Privacy Policy

Queensland Catholic Education Commission

Version 1.2

Purpose

1. The purpose of this policy is to manage personal information provided to or collected by QCEC, including any programs or schemes administered by QCEC (e.g. the Non-State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme – NSSTAS or ‘School Transport’). QCEC is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act. In relation to health records, QCEC is also bound by Queensland legislation.

2. QCEC may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to QCEC’s operations and practices and to ensure it remains appropriate to changing environments QCEC operates in.

Policy Statement

What kinds of personal information does QCEC collect and how does QCEC collect it?

3. The type of information QCEC collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including health and other sensitive information about:

a. students and parents and/or guardians (‘parents’) before, during and after the course of a student’s enrolment at a Catholic and/or Independent school in Queensland;

b. job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors; and

c. other people who come into contact with QCEC.

Personal Information you provide

4. QCEC will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of forms filled out by parents or students (both paper and on-line) or staff, face-to-face meetings and interviews, emails and telephone calls. On occasion people other than parents, students and staff provide personal information.

Personal Information provided by other people

5. In rare circumstances QCEC may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example, a report provided by a medical professional or a reference from another person, body, transport provider, or government department or agency.

Exception in relation to employee records

6. Under the Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Principles do not apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy does not apply to QCEC’s treatment of an employee record, where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between QCEC and an employee.

How will QCEC use the personal information you provide?

7. QCEC will use personal information it collects from you for the primary purpose identified for that collection, and for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose of collection and reasonably expected by you, or to which you have consented.

Students and Parents

8. In relation to personal information of students and parents, QCEC’s primary purpose of collection is to enable QCEC to provide financial assistance (for example for transport to and from school) for the student. This includes meeting the needs of parents, the needs of the student and the needs of QCEC throughout the whole period the student is enrolled at a school.

9. The purposes for which QCEC uses personal information of students and parents include:

a. to keep parents informed about matters related to their child’s schooling (including School Transport), through correspondence, newsletters and magazines;

b. day-to-day administration of QCEC;

c. assisting schools to look after students’ educational, social and medical wellbeing;

d. to satisfy QCEC’s legal obligations and allow QCEC to discharge its duty of care.

10. In some cases where QCEC requests personal information about a student or parent, if the information requested is not provided, QCEC may not be able to financially assist or continue to provide the financial assistance related to the student.

Job applicants, staff members and contractors

11. In relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, QCEC’s primary purpose of collection is to assess and (if successful) to engage the applicant, staff member or contractor, as the case may be.

12. The purposes for which QCEC uses personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:

a. in administering the individual’s employment agreement or contract, as the case may be;

b. for insurance purposes;

c. marketing for QCEC; and

d. to satisfy QCEC’s legal obligations, for example, in relation to child protection legislation.

Volunteers

13. In rare circumstances QCEC may obtain personal information about volunteers, including Commission or Committee members, who assist QCEC in its functions or associated activities, to enable QCEC and the volunteers to work together.

Marketing and Communications

14. Personal information held by QCEC may, with consent or authorisation from the person concerned or appropriate school authority, be disclosed to organisations that assist in QCEC marketing and communications. QCEC publications, like newsletters and magazines which include personal information, may be used for marketing purposes.

To whom might QCEC disclose personal information and with whom might personal information be stored?

15. QCEC may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about an individual to:

a. another education commission, school authority, or school;

b. government departments, agencies, and transport providers;

c. medical practitioners;

d. people providing services to QCEC;

e. recipients of QCEC publications, such as newsletters and magazines;

f. anyone to whom you authorise QCEC to disclose information; and

g. anyone to whom QCEC is required by law to disclose the information.

Sending and storing information overseas

16. QCEC may disclose personal information about an individual to overseas recipients, for instance, to facilitate overseas work or study. However, QCEC will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:

a. obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or

b. otherwise complying with the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.

17. QCEC may also store personal information in the ‘cloud’ which may mean that it resides on servers which are situated outside Australia.

How does QCEC treat sensitive information?

18. In referring to ‘sensitive information’, QCEC means sensitive information as defined by the Australian Privacy Principles.

19. Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose 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

20. QCEC staff are required to respect the privacy of individuals and the confidentiality of personal information about students and parents.

21. QCEC has in place appropriate measures to ensure the protection of personal information QCEC holds from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorised access, modification or unauthorised disclosure.

Access And correction of personal information

22. Under the Privacy Act an individual has the right to obtain access to any personal information which QCEC holds about them and to advise QCEC of any perceived inaccuracy. There are some exceptions to these rights set out in the applicable legislation.

23. To make a request to access or update any personal information QCEC holds about you or your child, please contact the QCEC Privacy Officer (email privacy@qcec.catholic.edu.au) in writing.

24. QCEC may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. QCEC may charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your application and locating, retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested. If the information sought is extensive, QCEC will advise the likely cost in advance. If we cannot provide you with access to that information, we will provide you with written notice explaining the reasons for refusal.

Consent and rights of access to the personal information of students

25. QCEC respects every parent’s right to make decisions concerning their child’s education.

26. Generally, QCEC will refer any requests for consent and notices in relation to the personal information of a student to the student’s parents via the student’s relevant Catholic School Authority. QCEC will treat consent given by parents as consent given on behalf of the student and notice to parents will act as notice given to the pupil.

27. As mentioned above, parents may seek access to personal information held by QCEC about them or their child by contacting the QCEC Privacy Officer (email privacy@qcec.catholic.edu.au).

28. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where release of the information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, or where the release may result in a breach of QCEC’s duty of care to the student.

29. QCEC may, at its discretion, on the request of a student grant that student access to information held by QCEC about them or allow a student to give or withhold consent to the use of their personal information, independently of their parents. This would normally be done only when the maturity of the student and/or the student’s personal circumstances so warranted.

Enquiries and complaints

30. If you would like further information about the way QCEC manages the personal information it holds, or wish to complain that you believe that QCEC has breached the Australian Privacy Principles please contact the QCEC Privacy Officer (email privacy@qcec.catholic.edu.au). QCEC will investigate any complaint and will notify you of any decision in relation to your complaint as soon as is practicable.

Application and Scope

31. This policy applies to all employees of QCEC, that is, all QCEC staff, volunteers and other third-party contractors.

Responsibility

32. All QCEC staff, volunteers and third-party contractors shall conform to this policy.

Review of this Policy

33. The policy will be reviewed at least every 3 years, or earlier if required by legislative or policy change, and approved by QCEC and the Leadership Team.

Download a copy of the QCEC Privacy Policy here.