Privacy
We are committed to protecting your personal information. The way we manage personal information is governed by the:
These Acts and their principles, guide us on how we collect, store, use and disclose personal information.
For more information, please see our Privacy Management Plan(PDF, 326KB).
Collecting and using personal information
Personal information is any information or opinion that can be used to identify you.
What is personal Information?
Personal information is defined under section 4 of the PPIP Act as any information or opinions about a person where that person’s identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained. Personal information can include, among other things, a person’s name, address, information about a person’s family life, information about a person’s sexual preferences, financial information, photos.
What is Health information?
Health information is a more specific type of personal information and is defined under section 6 of the HRIP Act. Health information can include, among other things, information about a person’s physical or mental health such as a psychological report, a blood test or an Xray, or even information about a person’s medical appointment.
We will only collect personal information that is necessary for us to do our work. We may collect your personal information to:
- provide you with services
- help you with your enquiries, complaints, bookings and other requests
- verify any information you provide to us
- get in touch with you
- improve our services
- protect your safety on Council property
- process job applications if you have applied for a job with us
- manage employment tasks for people who work for us, including granting building and IT access, managing salary arrangements and monitoring conduct.
Privacy collection notice
If we are unable to collect the required information from you, we may not be able to properly respond to your enquiry, complaint or request.
The information we do collect may be accessed by and/or transferred to business partners, contractors, employees, Councillors of Council and other government agencies for Council business related activities. Your information will be handled in accordance with relevant Acts and may be released to other parties where we are required or authorised by law to do so.
What information do we collect?
We collect your personal information, e.g. name, residential address, phone number etc, in order to conduct business operations and meet our statutory obligations.
Why does Council collect personal information?
We only collect personal information for the purpose of carrying out Council functions. This includes considering and then reporting on community submissions on various Council matters.
What personal information does Council disclose?
Council will publicly disclose personal information on our website in the following circumstances:
- Where you volunteer personal information via the Council website as part of having your say on a matter.
- Where you provide personal information to a Council meeting matter, and the report of that meeting is published on Council’s website.
- Where you provide personal information via another website and this personal information needs to be disclosed as part of Council’s functions. For example, personal information you provide to the NSW Planning Portal when you submit a development application will be disclosed on Council’s website.
Collection of personal information via websites
Information sent to our website via the feedback link or email addresses will be treated as a public record. Your name and address details collected this way will not be added to a mailing list without your consent.
Your email address will be recorded for the purpose of responding to your feedback or enquiry, or to provide confirmation of a transaction. Email messages may be monitored by our website support staff for system trouble shooting and maintenance. If any illegal activity is indicated in feedback or emails, the content may be referred to relevant enforcement agency for investigation.
Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose your personal information to another person where it is necessary for our work or where we are authorised by law to do so. For example, we may disclose your personal information to:
- banks or other financial institutions to process payments
- courier companies if we are required to deliver something to you
- our professional advisers, contractors or service providers who advise us or carry out our functions and activities
- your representatives (for example your authorised representatives or legal advisers)
- the NSW police
- government and regulatory authorities and other organisations
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party we share your personal information with is bound by Australian privacy obligations concerning that information.
CCTV recordings
Council uses closed circuit television (CCTV) systems for 24-hour video surveillance within the town. Signs are displayed where they are being used.
We use CCTV recordings to:
- monitor the safety and security of residents
- monitor the security of Council property
- investigate incidents involving employees
All our CCTV recordings are made and handled in a way that complies with relevant legislation. The images captured by the cameras are stored securely and can only be accessed by authorised Council staff.
If an incident occurs and is captured by our CCTV cameras, relevant recordings may be provided to law enforcement agencies, including the NSW Police Service and other organisations, to help with their investigations or enquiries. We may provide or show copies of recordings to third parties where we are authorised or required by law to do so. These recordings may contain personal information.
Security
Transmitting personal information over the internet carries inherent risks. While we take measures to protect personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted via our website.
Links to External Websites
Our Privacy Statement does not extend beyond this website. When following links to other sites from this website, including online surveys, we recommend that you read the privacy statement of that site to familiarise yourself with their privacy practices.
Google Analytics and Cookies
In addition to the web server logs, we also use Google Analytics to help us better understand our audience and provide visitors with a better user experience.
Google Analytics uses digital tracking tools known as cookies across our website. They are used to track things such as the:
- date and time of your visit
- pages visited
- documents downloaded
- type of browser and operating system used.
Cookies are pieces of information that a website can transfer to an individual's computer hard drive for record keeping. When you visit our website, these cookies help identify and recognise the computer, but not the person using the computer.
The use of cookies and pixels are an industry standard, and you will find most major websites use them. Most Internet browsers are pre-set to accept cookies. If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can adjust your internet browser settings to disable cookies or to warn you when cookies are being used.
We do not and will not marry any data collected by Google Analytics with any personal information.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google. Refer to Google's Privacy Policy for more information.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our customer experience, improve on our service delivery and for other business-related purposes. We use purpose-built systems that are integrated with AI. Appropriate checks and assessments are undertaken to ensure that the use of AI is safe, ethical and responsible. All use of AI is subject to human oversight.
Access and amendment of your personal information
You can request that we change your personal information if it is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading. If you wish to apply for access to your personal information or to change it, please contact us.
Our Information Management, Records and Privacy team are the first point of contact for the community, employees and councillors on privacy matters, including:
- compliance and general information on privacy relating to Council
- suspected breaches and privacy complaints
- conducting and reviewing results of information privacy audits
- training and awareness material.
How to contact us:
Further information
For more information about how government agencies manage private and personal information visit NSW Information and Privacy Commission website.