Privacy Policy

Tenants Victoria is committed to protecting your rights and to using your information responsibly. We are guided by the Australian Privacy Principles, as well as the other codes and standards that we adhere to.

This Privacy Policy helps you understand why and how we collect and use personal information, and what to do if you have questions, concerns or complaints. We will occasionally make updates to this policy, so we will note the date of the last change at the bottom of the page.

Remember, you are in control of the personal information you provide to us.

In most situations, you choose what information to provide to us, and you can access or change these details at any time.

Personal information is only collected as is necessary for a function or activity to enable Tenants Victoria to carry out its work and deliver services to the community.

We may collect and hold the following general personal information:

• Personal details may include name, date of birth, telephone number, email and mailing address;
• Cultural background; for example if you identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person or If you were born overseas and the language that you speak at home;
• Gender identification;
• Messages or comments emailed to us such as general and specific support-related enquiries;
• Other information that is relevant to the services that we provide.

The type of personal information that we collect about you may also depend on the type of dealings that you have with Tenants Victoria.  For example, if you:

• Contact us for legal assistance, we may collect your name, contact details, details of your guardian (if applicable), financial details (if necessary), information about your circumstances and information about the matter for which you are seeking assistance;
• Make an enquiry using our website contact tools, we may collect your name, telephone number and electronic contact details;
• Make a donation to Tenants Victoria, we may collect your name, contact details, the amount and frequency of your donation;
• Participate in our surveys, we may collect your name, contact details and your survey responses.

If you provide personal information to us about someone else, such as a friend or relative on whose behalf you are seeking assistance, you must ensure that:

• you are entitled to disclose that information to us; and
• that without taking any further steps we may collect, use and disclose that information as described in this Privacy Policy; and
• that the individual concerned is aware of the various matters detailed in this Privacy Policy as those matters relate to that individual including our identity, how to contact us, our purpose for collecting personal information, our information disclosure practices, including to overseas recipients, and the individual’s rights to obtain access to the information and to make a complaint about the handling of the personal information.

Some personal information such as that relating to racial and/or ethnic origin, the language that you speak at home, religious beliefs, health information (for example information about a disability), if you are experiencing domestic violence, genetic information, and whether or not you have a criminal record are all examples of sensitive information and require a higher degree of protection as directed by the Privacy Act 1988.

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

Sensitive information is generally relevant in relation to delivery of our services to an individual in relation to a tenancy issue.

In some circumstances, individuals have the option of not identifying themselves when dealing with us, for example viewing our website or making general telephone enquiries. Donations may also be made anonymously. However an anonymous donor may not be entitled to a tax-deductible receipt.

It is not possible for us to provide services or deal with witnesses and other individuals related to a matter in an anonymous way.

We generally collect personal information directly when that personal information is provided to us, for example:

• in person,
• via post,
• via email
• from enquiries on our website
• from referring third parties. Where we collect information from a third party we will ensure that this information is collected in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act.

• Cookies: Like many websites Tenants Victoria’s may use ‘cookies’.  Cookies are an industry standard and used by most major websites. Cookies may be used by us for a variety of purposes. For example, we may use cookies to recognise a computer which has previously visited this website and to customise the Tenants Victoria website according to previous preferences and site behaviour. You can control how cookies are used and for what through the settings on your chosen browser.
• Online activity and social media: we may use Google Analytics and other web server applications to track visits to our website. We will use this information to track the effectiveness of our website, such as visits, length of visits, viewed pages and the technical capabilities of our visitors. Whilst this data is mainly anonymous, sometimes we will connect it with you, for example pre-filling a form with your details.

You may engage with Tenants Victoria through social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can control how you receive content through each website’s settings. Occasionally we may get in touch with you via social media if you are not a follower by using the details on your record, such as an email address. If you prefer that we do not contact you in this regard please advise us and opt out.

We may provide links in the content of our website for your convenience and information. However Tenants Victoria is not responsible for the privacy and security elements of any such website.  You may wish to read the privacy statement of a destination website before connecting via a link.

Tenants Victoria strives to protect the personal information and privacy of users of our website; however, Tenants Victoria cannot guarantee the security of any information that you provide on-line and you disclose that information at your own risk. If you are concerned about sending information to us over the internet please make contact with us using other means such as post or telephone.

You can help to protect the privacy of your personal information by letting Tenants Victoria know as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breach relating to our website.

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for the following purposes:

• Providing and improving our services;
• For the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal or equitable claim;
• For the purposes of a confidential alternative dispute resolution process;
• In furthering a legal matter with you, to advise and/or collaborate with relevant professional parties such as barristers, legal specialists, other community legal services, and social and welfare providers;
• Contacting you and communicating with you;
• Assisting and engaging with the public;
• Raising awareness of tenancy issues;
• Conducting our business including fundraising;
• Complying with our legal obligations;
• Other matters where permitted or required by law.

We occasionally require external suppliers to assist us in our activities, for example a bulk mailing, and may provide your information to them to achieve this.  We bind third party suppliers to uphold confidentiality of information.

Direct marketing is the promotion of goods and services directly to you including through emails, SMS, phone calls and the post. We will only send you direct marketing materials if you would reasonably expect to receive them or you have consented. We will not use your sensitive information for the purposes of direct marketing unless you have given us prior consent. You can withhold or withdraw your consent by ‘opting out’. We may also use your details to send you information on behalf of like-minded organisations that you may be interested in supporting as a customer or as a donor. Your details will not be provided to them and only the information that you supply to them directly will be collected for their records.

You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us by:

• Advising us if you receive a marketing call that you no long wish to receive these calls;
• Using the unsubscribe facility that we include in our electronic marketing messages;
• Contacting us
  • by email at privacyofficer@tenantsvic.org.au; or
  • by letter addressed to: Privacy Officer, Tenants Victoria, PO Box 18022, Melbourne, VIC 3000

• Calling us on 03 9411 1444 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm excluding public holidays).

Personal information you have provided to technology services providers that are hosted off-shore, for example social media websites, may disclose and store your information in a country other than Australia. Such countries include:

• Canada
• United Kingdom
• United States

We are committed to ensuring that personal information provided to us is held securely. This includes taking reasonable steps to protecting personal information against loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, and other misuse. These steps include, but are not limited to, securing paper files in a secure environment, password protection for accessing our electronic IT systems, and physical access restrictions to buildings where information is held.

We keep most of your personal information secure in our advice or supporter database and conduct regular tests and audits to ensure that information is held securely and safely.

Access: Individuals have a right to request access to the personal information that we hold about them. An administrative fee may be payable for the provision of personal information. In certain circumstances we may refuse to provide details of personal information that we hold to the extent permitted by the Privacy Act.

If you wish another person to be able to access or change your details on your behalf (for example a spouse, legal or financial representative), you can advise us in writing and we will record this permission.

Correction: If an individual believes that any personal information we hold about them is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, they can contact us (details below) and we will respond to the request within a reasonable time after the request is made.  We will endeavour to promptly correct any information found to be inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Complaints about the way we manage your personal information or allegations of breaches of the Privacy Act can be made to the contact below. In the event that a complaint is received regarding a breach of privacy the complaint will be investigated and responded to by the relevant department representative within 5 business days of receiving the complaint.

If a complainant is not satisfied with the resolution by us, a complaint about a privacy matter can be made to the Australian Information Commissioner; refer https://www.oaic.gov.au/ for how to make a complaint.

Telephone: 03 9411 1444 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm excluding public holidays)

Email: privacyofficer@tenantsvic.org.au

Mailing address:
Privacy Officer
Tenants Victoria
PO Box 18022
Melbourne, Vic 3000

Privacy Policy published 4 March 2021.