Davies Stewart undertakes to comply with its obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) and the Information Privacy Principles (IPP). This information explains how we collect, use and disclose your personal information or sensitive information in connection with our services. Also how we will deal with enquiries or complaints in relation to our compliance with the APP and IPP
Collection of your personal information
What your personal information is
Personal information is any information or an opinion (whether true or not) about you. It may range from the very sensitive (e.g. medical history or condition) to the every day (e.g. address and phone number). It would include the opinions of others about your work performance (whether true or not), your work experience and qualifications, aptitude test results and other information obtained by us in connection with your possible work placements. Personal information includes sensitive information.
What sensitive information is
Sensitive information is a special category of personal information. It is information or opinions about your: racial or ethnic origin; political opinion; membership of a political association or 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 (at any time); expressed wishes about the future provision of health services. It includes personal information collected to provide a health service. Sensitive information can, in most cases, only be disclosed with your consent.
Who will be collecting your personal and sensitive information
Your personal and sensitive information will be collected by Davies Stewart for its own use and its clients use in connection with your work placements, application for roles with our clients, providing other HR services, training, assessments and the like.
How your information will be collected
Personal and sensitive information will be collected from you directly when you fill out and submit one of our registration forms, or email us, or from associated third parties, or any other information in connection with your application to us. We may also gather information about our website users but this information will only be anonymous data.
Personal and sensitive information will also be collected when:
- we receive any reference information about you;
- we receive any information about a workplace accident in which you are involved;
- we receive results of inquiries that we might make of your former employers, work colleagues, professional associations or registration body;
- we receive the results of any competency or medical test;
- we receive performance feedback (whether positive or negative);
- we receive any information about any insurance investigation, litigation, registration or professional disciplinary matter, criminal matter, inquest or inquiry in which you are involved;
- you provide us with any additional information about you.
Use of your Personal Information
Your personal and sensitive information may be used for the purpose of providing a service to you and we will disclose the purpose we intend to use your information for to you. Your personal information is collected in relation to our Recruitment and HR Services. If you do not wish us to contact you please contact us and tell us. We may use your information for:
- your actual or possible work placements;
- your performance appraisals;
- our assessment of your ongoing performance or career guidance;
- any test or assessment (including medical assessments) that you might be required to undergo;
- criminal, reference checks or security clearances;
- our identification of your training needs;
- workplace rehabilitation;
- our management of any complaint, investigation or inquiry in which you are involved;
- any insurance claim or proposal that requires disclosure of your personal or sensitive information;
- direct marketing
Disclosure of your Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information to our clients and to any service providers who provide services in connection with Davies Stewart. We do not provide or sell your personal information to other organisations, unless it is included in the sale of our business and we will not provide your information to overseas recipients unless they are a client of Davies Stewart. Your personal and sensitive information may be disclosed to:
- potential and actual employers and clients of Davies Stewart;
- referees;
- our insurers;
- a professional association or registration body that has a proper interest in the disclosure of your personal and sensitive information;
- a Workers Compensation body;
- our contractors and suppliers – e.g. our I.T. contractors and database designers;
- any person with a lawful entitlement to obtain the information.
If you do not give us the information we seek we may be limited in our ability to locate suitable work for you and we may be limited in our ability to place you in work.
Safeguarding your Personal Information
We take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. We have a number of safety measures in place to protect your information. For example, your personal information is stored in secured offices and in computerised databases, which require a log in, and password to gain access. Access to the database is only available to those who require such access. All staff are bound by a confidentiality agreement regarding company and customer information. We use secure methods to destroy or de-identify personal information as soon as the law permits and provided that this information is no longer needed by us.
Access to & Correction of your Personal Information
Subject to some exceptions which are set out in the Australian Privacy Principles, you have a right to access personal and sensitive information about you that we hold. Access to this information will only be provided once your identity has been established and you must write to our Privacy Officer to make a request verifying and specifying what information you require access to. We will respond to your enquiry in a reasonable time frame and will provide access to the information requested provided it is reasonable and practical to do so. If it is deemed not reasonable or practical to do so, we will provide written notice as to the reasons for the refusal.
If you are able to establish that personal or sensitive information that we hold about you is not accurate, complete and up-to-date, we will take reasonable steps to correct it so that it is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Please talk to one of our Consultants.
If we are unable to agree that personal or sensitive information that we hold about you is accurate, complete and up-to-date, you may ask us to place with the information, a statement by you that claims that particular information is not accurate, complete and up-to-date.
If you wish to exercise your rights of access and correction you should contact our Privacy Officer.
In some cases we may impose a moderate charge for providing access to personal or sensitive information. We will not charge you simply because you lodge a request for access.
If you continue to deal with Davies Stewart, including sending us information, we will take that as your consent to your personal and sensitive information being collected, used, disclosed and stored in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please contact us immediately and we will destroy the information you have provided us with unless required by law to hold such information.
Complaint Resolution
If you wish to contact us about your personal or sensitive information, or have a complaint, you should contact our Privacy Officer, at Davies Stewart Consulting, Ground Floor, 97 Pirie Street, Adelaide SA 5000 during normal office hours which are 8.30am to 5.00pm, or via email at info@daviesstewart.com and we will respond to your query or complaint as soon as reasonably possible.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, in Australia you can contact the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Under the amendment to the Fair Trading Act 1987, Davies Stewart must inform you of the following:
- Davies Stewart must not charge you a fee for the purpose of finding you employment;
- Davies Stewart must not engage in misleading or deceptive conduct and
- If you believe that Davies Stewart has acted inappropriately, you may contact the Department of Fair Trading for information on possible action that may be taken.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may amend this Privacy policy as our business requirements or the law changes. Any information we hold will be governed by the most current version of our privacy policy.
If you wish to contact us anonymously in relation to any Privacy questions, please use the below form which has been de-identified