Introduction
At present Western Australian Government Agencies are not regulated by
Privacy Legislation. However, the Office of the Auditor General ("the
OAG") is committed to adopting best practice principles of both the
public and private sectors to ensure the OAG's reputation as a highly
professional and independent review body is maintained. Further, the OAG
makes every effort to set standards that are expected of all agencies
which are the subject of review by the OAG. Therefore, the OAG has decided
to make a Privacy Commitment that incorporates key elements of the Federal
Information Privacy Principles, together with key elements of acceptable
modern record-keeping practices and professional standards, ethics and
conduct.
The Privacy Commitment does not override specific legal obligations of
the OAG. Rather, the Privacy Commitment is concerned with providing additional
public assurance in respect of the collection, use, disclosure and security
of confidential personal information and confidential commercial information
of third parties.
The Privacy Commitment is also an additional commitment to the highest
possible ethical standards applicable to all staff and contractors of
the OAG. Accordingly, the statement should be read together with the current
legislative and policy provisions that apply to OAG staff, in particular,
the OAG Code of Ethics and Conduct.
The Privacy Commitment is aligned to our strategic intentions and seeks
to:
- actively build on OAG client confidence in the manner in which the
OAG manages confidential personal and commercial information. The OAG's
clients are the Parliament, Western Australian public sector, and ultimately
the people of Western Australia;
- support and contribute to whole of government policies and initiatives;
- ensure that our personnel are aware of their legal responsibilities
and the policies relevant to the confidentiality of information; and
Information collection, use and disclosure
The OAG collects information for the primary purpose of the business
of the OAG. The business of the OAG is called Performance Auditing.
Performance Auditing is a total audit service, encompassing: auditing
public sector agencies' financial statements and performance indicators;
ensuring controls within agencies are adequate and that all relevant legislation
has been complied with; and direct examinations into the efficiency, effectiveness
and economy of agency operations or programs.
From time to time, it is necessary for OAG staff to collect personal
information from its clients and third parties. Personal information is
information or a documented opinion about an individual whose identity
is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained from the information or
opinion.
Personal information can range from a person's name, address and telephone
number to a person's political beliefs, sexual preferences and medical
records. OAG staff are instructed to only collect personal information
where it is absolutely necessary in order to properly perform the functions
of the OAG. Wherever possible, OAG staff will collect information in a
manner that de-identifies any person. De-identified data is data or
information that has been cleansed of all personal information and is
released in block format that prevents the identification or possible
identification of an individual.
Personal information gathered will not be disclosed to any other person
or organization.
The OAG does not routinely store personal information on an electronic
database and retains personal information for a limited period for the
sole purpose of substantiating findings made as a result of normal OAG
activities.
Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other
than those for which it was collected, except with the person's consent
or as required by law, such as court processes i.e. summonses and subpoenas.
Under no circumstances will personal information be disclosed for the
purpose of direct marketing.
Safeguards
The OAG will take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information
is protected from misuse, loss and from unauthorized access, modification
or disclosure. There are specific policies in place that detail responsibilities
in respect to information and the equipment on which it is contained.
OAG staff and contractors are trained to treat personal information with
the utmost confidentiality. Staff are required to sign a declaration in
respect to their obligations. Contractors are required to sign confidentiality
agreements.
Web site access
If you visit the OAG website to read, browse or download information,
our Internet Service Provider will record the:
- your server address;
- your domain;
- date and time of visit to the site;
- frequency with which pages are accessed and documents downloaded;
- type of platform and browser used.
Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of information sent by a web server to a web
browser, which enables the server to collect information back from the
browser. By way of cookies internet users are able to collect your personal
information associated with your web site and use the information for
marketing purposes. We do not use "cookies" to obtain your personal
information.
Email management
We will record the details of any email that you send us, including your
server IP address, when using our website contact page. The message content
of your email will only be viewed by the intended recipient (OAG). We
will not use this personal information for any other purpose, including
mailing lists, or disclose it without your consent, other than as specifically
provided for in relevant legislation.
Email correspondence sent to this site is treated as a government record
and will be retained as required by the State Records Act 2000 and other
relevant regulations. Email correspondence is treated in the same way
as correspondence sent to the OAG by other formats.
Security
The OAG has taken all reasonable steps to implement the appropriate security
policies, rules, measures and patches to protect your personal information
that we have under our control from unauthorised access or improper use.
Compliance
Where you consider that we have not complied with the principles outlined
in this Privacy Commitment, you may in the lodge a complaint with the
Deputy Auditor General.
Application
This Privacy Commitment and its application is technologically neutral.
That is, it is applied equally to conventional, electronic and digital
environments throughout the OAG.
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