Privacy Policy

1. PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY

This Policy details how we comply with the Privacy Act, including the APPs which regulate how we collect, use, disclose and store Information.

This Policy does not apply to the collection or use of Information about corporations.

If you would like a hardcopy of this Policy, please contact the publications manager by email on info@vprs.com.au.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1. APPs means the Australian Privacy Principles introduced under the Privacy Act;

2.2. Information is used in this Policy to describe Personal Information and Sensitive Information collectively;

2.3. Personal Information means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:

2.3.1. whether the information or opinion is true or not; and

2.3.2. whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not;

2.4. Privacy Act means the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as amended from time to time;

2.5. Sensitive Information is defined in the Privacy Act to include things such as race, sexual orientation, political opinions, members of a trade association or trade union, criminal record or health information.

3. THE TYPE OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT

3.1. Personal Information

Personal Information that we collect and hold is information that is reasonably necessary for the proper performance of our functions and activities connected with the Victorian Planning Reports at http://www.vprs.com.au/.

While the type of Personal Information we collect and hold may vary depending on the nature of our interactions with you, generally it will include the following:

3.1.1. identification information, such as your name and address;
3.1.2. contact information, such as telephone numbers and e-mail addresses;
3.1.3. username and passwords for access to the website (http://www.vprs.com.au/);
3.1.4. comments and feedback; and
3.1.5. interests and communication preferences.

3.2. Sensitive Information

We may at times, subject to this Policy, also collect and hold Sensitive Information.

4. COLLECTION

We collect Information only by fair and lawful means where it is reasonable and practicable to do so. We do so in order to conduct our business, to provide accurate information to you, to market our goods and to meet our legal obligations.

If you do not provide us with Information we reasonably request, we may not be able to provide the requested services in the most efficient manner possible, or at all. We also may not be able to provide you with the information about the services that you may want.

4.1. How we Collect Information

4.1.1. We collect Information that you provide:
4.1.1.1. when visiting our website at http://www.vprs.com.au/;
4.1.1.2. in applications you lodge with us;
4.1.1.3. during telephone, or in person, conversations with us;
4.1.1.4. through transactions conducted with us; and
4.1.1.5. in written correspondence to us (including email correspondence).

4.1.2. We also collect Information provided by third parties when it is necessary for a specific purpose, such as checking Information that you have given us or where you have consented, or would reasonably expect us, to collect your Information in this way.

If it is unclear to us whether you have consented to the collection of Information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to contact you to ensure that you are aware of the reason and purpose of the collection.

If we collect Information from a third party, if it is reasonably possible we will inform you that the Information has been collected and the circumstances of the collection.

4.1.3. We will also collect Information about you if we are required to do so under an Australian law. If so, we will inform you of this, including details of the law requiring the collection.

4.1.4. We may also collect Information about you from a range of publicly available sources including newspapers, journals, directories, the internet and social media sites.

4.2. Internet Usage

It is important that you understand that there are risks associated with use of the internet and you should take all appropriate steps to protect your Information. You can contact us by land line telephone or post if you have concerns about making contact via the internet.

We may use cookies and web beacons when you visit our website (https://www.vprs.com.au/) and, as a consequence, we may collect certain information from you such as:

4.2.1. your browser type;
4.2.2. your location;
4.2.3. your IP address;
4.2.4. information about when and how you use our website;
4.2.5. your computer, device and connection information, such as browser type and version, operating system, mobile platform and unique device identifier and other technical identifiers;
4.2.6. URL click stream data, including date and time, and content you viewed or searched for; and
4.2.7. information about your past internet usage, such as websites you visit before coming to our website.

You can manage the use of cookies on our website (https://www.vprs.com.au/) by clicking “help” on the toolbar in your internet browser. However, if you block the use of cookies, you may not be able to log in or make full usage of our website.

4.3. Unsolicited Information

Where we receive unsolicited Information about you, we will check whether that Information is reasonably necessary for our functions. If it is, we will handle this Information in the same way we do other Information we seek from you. If not, we will destroy or de-identify it.

5. REASON FOR COLLECTION, DISCLOSURE & USE

5.1. Personal Information

We may use and disclose your Personal Information for the primary purpose for which it is collected, for reasonably expected secondary purposes which are related to the primary purpose, and in other circumstances authorised by the Privacy Act. In general, we use and disclose your Personal Information to:

5.1.1. conduct our business;
5.1.2. provide our services to you;
5.1.3. market our business and services;
5.1.4. communicate with you and assist you with enquiries;
5.1.5. comply with our legal obligations;
5.1.6. help us manage and enhance our service standards;
5.1.7. gain an understanding of your needs;
5.1.8. assist you in completing a transaction or order;
5.1.9. respond to requests, inquiries, complaints or applications;
5.1.10. update you on relevant new services and benefits;
5.1.11. personalise the service and to select content to be communicated to you or to use features on the service such as sharing content with a friend or colleague;
5.1.12. contact you regarding our products or services or other products and services from third parties;
5.1.13. invite you to participate in surveys and promotions;
5.1.14. conduct website administration, such as for the technical support of our websites and computer systems;
5.1.15. conduct data analysis and audits;
5.1.16. identify usage trends and analyse the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns;
5.1.17. prevent and detect security threats, fraud or other malicious activity;
5.1.18. comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
5.1.19. establish an account for you; and
5.1.20. improve your online experience with us.

5.2. Sensitive Information

We will not collect Sensitive Information about you unless:

5.2.1. we obtain your explicit consent to collect and use such Sensitive Information; or
5.2.2. the Sensitive Information is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities; or
5.2.3. the collection of the Sensitive Information is required or authorised by or under Australian law or a court/tribunal order; or
5.2.4. a permitted general situation exists in relation to the collection of the Sensitive Information by us; or
5.2.5. a permitted health situation exists in relation to the collection of the Sensitive Information by us.

6. MARKETING

We may use and/or disclose your Information in order to:

6.1. provide you with news and information about our services and our business generally;

6.2. provide you with marketing and promotional material that we believe you may be interested in; or

6.3. seek your feedback on our services.

Only with your express consent will we use or disclose Information about you for the purposes of direct marketing. You can ask us not to do this at any time by writing to Kris Strzebonski by email on kris@vprs.com.au, or by post to:

Victorian Planning Reports
PO Box 385
Rosanna Vic 3084

We will not sell your Information.

7. SECURITY & MANAGEMENT

We take reasonable steps to protect your Information against misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. The protective steps we take include:

7.1. confidentiality requirements of our employees and subcontractors;
7.2. limiting access to Information to employees who have a need to use the Information;
7.3. educating our employees in relation to obligations under the Privacy Act;
7.4. document storage security policies;
7.5. security measures for restricted access to our systems; and
7.6. deletion, destruction or de-identification of Information where it is no longer required by us.

You can manage your privacy settings on our website (https://www.vprs.com.au/) in your account settings.

8. CORRECTION

We aim to ensure that the Information we hold is accurate, complete and up-to-date. We encourage you to contact us in order to update any Information we hold about you. Our contact details are set out at the end of this Policy.

If you contact us regarding an apparent inaccuracy in relation to your Information and we are satisfied that the Information is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, then reasonable steps will be taken to correct the Information within 30 days, or a longer period as we agree with you in writing.

We will not charge you for a correction.

If we determine that the correction is not required, we will provide you with written notice stating the reasons why the correction was not made and refer you to our complaints procedure.

If a correction is made to any Information that was previously disclosed to a third party, as long as it is reasonable to do so, we will give each such recipient written notice of the correction within a reasonable period. We will also notify you that the correction has been made.

9. ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION

You are entitled to access your Information held by us.

If you wish to access your Information, you must lodge a request for access by contacting Kris Strzebonski by email on kris@vprs.com.au, or by post to:

Victorian Planning Reports
PO Box 385
Rosanna Vic 3084

We may charge a fee to cover our reasonable costs in meeting an access request. You will be provided with access to your Information within 30 days of the request (unless unusual circumstances apply).

We are not required to give you access to your Information if:

9.1. it would be unlawful to do so; or
9.2. denying access is required or authorised by an Australian law or a court/tribunal order; or
9.3. to do so would likely prejudice one or more enforcement related activities conducted by, or on behalf of, an enforcement body.

If we do not give you access to your Information you will receive written notice that explains the reason for the refusal.

10. COMPLAINTS

Complaints about alleged breaches by us of the Privacy Act or this Policy can be made by contacting Kris Strzebonski at:

Victorian Planning Reports
PO Box 385
Rosanna Vic 3084
Email: kris@vprs.com.au
Telephone: 0419 547 876

If you do not consider that your complaint has been adequately dealt with by us, you may make a further complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which has complaint handling responsibilities under the Privacy Act.

11. ACCESS TO THIS POLICY

This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and practices and the changing business environment.

The most current version of this Policy will be uploaded to our website at http://www.vprs.com.au/ or can be obtained by contacting our Privacy Officer:

E-Mail: kris@vprs.com.au
Phone: 0419 547 876
Postal Address: Ms K Strzebonski
Victorian Planning Reports
PO BOX 385
ROSANNA VIC 3084

12. FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues please contact our Privacy Officer.

For further information about privacy, the protection of privacy and credit reporting can also be found on visit the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au.