Privacy statement
Who this Privacy Statement applies to
This Privacy Statement applies to Allen and Clarke Consulting Pty Ltd (ABN 66 632 186 059) and its related bodies corporate (referred to as Allen + Clarke, we, us, or our). We respect your right to privacy and are committed to safeguarding your privacy and handling your personal information in a safe, open, and transparent way.
What this Privacy Statement covers
This Privacy Statement explains how we collect, store, maintain, manage, and protect your personal information when we provide professional services to you or your clients and when you use this website, which we own and administer directly.
Laws that apply to us
We will handle your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and other applicable legislation, including Australian State and Territory health privacy legislation such as the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) in Schedule 1 of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW), the Information Act 2002 (NT), the Information Privacy Act 2014 (ACT), the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld), the Personal Information and Protection Act 2004 (Tas), and the Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA).
In the course of our work, Allen + Clarke may be provided with health information, which is included in the Privacy Act definition of ‘sensitive information’ and is therefore afforded a higher standard of protection. We will meet any obligations that may arise under legislation relating to the type of information we hold, including the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic), the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic), and the Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997 (ACT). Allen + Clarke will ensure that sensitive information is only collected where necessary for our legitimate functions or activities, and only with the express consent of the individual.
Where applicable, we will also comply with legislation and data protection laws of other jurisdictions, such as the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 for personal information, the New Zealand Health Information Privacy Code 2020 for health information relating to identifiable individuals, and the New Zealand Official Information Act 1982 for work performed for public sector clients.
Allen + Clarke accepts the responsibility to store, maintain, manage, and dispose of information in a manner that meets or exceeds the requirements of applicable laws. We take our obligations under the APPs, Australian State and Territory privacy legislation, and other applicable data protection laws seriously. Accordingly, in addition to this statement, we also maintain an internal privacy policy related to information and data security, handling, and management.
Personal information that we collect
Allen + Clarke may be provided with personal information by our clients and/or by other stakeholders we interact with in the course of our work. To comply with relevant legislation, our project plans embed Allen + Clarke’s approach to information management. The types of personal information we may collect or be provided with when delivering professional services to our clients include (but are not limited to) general identification information (such as name, date of birth, gender, and occupation) and contact details (such as e-mail address, postal address, and phone or mobile phone number). In some circumstances, we may be required to collect sensitive information in order to provide specific services to a client. Sensitive information may include information about a person’s racial or ethnic origins, gender diversity, sexual orientation, disability, health, and religious or philosophical beliefs. We will only collect and use sensitive information with a person’s informed consent, in accordance with applicable laws and the terms of any confidentiality and information management requirements contained in contracts with individual clients. We will comply with all ethical obligations and will seek ethics approval through a formal Human Research Ethics Committee, as appropriate.
Information we may collect when you use the Allen + Clarke website
You do not need to disclose any personal information when using this website. If you wish, you can simply browse, access, and download information contained within this website without providing Allen + Clarke with any personal information. Where you provide personal information to us (for example, by emailing us via our website or by filling in an online form), we will only use your personal information for the purpose(s) for which you gave it to us. We will hold that information. Your information may be shared with our website developer (Spark Design Pty Ltd) but only to the extent necessary to provide website hosting and maintenance services.
The following anonymous information is automatically collected when you visit our website:
- the search terms you used
- the pages you accessed on the website and the links you clicked on
- the date and time you visited the website
- the referring website (if any) through which you clicked through to this website
- your device type (e.g., desktop computer, iPhone, or an Android device) and operating system (e.g., Windows 10 Pro or Mac OS)
- the type of web browser you use (e.g., Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox)
- other incidental matters such as screen resolution and the language setting of your browser.
The information referred to above is only accessible by our website developer, administrator, and certain other Allen + Clarke staff. No effort will be made to identify individual visitors.
How we use your information
We use the personal information provided to us to deliver our services to clients in accordance with the terms of our contracts with individual clients. We will only use information for the purpose(s) for which it is provided to us, unless it is necessary to comply with a legal or professional right, obligation, or duty. We will not use or disclose personal information to any other agency or person or for any other purpose(s) without a person’s consent, unless required by law.
How we protect your information
Allen + Clarke has established systems and processes to ensure confidentiality of client information is maintained. We adopt a range of security measures to protect this information, including technological security measures. All personal and sensitive information is locked away (in the case of physical copies) and is only accessible by our staff who are working directly with the material for a client.
If in doubt, our staff will seek permission of clients before discussing relevant projects with any party. Staff employment agreements have strict confidentiality clauses. We ensure our personnel understand their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and relevant state legislation. If required, only Allen + Clarke staff assigned to a particular client’s work will be given access to the files associated with that work. When we engage subcontractors, they are required to acknowledge and recognise the importance of confidentiality of any information provided by way of documents, verbal conversations, or other forms of media. This is reinforced through strict confidentiality clauses in all contracts.
Where clients set their own reasonable expectations concerning the handling of information, we will meet these expectations to ensure that all confidentiality and information management requirements are being observed.
How you can access or correct your personal information
To view any personal information held by us, or if you have any concerns about personal information that we hold and wish to request correction of this information, please write to:
The Privacy Officer
Allen + Clarke
Suite C, Level 17, 600 Bourke Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Email: [email protected]
We will take all reasonable steps to correct this information in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act.
