News

Introduction

The Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU) is an industrial incorporated association representing members employed or usually employed in the ambulance patient transport industry in Victoria.

VAU collects personal information in order to conduct its busines to promote. VAU operates in the political, legal industrial and social spheres.

VAU is committed to protecting your privacy and providing you with information and services relevant to you. VAU complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy (Policy) should be read in conjunction with the Privacy Act and APP’s.

This Policy applies to personal information VAU collects from you directly, and any other third party, about you.

What is your personal information?

When used in this Privacy Policy, the term “personal information” has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act. In general terms, it is any information that can be used to personally identify you. In general terms, it is any information that can be used to personally identify you. This may include your name, address, telephone number, email address and profession or occupation. If the information we collect personally identifies you, or you are reasonably identifiable from it, the information will be considered personal information.

How do we collect personal information?

We collect personal information:

• via our website;
• via social media;
• via telephone;
• via email;
• via fax;
• in person;
• in writing;
• via surveys;
• via banking and financial institutions.

We will only collect personal information directly from you unless:

• you have consented to the VAU’s collection of your personal information from third parties that represent you;
• we are legally required to do otherwise;
• it is unreasonable or impractical to do so.

Where we have collected personal information about you either directly or by other means as set out above, we will notify you at the time, or as soon as practicable, to ensure that you are aware of such collection and its purpose.

VAU website

What type of information do we collect from you?

The VAU website collects two types of information. The first type is anonymous information. The web server makes a record of your visit and logs the following information for statistical purposes:

• the user’s server address;
• the user’s top-level  domain name (e.g .com, .gov, .net, .au, etc.);
• the date and time of the visit to the site;
• the pages accessed and documents downloaded;
• the previous site visited; and
• the type of browser used.

No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities except, in the unlikely event of an investigation, where law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the internet service provider’s logs.

Cookies

Another way information may be collected is through the use of “cookies”. A cookie is a small text file that the website may be placed on your computer. Cookies may be used, among other things, to track the pages you have visited, to remember your preferences and to store personal information about you. You can adjust your preferences and to store personal information about you. You can adjust your Internet browser to disable cookies or to warn you when cookies are being used. However if you disable cookies, you may not be able to access certain areas of the Website or take advantage of the improved website experience the cookies offer. Our websites may contain links to other websites and social media pages including Facebook & Twitter. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of the entities responsible for those website and we recommend you review the privacy policies applicable to any other websites you visit.

What personal information do we collect and hold?

From time to time you may voluntarily supply your personal information to VAU. VAU will record your e-mail address if you send us a message, subscribe to an email newsletter, or complete a form if this information is requested.

When you provide your personal information, it allows us, for example, to assist you with industrial relations and employment queries, inform you about industrial, social and political campaigns, and accept application for membership. You may supply personal information to the VAU by, for example, responding to a survey, filling in a meeting attendance sheet, taking part in a competition, completing a membership form, discussing your issues with a delegate, or signing up to a campaign. The VAU only collects personal information that is necessary for the VAU to perform its functions and/or activities.

Depending upon the circumstances you may provide to the VAU, and the VAU may collect, information such as, but not limitied to:

• your name;
• your contact details;
• your social media details (e.g. blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn);
• your gender;
• your date of birth;
• your marital status;
• your employment details including occupation, classification, worksite;
• your educational qualifications;
• your enquiry or complaint details;
• your involvement in VAU activities;
• your Bank account and/or credit card details;
• Languages you speak;
• Case notes for industrial inquiries made by you.

Some personal information in considered sensitive information and includes:

• your political opinions;
• your voting electorate (State and Federal);
• any disabilities, illnesses or injuries you may have; and/or
• any other health information relevant to your industrial inquiry.

The Privacy Act allows VAU to collect sensitive information that relates solely to VAU members of people who have regular contact with the VAU if the sensitive information relates to the VAU’s activities. We will only collect sensitive information where we have received your consent to your personal information being collected, used, disclosed and stored by the VAU in accordance with this Policy.

Where you provide information to VAU in relation to a job application, the personal information you provide will only be collected, held, used and disclosed for the purposes of considering your potential employment with the VAU. Where you provide the details of referees, you confirm that you have informed the referees that you are providing their contact information to VAU contacting them and discussing the personal information you have provided in relation to the job application.

For what purposes do we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information?

The purposes for which personal information is collected, held, used and disclosed VAU collects, holds, uses and discloses your personal information to:

• assist you with industrial relations and employment queries;
• inform you about industrial, social and political campaigns;
• inform you about your rights at work;
• inform you about changes to legislation;
• refer you to a legal practitioner, accountant or other professional;
• improve our service delivery;
• manage our relationship with you;
• conduct surveys and research;
• provide educational services and professional development;
• conduct VAU elections;
• to make payments to you by cheque or electronic funds transfer for the purposes of refunds or other payments; and
• to assist in recruitment and enabling union activism by providing names of current VAU members in your workplace or Workplace Organising Committee to local VAU delegates and representatives.

What happens if we can’t collect your your personal information?

If you do not provide us with the personal information described above, some or all of the following may happen:

• we may not be able to provide the requested products or services to you, either to the same standard or at all;
• we may not be able to provide you with information about products and services that you may want, including information about discounts, sales or special promotions; or
• we may be unable to tailor the content of our websites to your preferences and your experience of our websites may not be as enjoyable or useful.

Disclosure of your personal information – who do we give this to?

VAU may disclose your personal information, in connection with or to further the purposes outlined above, to:

• affiliated trades halls or labour councils;
• government bodies or agencies (including the Fair Work Commission, the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Australian Tax Office, an anti-discrimination body, a work/occupational health and safety regulator);
• organisations to whom we outsource functions (including information technology providers, print service providers, mail houses);
• Insurance companies where the VAU holds a policy that covers you (e.g. Professional Indemnity Insurance, etc.);
• Law firms and solicitors or barristers where VAU engages these firms to act for a member or group of members;
• our accountants;
• BankVic;
• web host provider;
• auditors appointed by the VAU to conduct audits in accordance with legal requirements;
• Australian Electoral Commission for the conduct of VAU elections;
• otherwise as you have consented; and/or
• otherwise required by law.

VAU takes reasonable steps to ensure that each organisation we disclose your personal information to is committed to protecting your privacy and complies with the Australian Privacy Principles or is subject to a law or scheme that is at least substantially similar to the way in which the Australian Privacy Principles protect information. By providing your personal information to the VAU, you consent to us transferring your personal information to such other organisations.

How does the VAU hold personal information? Will it be disclosed to anyone outside Australia?

Wherever reasonably practicable VAU holds electronic personal information on data servers that are owned and controlled by the VAU within Australia. The data servers are password protected and login secured. However, by providing personal information to VAU you consent to your information being stored and processed on a data server or data servers (e.g. cloud services) owned by a third party or third parties that may be located outside of Australia. VAU will take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party providers comply with the APPs. If personal information is only routed through servers located outside of Australia – this is not regarded as a disclosure.

Wherever reasonably practicable VAU holds physical personal information in access-controlled premises.

When VAU no longer requires your personal information for a specific purpose and we are not required to keep it to comply with any laws, we will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to destroy your information or to ensure that the information is de-identified.

Pseudonyms

You can choose to interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym where it is lawful and practicable. For example, you may wish to participate in a blog or enquire about a particular campaign anonymously or under a pseudonym. Your decision to interact anonymously or by using a pseudonym may affect the level of services we can offer you. For example, we may not be able to assist you with a specific industrial enquiry or investigate a privacy complaint on an anonymous or pseudonymous basis. We will inform you if this is the case and let you know the options available to you.

What happens if we receive unsolicited personal information about you?

If we receive unsolicited personal information about or relating to you and we determine that such information could have been collected in the same manner if we had solicited the information, then we will treat it in the same way as solicited personal information and in accordance with the APPs. Otherwise if we determine that such information could not have been collected in the same manner as solicited personal information, and that information is not contained in a Commonwealth record, we will, if it is lawful and reasonable to do so, destroy the information or de-identify the information.

Using your information for direct marketing

You consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information for the purposes of direct marketing, which may include providing you with information about events, products or services that may be of interest to you.

If you do not want us to use your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may elect not to receive direct marketing at the time of providing your personal information.

Unsubscribing and opting out

If you no longer wish to receive direct marketing or other communications, you may request at any time to cancel your consent to such communications as follows:

• If subscribing to an email newsletter you may “unsubscribe” at any time from the newsletter mailing list;
• The VAU may, from time to time, send you text messages about issues of importance such as events or campaigns. You may “opt out” by texting STOP in reply to a text message from VAU; or
• You may contact us at any time by mail or email directed to our Privacy Officer. 

Government Identifiers

We will not adopt as our own identifier a government related identifier of an individual, such as a tax file number or Medicare card number and will only use or disclose a government related identifier where the use or disclosure:

• is reasonably necessary for VAU to verify your identity for the purposes of our activities or functions;
• is reasonably necessary for VAU to fulfil its obligations to an agency or a State or Territory authority;
• is required or authorised by or under an Australian law; or
• is reasonably necessary for one or more enforcement related activities conducted by, or on behalf of, an enforcement body.

How you may seek access and/or correction to personal information held by the VAU

You have the right to request access to your personal information. You have the right to request that your personal information be updated or corrected where necessary.

In most cases you will be able to gain access to your personal information that VAU holds. To request access to your personal information as held by VAU, please write to the Privacy Officer at the following address:

The Privacy Officer

Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated

PO Box 400, North Melbourne VIC 3051

Alternatively email the Privacy Officer at the following email address:

[email protected].

VAU requires that you provide proof of identity in order to seek access to your personal information. VAU may charge a reasonable fee where access is provided. VAU may refuse to provide access if permitted to do so by law or under the APPs.

VAU will seek to provide you with access to your personal information within 30 days of receipt of a valid request and may charge you a reasonable fee for doing so.

Updating personal information

You should contact VAU when your personal information details change. It is important that we keep our membership details up to date. Please contact the Membership Officer or the Privacy Officer to update any personal information.

VAU may also take steps to update your personal information by contacting you directly by phone, letter, email, asking for Membership Update forms to be completed at meetings or by reference to publicly available sources such as telephone directories or electoral rolls. The Membership officer can be contacted via [email protected].

How you may complain about a breach of the APPs

To make a complaint about an alleged breach of the APPs please write to the Privacy Officer at one of the following addresses:

The Privacy Officer

Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated

PO Box 400, North Melbourne VIC 3051

Alternatively email the Privacy Officer at the following email address:

[email protected].

All complaints must be written. Please provide all details about your complaint as well as any supporting documentation to the Privacy Officer.

Complaints Process

VAU will seek to deal with privacy complaints as follows:

• complaints will be treated seriously;
• complaints will be dealt with promptly;
• complaints will be dealt with confidentially;
• complaints will be investigated by the Privacy Officer.

The outcome of an investigation will be provided to the complainant where the complainant has provided proof of identity. VAU will seek to respond within 30 days of receipt of a valid complaint.

Variations to the Policy

This Policy may be varied from time to time and an updated version will be posted on VAU’s website or Member Portal. Please check our website regularly to ensure that you have the most recent version of the Policy.

END OF POLICY