Privacy

What is Privacy?

According to Privacy NSW, Privacy can mean the right to a sense of personal freedom, the right to be left alone and the right to have information about oneself handled in a fair and proper manner.

NSW Privacy legislation places specific obligations on the University when it collects, stores, uses and discloses an individual's personal or health information. The Privacy laws that apply to the University are the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.

What are the University’s Obligations Regarding Privacy

The University must ensure that the overall management of an individual's personal and health information complies with NSW Privacy Legislation.

The University's Privacy Information Sheet provides a summary of the information protection principles that the University must comply with.

The University's Privacy Policy and Privacy Management Plan outlines the responsibilities of all staff when handling an individual's personal and health information and also provides details on how the University complies with its obligations with the NSW privacy laws.

When collecting an individual's personal or health information, the University should describe how it will use that information, and should only use that information for that purpose, or a directly related purpose. The current Student Privacy and Disclosure Statement lists the primary and secondary uses of personal information collected from students.

Information should be stored securely, and access must be given to the information provider to update or correct his/her information.

The University should NOT disclose a person’s personal or health information unless:

• that person has provided clear and written consent to do so;
• a court or similar body has ordered the information’s release;
• a law enforcement agency is requiring information and certain tests are met; or
• the disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of that person or another person.

Breach of the Privacy Laws by unlawful means is a serious matter, and could expose the University to an internal privacy investigation, Privacy Commissioner Investigation and/or adverse media reports. 

A University Privacy Officer (listed below) should be consulted before any action is taken.  Please direct any questions or concerns to a University Privacy Officer listed below.

TIPS AND RESOURCES

The NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) has developed a range of tips and resources to assist parents, teens, children and teachers to help them make informed decisions about their privacy, including how to best protect their privacy. These resources include tips when communicating and sharing information on the internet, smartphones and social network sites.  

Visit the IPC's tips and resources page at http://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/privacy/ipc_resources/privacy_for_parents_and_kids.html.

Privacy Complaints

Any student, staff member or member of the public who is concerned about how their personal or health information is being handled by the University should contact a privacy officer in the Legal Services Unit of the University.  The privacy officers will discuss your concerns or complaints and endeavour to reach a suitable resolution, referring to any existing University policies or complaint handling guidelines.

Where an individual wishes to make a formal request for a review of the University's conduct in the handling of his/her personal or health information, the Privacy Complaint Internal Review Application Form is to be completed and lodged with the Legal Services Unit

Who to Contact About Privacy

Legal Services has several privacy officers registered with Privacy NSW.

Your first contact should be Carmel Perre, who is the University's Information Compliance Officer.  Carmel's contact details are as follows:

Carmel Perre
Information Compliance Officer
Legal Services
Building 36, Level 4
University of Wollongong NSW 2522

Phone: (02) 4221 4368
Fax: (02) 4221 4254
Email: privacy-enquiry@uow.edu.au or carmelp@uow.edu.au

If Carmel is not available, you should contact one of the Privacy Officers listed below.