the information is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the Parish and the employee as these records are exempt from the application of the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
How will the Parish use the personal information I provide?
The Parish will use personal information it collects from you for:
- the provision of religious services to its community (the primary purpose); and
- such other secondary purposes that are either directly related to the primary purpose, or to
which you have consented; - day to day administration;
- seeking donations;
- specific fundraising activities.
Where the Parish is collecting information of this kind, it will issue a copy of the standard ‘collection notice’ (attachment 1).
Job applicants, staff members, members of religious congregations, volunteers and contractors
The primary purpose of collection is to assess the suitability of the person or persons for a particular role in the Parish and, if successful, employ or engage the person or persons concerned.
The purposes for which the Parish uses this information include:
- Administering the person’s employment or contract;
- Insurance purposes;
- Seeking funds;
- Satisfying the Parish’s legal obligations.
Fundraising
One specific purpose of collecting information is for raising funds now and into the future. This information is also used for accounting purposes, including complying with taxation requirements.
Where the Parish is collecting information of this kind, it will issue a copy of the standard ‘collection notice’ (attachment 1).
Who might the Parish disclose personal information to?
Subject to the Privacy Act, the Parish may disclose personal information held about an individual to:
- The Diocese of Ballarat;
- Government departments;
- Medical practitioners;
- People providing services to the Parish;
- Parents and/or guardians;
- Anyone you authorise the Parish to disclose information to.
The Parish will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:
- Obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied);
- Otherwise complying with the National Privacy Principles.
How does the Parish treat sensitive information?
In this context, sensitive information could mean information relating to a person’s parentage, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences or criminal record.
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purposes for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose unless you agree otherwise, or the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.
Management and security of personal information
Parish staff are required to respect the confidentiality of the information and privacy of individuals.
The Parish has in place steps to protect the personal information that the Parish holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and pass worded access rights to computerised records.
Updating personal information
The Parish endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete, and up to date. A person may seek to update their personal information held by the Parish by contacting the Parish Office during standard work hours.
The National Privacy principles require the Parish not to store personal information longer than necessary.
You have the right to check what personal information the Parish holds about you
Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act and with some exceptions, an individual has the right to obtain access to any personal information that the Parish holds about them, and to advise the Parish of any perceived inaccuracy. Children will generally have access to their personal information through their parents and/or guardians.
To make a request to access any information the Parish holds about you or your child, please contact the Parish in writing. The Parish may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. The Parish may charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your application and locating, retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested.
Consent and right of access to the personal information of children
The Parish respects every parent and or guardian’s right to make decisions concerning their children’s religious upbringing and care. Generally, the Parish will refer any requests for consent and notices in relation to personal information of a child to the parent and/or guardian. The Parish will treat consent given by a parent and/or guardian as consent given on behalf of the child and notices to parent and/or guardians will act as notice given to the child.
Enquiries
If you would like further information about the way the Parish manages the personal information it holds, please contact the Parish Secretary.
Attachment 1
Sample Standard Notice for the Collection of Personal Information
- The Catholic Parish of Sunraysia (the Parish) collects personal information, including sensitive information about members of the faithful. The primary purpose of collecting this information is to enable it to provide spiritual and pastoral care to the faithful, and to children of the faithful. Information may be required to allow the Parish to meet some of its legal obligations and discharge its duty of care.
- The Parish from time to time discloses personal and sensitive information to others for administrative purposes. This includes the Diocese of Ballarat, medical practitioners and people providing services, including volunteers, to the Parish.
- If we do not obtain the information requested, we may not be able to administer the services of the Parish.
- Personal information collected from children may be disclosed to their parents or guardians. Parents or guardians may seek access to personal information collected about them and their son/daughter by contacting the Parish.
- Adults may seek access to information collected about them in the same manner.
- As the Parish is largely reliant upon locally raised funds and donations for its continuation, information received from those who reside in the Parish or avail
themselves of its services may be used to solicit donations and other forms of support from them. It occasionally uses the resources of a particular parish(es) in this process, and in the course of this, information is made available to those people. We will not disclose your personal information to other third parties for other fundraising purposes without your consent.