Privacy

The Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs) are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 with respect to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

Collection and use of personal information

Generally, the TACs collect personal information in order to properly and efficiently carry out research activities, and only use personal information for the purpose for which it was collected or for a directly related purpose (unless otherwise required by or authorised under law).

In addition to this general privacy policy, where more detailed information is needed to explain the TACs privacy practices, the TACs publish separate statements to describe how it will handle personal information that it collects. For example, where the TACs ask website visitors to provide personal information in relation to a particular program, it will provide a privacy notice which details its practices in relation to that particular program.

Communication - emails and electronic forms

The TACs' servers may record a website viewer’s email address if a message is sent online. Email addresses will not be added to mailing lists unless users have provided it to the TACs in order to subscribe to one of the subscription services, such as a Site Change Subscription Service or Media Subscription Service.

Where users choose to send the TACs a completed electronic form that includes personal details, the TACs collect personally identifiable information such as names, addresses and email addresses.

The information collected by email or electronic forms will be used only for the purpose for which users provide it and the TACs will not disclose it unless one of the circumstances described below under the heading ‘Information sharing’ has been satisfied. Where users send the TACs a message online, the TACs will use the information provided to process enquiries and may provide that information to third parties including the Department, higher education institutions and other related entities for the purpose of responding to enquiries.

Log information (browsing)

When the TACs online services are used, servers automatically record information that each user’s browser sends whenever a website is visited. These server logs may include information such as server addresses, top level domain names (for example, .com, .gov, .au etc.), dates and times of website visits, pages accessed and documents viewed, previous sites visited, browser type and language, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify a particular browser.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file containing a string of characters that uniquely identifies a particular browser. It is information that web browsers send back to the TACs website server whenever the website is visited more than once. The TACs use cookies to ‘remember’ browsers between page visits. In this situation, the cookie identifies a particular browser, not personal information about the website viewer.

Google Analytics

The TACs use Google Analytics to collect information about visitors to this website. Google Analytics uses first-party cookies and JavaScript code to help analyse how users use the site. No third-party cookies are used on the website. It anonymously tracks how visitors interact with this website, including how they have accessed the site (for example from a search engine, a link, an advertisement) and what they did on the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purposes of compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google Analytics Demographic and Interest Reporting is enabled on this website. Demographic and interest reports may be generated including identifiers such as your age, gender, affinity categories (for example educational and training interests), in-market segments and other categories based on acquisition, behaviour, and conversion metrics.

You can prevent your information from being collected by Google Analytics by refusing the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Access and alteration of records containing personal information

When personal information is provided the TACs will correct personal information if it is inaccurate (subject to restrictions on such access/alteration of records under the applicable provisions of any law of the Commonwealth). The Privacy Act 1988 also provides website visitors with an opportunity to request access to documents in possession by the Department.

Information sharing

The Department only discloses personal information to third parties in the following circumstances:

• where users are reasonably likely to have been aware, or made aware by way of a privacy notice, that personal information is usually passed to the relevant parties;
• where users have consented; 
• where the TACs believe on reasonable grounds that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a user’s life or health or that of another person; 
• where the disclosure is required or authorised by or under law; or
• where the disclosure is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of the public revenue.

Information security

The Department takes all reasonable steps:

• to protect the personal information that it holds against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure and other misuse; and
• to ensure that, where the TACs have given personal information to a contractor, that contractor complies with the Information Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988.

Data integrity

The TACs take all reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information it collects and stores is accurate, relevant, up-to-date, complete and not misleading.

Enforcement

The TACs regularly review their compliance with this privacy policy. If you have any questions/complaints about privacy or confidentiality or if you wish to access and amend your personal information, please contact the relevant TAC in your state or tertiary.