Privacy Statement
Commitment to the privacy of personal information
The Parliament of Australia website collects and uses data that indirectly identifies users and in some instances, information which is personal information about users. We take steps to protect information, including personal information, against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuse.
This Privacy Statement outlines measures implemented to ensure the privacy of personal information collected by the Parliament of Australia website and, in particular, information collected electronically.
This Privacy Statement will be regularly reviewed and may change from time to time.
What information do we collect and how do we use it?
Web browsing records
When you look at the pages on the Parliament of Australia website, our computers automatically record information that indirectly identifies users in the following circumstances:
Computer Information
It is necessary that your web browser provides your devices network address, so the web server can address its replies back to the correct machine. In addition, your browser type and operating system information may be recorded.
Navigation Data
Browsing any website generates a trail of pages visited, the amount of data transferred and the time of access. This information is recorded against the network address supplied by your web browser.
The information collected during each visit referred to above is generated by the systems you are accessing, and stored in system logs. These logs are preserved and archived for possible future use for the purposes set out below.
The information is used by Parliament of Australia website software, and by our support staff, only for:
- website and systems administration, including monitoring as a security measure
- customisation of the website to meet your needs
- evaluation, research and development.
The information collected will not be disclosed to a third party without your prior written consent except where it is required or authorised by law, such as in the investigation of a criminal offence, and in compliance with a search warrant or subpoena.
Electronic Mail
We will only record your email address in the event that you send a message by email, you register for ‘My Parliament’, you sign up to a newsletter, you provide your email address when participating in an online parliamentary process, or your email address is provided by a third party. Your email address will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it and will not be added to any mailing lists (unless you provided it for the purpose of subscribing to a mailing list) or used or disclosed for any other purpose without your prior written consent.
Forms
If you use forms on the site to provide information, register interest, or purchase publications and the completed forms include your personal details, we collect personally identifiable information such as a name, address and email address. The information you provide is not retained on the public web server and will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than that for which it was provided without your prior written consent.
E-Petitions
When you create an e-petition
When you create an e-petition (i.e. you are the principal petitioner), we ask for your name, address, telephone number and email address. Providing your full name and address is one of the rules for lodging an e-petition, found in the House of Representatives Standing Orders.
Your email address is used to verify that you are a real person (and not a bot). Your contact information, including your email address and telephone number, are used to contact you about the status of your petition. We do not use your contact information for any other purpose, and will not disclose this information without your prior written consent. Access to your contact information is restricted to the Petitions Committee secretariat and support staff responsible for administering e-petitions.
Your name will be published online with your petition and in the Official Hansard when your petition is presented to the House of Representatives. The Hansard will also include the terms of your petition and the final signature count. Your address, telephone number or email address will not be published at any time.
Your full name and address will be included in the final petition presented to the House of Representatives (this is presented in paper form).
Please note, presented petitions, including paper and e-petitions, can be read or copied by anyone upon request at the House of Representatives Table Office. As noted above, a tabled e-petition (i.e. the printed petition) contains the full name and address of the principal petitioner, and the full name of each person who has signed the petition. A presented e-petition does not include the email address of the principal petitioner or anyone who has signed the petition.
For further information, see: House of Representatives Petitions Terms and conditions.
When you sign an e-petition
When you sign an e-petition, we ask for your full name and a verifiable email address. Your email address will be used to verify your intent to sign a petition, to make sure that you have not signed the petition already, and to make sure that you are a real person (not a bot). We do not use your email address for any other purpose, and will not disclose this information without your prior written consent. Access to your email address is restricted to the Petitions Committee secretariat and support staff responsible for administering e-petitions.
We will not publish any information about you online, but your name will be included in the final petition presented to the House of Representatives (this is presented in paper form). Your name will not feature on the official Hansard.
Please note, presented petitions, including paper and e-petitions, can be read or copied by anyone upon request at the House of Representatives Table Office. As noted above, a presented e-petition (i.e. the printed petition) contains the full name and address of the principal petitioner, and the full name of each person who has signed the petition. A presented e-petition does not include the email address of the principal petitioner or anyone who has signed the petition.
For further information, see: House of Representatives Petitions Terms and conditions.
Submissions to Committees
We gather information about your submission during the online process. A submission will be displayed on the Parliament of Australia website. You may choose to make your submission confidential. Your submission and the information gathered is stored in a secure database. We will not use or disclose your information for any other purpose, without your prior written consent.
For further information, see: Senate Committees Making a submission or House of Representatives Making a submission to a Committee inquiry.
Parliamentary Privilege
The Parliament of Australia website contains information in relation to the activities of Parliament. In some cases this information can contain personal information of individuals and could be covered under Parliamentary Privilege. You can find further information on Parliamentary Privilege here. If you would like to request the removal of personal information please use the contact information below and the matter will be referred to the appropriate committee.
Cookies
A ‘cookie’ is an electronic token that is passed to your browser which passes it back to the server whenever a page is sent to you.
The Parliament of Australia website uses a number of types of cookies – here is how and why we use them:
- Session cookie - this cookie allows you to navigate the site and use the sites features and expires after you leave the site.
- Analytics cookies – these cookies allow us to gather analytics that are used to measure the sites effectiveness and guide future enhancements.
- Site preferences cookies – these cookies are used to remember your preferences without creating an account or logging in. They are also used to restrict the number of times you are shown a feedback request.
- Targeting or advertising cookies – these cookies are used to help us measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
None of the above cookies are used to store personal information about you.
In addition, we make use of third-party sites such as Twitter, Facebook, AddThis, and others to deliver content. Such third-party sites may send their own cookies to your computer. We do not control the setting of third-party cookies and suggest you check the third-party websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them.
Most internet browsers are pre-set to accept cookies. If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can adjust your internet browser to refuse cookies or to warn you when cookies are being used.
Google Analytics
In addition to web server logs, the Parliament of Australia website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. Reports obtained from Google Analytics are used to help improve the efficiency and usability of this website.
Google Analytics uses 'cookies' to help analyse how users use this 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 purpose of evaluating your use of our website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
By using the Parliament of Australia website, you consent to Google processing data about you in the manner and for the purposes set out above. Please refer to Google's Privacy Policy.
User Feedback
We seek feedback from our users in order to improve the service offered by the site. Answering feedback questions is voluntary and does not in any way affect your access to the Parliament of Australia website.
Parliament records the information gathered in the online forms in a database. The information will only be used for the purpose for which it was requested and will not be distributed further, or disclosed, without your prior writtenconsent.
Links to Other Sites
The Parliament of Australia website contains links to other sites. The Parliament is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites and has no knowledge if cookies or other tracking devices are used on linked websites.
These other sites may use web measurement tools, customisation technologies and persistent cookies to inform the service they provide to users. You should read the privacy statement published on each website that you visit.
Is the information stored securely?
Yes, the information collected is stored in an appropriately secure format.
We take steps to protect the information we hold, including personal information, against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuse. These steps include password-protecting access to our electronic information technology and communications systems and using controls to ensure that only staff who need to access personal information are able to access it.
When the personal information we collect is no longer required it is destroyed, in accordance with the Archives Act 1983, or de-identified.
In addition, data is usually secured in transit between your computer and our servers through the use of encryption technology and the Parliament has a reliable system with data stored securely in databases managed by us in accordance with the Parliament’s ICT security policies and practices.
While every effort is made to secure information transmitted to the Parliament of Australia website over the internet, there may be inherent risks associated with the transmission of information via the Internet and there is therefore a possibility that this information could be accessed by a third party while in transit.
How to contact us
If you wish to contact the Parliament of Australia about a privacy-related matter, including questions about this Privacy Statement, please contact us.