National Assistance Card Privacy Policy

Privacy and the National Assistance Card Service

This National Assistance Card Service Privacy Policy:

• recognises that every person using the Service has the right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality and that services will be delivered in away that upholds and promotes these rights.
• sets out the National Assistance Card Service's commitment to protecting the privacy of any personal information that is collected through the National Assistance Card website -www.nationalassistancecard.com.au - or that is provided directly by you.
• explains how the National Assistance Card Service collects, uses, discloses and otherwise handles personal information in accordance with the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) which are contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).
• guides staff and volunteers in their actions and attitudes and further recognises that the National Assistance Card Service is bound by theNational Privacy Principles.
• meets our obligations under the National Privacy Principles and provides a mechanism for complaints about breaches of this policy.

For the purposes of this policy, ‘personal information’ means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you provide the National Assistance Card Service with any personal information, it will be assumed that you have read and accepted this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions or feedback about this policy or the way in which theNational Assistance Card handles personal information you can contact us on the details below. You can also request a printed copy of this policy using the details below.

Contact Us

Privacy Officer

National Assistance Card Service

Mail:  PO Box 4580 Bathurst Street Post Office HOBART TAS 7000

Email:  info@nationalassistancecard.com.au

Telephone: (03) 6230 9800

What types of personal information do we collect?

The types of personal information that we collect about you will depend on the type of dealings you have with us.  For example, if you:

• complete a National Assistance Card Application - we will collect your name, and contact details, date of birth, information about your brain injury and other disability/health condition (if applicable), and other information required to enable us to issue you with a National Assistance Card
• make a donation to the National Assistance Card Service - we may collect your name, organisation, contact details, the amount and frequency of your     donation and payment details
• attend a training or other National Assistance Card Service event - we may collect your name, organisation, contact details, payment details (if applicable) and any dietary and accessibility requirements
• participate in our surveys- we may collect your name, organisation, contact details and your survey responses
• download a National Assistance Card resource from our website or use a web application, we may collect your name, organisation and contact details and details of the resource you downloaded or web application that you used
• send us an enquiry- we may collect your name, contact details, information about your circumstances and details of your query
• make a complaint- we may collect your name, contact details, the details of your complaint, information collected in any investigation of the matter and details of the resolution of the complaint

If the National Assistance Card Service receives your personal information from other people (third parties), it will be protected as set out in this Privacy Policy.

Sensitive information

Some personal information, such as information relating to racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or affiliations, health information (including mental health information) information about a disability, genetic information and whether or not you have a criminal record is sensitive and requires a higher level of protection under the Privacy Act.

We may collect your sensitive information when we have your consent and when the collection is reasonably necessary for us to carry out one or more of our functions or activities.

Sensitive information is generally relevant to an assessment of whether a person is eligible for aNational Assistance Card.

How do we collect personal information?

We collect personal information in a number of ways, including:

• through our website (for example, if you have chosen to complete a National Assistance Card Application)  
• when you correspond with us (for example by letter, email or telephone)
• on hard copy forms
• in person (for example, at job interviews or when we meet with you)
• from referring third parties who refer you to us for assistance with your consent
• at events and forums

Why do we collect personal information?

The main purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information are set out below.

Providing National Assistance Cards

• assessing whether you meet our Card eligibility criteria
• contacting and communicating with you

Advocacy

• promoting the National Assistance Card Service and its activities, including through events and forums
• conducting research and statistical analysis relevant to National Assistance Card Service activities
• preparing people’s stories for use in advocacy work and in publications (people will not be individually identified without their consent)

Education, information and outreach

• providing National Assistance Card information or resources
• running professional development programs
• running community training programs
• outreach activities, including community-based activities and online campaigns to promote our services

Research, evaluation, product and service design and development

• carrying out research relevant to our work
• evaluating our products and services
• designing, developing and improving products and services
• reporting to funding providers (personal information will be presented in a way that does not identify the individual).

Fundraising

• seeking funding and donations
• organising fundraising events
• marketing purposes

General administration and internal record keeping

• recruiting staff, contractors and volunteers
• processing payments
• answering queries and resolving complaints
• evaluating our work and reporting externally

Storage and security of the information we hold. How do we protect personal information?

We hold personal information in both hardcopy and electronic formats and legally, we must keep peoples personal and sensitive information confidential.

The security of your personal information is important to us, and we use the recommended industry standards when storing and dealing with your personal information. We use a secure server using the latest 128-bit SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption technology to process any financial transactions.

The steps we take to secure the personal information we hold include:

• website protection measures (such as encryption, firewalls and anti-virus software)
• access restrictions to our computer systems (such as login and password protection)
• restricted access to our office premises
• staff training and implementation of workplace policies and procedures that cover access, storage and security of information.

Paper files are stored insecure cabinets onsite. They may also be archived in boxes and stored offsite in secure facilities.

We only give our staff personal information if they need it todo their job.

Who do we disclose your personal information to?

The National Assistance Card Service may disclose your personal information for purposes including to provide our products and services to you, and as required by law. This includes providing your name, date of birth, address, areas of difficulty, QR code additional information and your nominated contact person’s name and phone number to Police in your State or Territory.

We don’t share personal and sensitive information outside of the National Assistance Card Service unless:

• the participant has given informed consent
• the law says we have to
• the Privacy Act says we can.

We will ordinarily let you know who we will disclose your personal information to when we collect the information from you (unless there are practical reasons for not informing you).

Where the National Assistance Card Service discloses or shares your personal information to third parties for these purposes, it will be requested of the third party that they follow this Privacy Policy regarding handling of your personal information.

Police in each State and Territory will sign an agreement with BIAT that they will only use NationalAssistance Card information provided to them if it is reasonably necessary for their work.

To meet other responsibilities, such as reporting to funding bodies, we remove identifying details to keep participant information private.

What if you don’t provide us with your personal information?

In some circumstances we allow individuals the option of not identifying themselves, or of using a pseudonym, when dealing with us (for example, when viewing our website or making general phone queries).  Donations may also be made anonymously, but in this case the National Assistance Card Service may not be able to issue a tax-deductible receipt.

The nature of the National Assistance Card Service business means that, generally, it is not possible for us to provide services in an anonymous way.  For example, if you do not wish to provide personal information to the National Assistance Card Service, you do not have to, however it may affect our ability to issue you with a National Assistance Card.

Access and correction to personal information

You may request details of personal information that the National Assistance Card Service holds about you, in certain circumstances set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). We will take reasonable steps to provide you with access to your personal information. We may however charge a fee to cover our reasonable costs of locating the information and providing it to you.

The National Assistance Card Service may refuse to provide you with information that it holds about you, in certain circumstances set out in the Privacy Act.

The National Assistance Card Service relies in part upon people advising it when their personal information changes.

The Service will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information if we are satisfied that it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading.

If we have provided your personal information to third parties we will also notify them of the correction if you ask us to do so, unless it is impracticable or unlawful.

Requests to access and correct your information should be made by email, post or phone using the details provided under the ‘Contact Us’ heading. Note that we will need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will endeavour to respond to your request within 30 days.

If we do not agree with your request to access or correct your information, we will provide you with written reasons for our decision and available complaint mechanisms.

Breach of Policy

Employees, volunteers, consultants and subcontractors must comply with the requirements of this policy during the course of their employment/engagement with the National Assistance Card Service and not engage in any conduct which could put the Service in breach of this policy.

If a staff member is unsure whether the information they are handling is private or confidential they should consult the Executive Officer, Brain Injury Association of Tasmania.

Staff members and volunteers must display appropriate levels of professional respect and sensitivity for the confidentiality, privacy and dignity of the people they interact with. This includes the sharing of information with other staff on a need-to-know basis only.

People receiving a service from us have the right to enjoy a private life.  The informed decision of an adult not to have their family advised of particular information is respected.

Breaches

If the National Assistance Card Service loses or releases a person’s personal information without their permission, legally, we must tell both the person and the Privacy Commissioner of the Office of the Australian InformationCommissioner (OAIC).

Complaints

If you have a complaint about how the National Assistance Card Service has collected or handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided under the heading ‘Contact Us.’

We will ask you to complete a Privacy Complaint Form, which provides us with the details we need from you to assess your complaint. We can assist you with completing the Form if required.

We will endeavour to respond to your complaint within 30 days of receipt of the Privacy ComplaintForm (while complex cases may take longer to resolve, we will keep you updated on the progress of your complaint).

If you are unhappy with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992.

Unsubscribe

To unsubscribe from the National Assistance Card Service email database, or to opt out of any other Card related communications, please contact the Service at the details below.

The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania ABN: 42 686 820 819
National Assistance Card Service
Email: info@nationalassistancecard.com.au

Ph: FREECALL 1300 242 827

Website security

While the National Assistance Card Service strives to protect the personal information and privacy of users of our website, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you disclose online and you disclose that information at your own risk. If you are concerned about sending your information over the internet, you can contact the National Assistance Card Service by telephone or post.

You can also help to protect the privacy of your personal information by letting us know as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breach.

Third party websites

Links to third party websites that are not operated or controlled by the National AssistanceCard Service are provided for your convenience.  The National AssistanceCard Service is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those websites. Third party websites should have their own privacy and security policies, which we encourage you to read before supplying any personal information to them.

The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania - ABN: 42 686820 819 - is the owner of the National Assistance CardService.  

Last update: 30 November 2021

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