Privacy Policy - St Vincent de Paul Society (SA) Inc
Introduction
St Vincent de Paul SA Inc. (The Society) as a business organisation is bound by the Australian Privacy
Principles (APPs) contained within the Privacy Act 1988. In meeting Principle 1 of the APP, the Society is to
have a Privacy Policy demonstrating the open and transparent way the Society will comply with current
privacy law in protecting personal information that it collects, uses and discloses.
Policy Statement
This document sets out the principles that the St Vincent de Paul Society South Australia have adopted in
relation to the protection and handling of personal information. As a major Australian charity, The Society is
strongly committed to protecting your personal information. In addition to this Privacy Policy, there may also
be specific and additional privacy terms which apply to some of our functions and practices. If this is the
case, we recommend that these specific and additional terms be reviewed whenever they are provided. Our
employees can contact our human resources team for more information about their privacy.
The Society is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and other laws which
protect the privacy of individuals. We will sometimes handle personal information relying on exemptions
under these laws including the exemptions in the Privacy Act applicable to not-for-profit organisations. Any
permitted handling under such exemptions will take precedence over this Privacy Policy. The Society is also
bound by other laws such as the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 and the
Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 (Cth) which may impact on aspects of the Society’s collection and
handling of personal information.
Our Approach
Collection of personal information
The Society collects personal information about its employees, members, volunteers, companions
(clients/service recipients), suppliers and other contacts / stakeholders to understand and meet their needs,
to adequately conduct activities, supply services and meet legal obligations. We may also collect personal
information about you, for example when you contact us, apply for a job or volunteer position, make a
donation or join our mailing list.
The type of information that we collect includes your name, contact details, identification information, title, as
well as any personal information provided in forms and documents you submit to us (whether electronically
or otherwise). We also record details of our interactions with you, including any contact we have with you in
person, by email, online or on the telephone. If you are a donor, we may also collect credit card or other
financial details. The Society may monitor and record your communications with us (including by email and
telephone) and we may also operate video and audio surveillance devices in our premises for security,
dispute resolution and training purposes. Where practical, The Society will collect personal information
directly from you but we may also collect personal information from third parties including other not-for-profit
organisations, government agencies (e.g. State Government agencies, the Australian Criminal Intelligence
Commission (ACIC) for screening and police checks containing criminal history information), information
service providers or public sources. Where we collect sensitive information from you, such as health
information or religious association, we will do so only with your consent — where you provide such
information voluntarily or where otherwise required by law. You may withdraw your consent for The Society
to retain this information at any time.
Use and disclosure of personal information
We collect, use and disclose personal information to provide, administer, improve and personalise our
services and goods, process donations and payments, identify individuals, maintain and update our records,
assess applications for support or assistance, provide support and assistance to those in need, assess
employee or volunteer applications (which may involve assessing the result of police checks, Working with
Children Checks or other relevant screening results), conduct surveys and research, protect our lawful
interests and respond to your queries or concerns. We may also collect, use and disclose personal
information in connection with lawful information requests from courts, government agencies and lawyers
and in connection with suspected fraud, misconduct or unlawful activity.
If you are a donor, mailing list registrant, ‘Vinnies’ shopper or volunteer, we may use your personal
information to provide you with ongoing promotional materials and marketing communications about our
events, products, services and fundraising initiatives by telephone, email, online or by other means (unless
you opt out or we are subject to legal restrictions). We may not be able to do these things without your
personal information. For example, we may not be able to communicate with you, respond to your enquiries
or tailor our services to best suit your needs. We may exchange your personal information with St Vincent de
Paul Societies located in other States and Territories and the National Council of the St Vincent de Paul
Society and with other not-for-profit organisations and service providers, including government agencies,
who may provide you with assistance or assist us with archival, auditing, accounting, legal, business,
banking, payment, delivery, data processing, storage and analysis, research, investigation, website or
technology services.
If you apply to be a volunteer or employee with us, we will with your informed consent, apply for a police
check and/or other relevant screening (i.e. Working with Children Check) with the relevant Accredited Body,
for which you will submit your name and other identity details. Some of the third parties described above may
be located in other countries such as the United States and you agree that while they will often be subject of
confidentiality or privacy obligations, they may not always follow the particular requirements of Australian
privacy laws.
The St Vincent de Paul Society Website and email
If you visit www.vinnies.org.au (our Website) to read, browse or download information, our system may
record information such as the date and time of your visit to our Website, the pages accessed and any
information downloaded. This information is used for statistical, reporting and website administration and
maintenance purposes. Like many other websites, our Website may use ‘cookies’ from time to time. A cookie
is a piece of information that allows our system to identify and interact more effectively with your device. The
cookie helps us to maintain the continuity of your browsing session and remember your details and
preferences when you return. You can configure your web browser software to reject cookies however some
parts of our Website may not have full functionality in that case.
When we send you emails or other electronic messages, we may record when you open the message and
click on particular links. This helps us to better understand what information is of interest to you. If you are
considering sending us any other personal information through our Website or other electronic means,
please be aware that the information may be insecure in transit, particularly where no encryption is used
(e.g. email, standard HTTP). We are subject to laws requiring us to protect the security of personal
information once it comes into our possession. The Website may contain links to other sites. We are not
responsible for the privacy practices or policies of those sites.
Storage and security of personal information
The Society handles personal information electronically and in hard copy form, both at our own premises and
with the assistance of our service providers. A range of measures are implemented to protect the security of
that personal information, including physical, electronic and procedural safeguards. We are also required to
take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information where it is no longer
needed for a permitted purpose. In the case of police history checks, the retention period for information is
12 months, after which point the information is destroyed.
To assist in the above, the following documents have been developed and implemented:
• an associated Privacy Procedure that provides direction to Society members, volunteers and
employees regarding how to handle and manage personal information and sensitive information the
Society collects, and
• a Notifiable Data Breaches Response Plan that details the approach to be taken with any known or
suspected data breaches associated with that information.
Access and updating personal information
Please contact us using the details set out below if you have any queries or concerns about privacy or wish
to access or correct any personal information we may hold about you. We may need to verify your identity. If
you are making an access or correction request, please provide details of the particular information you
seek, to help us to locate it. The Australian Privacy Principles provide some exceptions to a person’s rights in
obtaining a copy of their personal information that we hold. If we deny any request for access or correction,
we will provide our reasons. Where we decide not to make a requested correction to your personal
information and you disagree, you may ask us to make a note of your requested correction with the
information.
Complaints
The Society also has a Feedback and Complaints Policy if persons are dissatisfied or concerned with the
way the Society manages their personal information. A copy of the Policy can be obtained by emailing
feedback@svdpsa.org.au
Dealing with privacy complaints
Your privacy is important to The Society and we will do our best to resolve your concerns, including if you
would like to complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles. To assist us in helping you, we
ask you to follow a simple three-step process:
1. Gather all supporting documents about the matter of complaint, think about the questions you want
answered and decide on what you want us to do.
2. Telephone the Privacy Officer on 08 8112 8700, and we will review your situation and the information you
provide us and if possible, resolve it straight away.
3. If you are not satisfied with our response, we may require you to submit your complaint and contact
details in writing by email to the Privacy Officer at feedback@svdpsa.org.au. We will then investigate your
complaint by reviewing the information you provide to us and consulting any relevant parties and
endeavour to respond to you in writing within 30 days of receipt of your written complaint.
For information about privacy generally, or if your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may
contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au and on 1300 363 992.
Publication of this Privacy Policy
The Society will publish and update this policy on its website (www.vinnies.org.au) and make hard copies
available on request.