At Veteran Housing Australia, protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is important. Veteran Housing Australia is subject to the National Privacy Principals (“NPPs”) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The following Privacy Policy explains how Veteran Housing Australia manages and protects the privacy of your personal information under the NPPs.
What is personal information?
Information that can be used to identify where you live, your lifestyle, and marital status is personal information and, as such, is regarded by us as information that is to be carefully protected. When personal information concerns certain matters it is considered sensitive information. Sensitive information is information or opinion about your:
racial or ethnic origin
political opinions
membership of a political association
religious beliefs, affiliations or philosophical beliefs
membership of a professional or trade association or membership of a trade union
sexual preferences or practices
criminal record
health or disability
How Veteran Housing Australia collects your personal information
Generally, Veteran Housing Australia will collect personal information directly from you. For example:
when you deal with Veteran Housing Australia by telephone, letter, fax or email when you submit an application for membership
when you submit an application for financial aid
when you submit an application Veteran Housing Australia Housing
Veteran Housing Australia usually collects information such as your name, address, contact number, email address, date of birth and next of kin. Sometimes Veteran Housing Australia also collects sensitive information about you, such as information about membership of an association or criminal record. Veteran Housing Australia only collects sensitive information with your consent.
On occasions Veteran Housing Australia will collect personal information about you from someone else. For example, Veteran Housing Australia may collect personal information when it makes inquiries to verify the information you provide in requests for funding assistance or as part of enquiries [ made on your behalf ] for housing assistance.
If Veteran Housing Australia collects personal information about you from someone else, Veteran Housing Australia will take reasonable steps to ensure you are aware of why the information is collected, how it will be used and to whom it will be disclosed.
How Veteran Housing Australia uses your personal information
Veteran Housing Australia uses personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, or for secondary purposes which are related to the primary purpose. Generally, Veteran Housing Australia uses personal information for the following purposes:
to submit notices of intention
to communicate with you
assess requests for funding assistance
applications for residential assistance
applications for educational assistance
update our membership / supporter data-base
to generate general statistical information and data
What happens if you don’t provide personal information
If you do not provide the personal information Veteran Housing Australia requests, Veteran Housing Australia may not be able to provide you with relevant services.
Veteran Housing Australia may disclose your personal information
Veteran Housing Australia may disclose your personal information [other than sensitive information] for the purpose which was either specified or reasonably apparent at the time when the information was collected. Depending on the circumstances, Veteran Housing Australia may disclose personal information to any person with a lawful entitlement to obtain the information.
If Veteran Housing Australia engages a third party contractor to perform services which involves handling personal information Veteran Housing Australia requires the contractor to comply with the National Privacy Principles. Veteran Housing Australia also takes reasonable steps to prohibit the contractor from using personal information except for the purposes for which it was supplied.
Direct Marketing and your privacy
From time to time Veteran Housing Australia may use the personal information it collects about you to identify particular events which it believes may be of interest to you. Veteran Housing Australia may then contact you to let you know about these activities. Please contact Veteran Housing Australia if you do not want to receive any of this information. Veteran Housing Australia does not engage in the selling of members records to external parties.
Accuracy of your personal information
If Veteran Housing Australia has accurate personal information about you, it enables Veteran Housing Australia to provide you with the best possible service. Veteran Housing Australia takes reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information Veteran Housing Australia collects, uses and discloses is accurate, complete and up to date. Please contact Veteran Housing Australia as soon as possible if you become aware that the personal information Veteran Housing Australia holds about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. Veteran Housing Australia will take all reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is corrected.
Security of your personal information
Veteran Housing Australia protects your personal information from loss, misuse, modification and disclosure. Veteran Housing Australia uses industry standard safeguards to ensure the security of your personal information through physical, electronic and managerial procedures.
When Veteran Housing Australia no longer requires your personal information Veteran Housing Australia securely destroys the information and deletes it from its systems.
Access to your personal information
You may request access to any of the personal information Veteran Housing Australia holds about you. Veteran Housing Australia will, on written request, provide you with access to the personal information Veteran Housing Australia hold about you, unless there is an exemption which applies under the Privacy Act. Please note that no information will be provided without you supplying us with suitable identification.
Your request for access will be dealt within a reasonable time. Veteran Housing Australia may charge you a fee to cover the reasonable cost of retrieval and the supply of the information to you. If Veteran Housing Australia refuses your request for access, it will provide you with reasons for the refusal.
How to contact us
If you wish to gain access to or correct your personal information or make a complaint about a breach of your privacy, you should contact the Veteran Housing Australia Head Office: If our staff are unable to resolve the matter over the phone, we will ask that you put your request in writing.
Telephone: (03) 9629 2648
Fax: (03) 9629 2064
Mail: 172 Burwood Road Hawthorn 3184
Email: admin@veteranhousing.org.au
Please note suitable identification will always be requested.
Veteran Housing Australia will respond to your query or complaint as soon as possible.
Veteran Housing Australia reserves the right to change the Privacy Policy at any time. Veteran Housing Australia will notify any changes by posting an updated version of the Privacy Policy to the Secretary of every Veteran Housing Australia Branch and by posting it for general information on the Veteran Housing Australia website at www.veteranhousing.org.au
