Privacy and  Confidentiality Policy

The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to:

• clearly communicate the personal information handling practices of Lifeline Australia;
• enhance the transparency of Lifeline Australia’s operations; and
• give individuals a better and more complete understanding of the sort of personal information that Lifeline Australia collects, and the way that information is managed.

For the avoidance of doubt, any reference to ‘personal information’ under this policy does not relate to the collection and management of information in relation to employees of Lifeline Australia. Employee information is covered under separate policies and legislative requirements. Any such queries should be referred to the Human Resources Manager.

2. Our obligations under the Privacy Act

This Privacy Policy sets out how Lifeline Australia complies with its obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) – ‘the Act’. The Act as amended may be accessed at the Federal Legislation website here.

3. Meanings

In this Privacy Policy, 'personal information' has the same meaning as defined under section 6 of the Act: information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion.

In this Privacy Policy, "we", "us" and "Lifeline" refers to Lifeline Australia Limited ABN 84 081 031 263 and "our" has a similar meaning. "You" and "your" refer to an individual about whom we have collected personal information.

4. Collection

We will only collect personal information from you that is necessary for or directly related to our functions and activities. For example, we may collect personal information from you in order to:

• provide you with crisis support or suicide prevention services,
• take a donation from you,
• give you information or send you publications or resources,
• manage your employment with us if you are an employee,
• assess and register you as a volunteer, or
• engage emergency services or refer you to other service providers.

You do not have to provide us with personal information unless you wish to do so. However, it may affect our ability to provide you with services or allow you to participate in our programs or events if you do not give us personal information. Wherever possible, we will collect your personal information directly from you, rather than from another person. However, in some circumstances, we will collect information from a third party including if it is necessary for a specific purpose such a referral to emergency services where we believe on reasonable grounds that it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of the individual concerned or another person.

In some cases, we may receive unsolicited personal information about you from a third party. If we do get personal information in these circumstances, we must determine whether we could have lawfully collected the information. If we could not, we will destroy the information or de-identify it.

For further information about the management of donor information by Lifeline Australia, please see our Privacy and Donor Management Policy.

5. Cookies

It is our usual practice to collect information about all visitors to our online services and resources using "cookies". Cookies are text files that a website can transfer to your computer when you access information on that site. Cookies allow websites to recognise you as you browse their website.

We use Google Analytics to gather statistics about how the website is accessed. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather information for the purpose of providing statistical reporting.

The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers located outside of Australia. No personally identifying information is recorded or provided to Google. If you are logged in to our website, information about your user account is not linked to data recorded by Google Analytics and is not provided to Google.

Information gathered using Google Analytics and other tools include:

• the number of visitors to our website
• how visitors arrive at our website, for example, did they type the address in directly, follow a link from another webpage, or arrive via a search engine?
• webchat
• the number of times each page is viewed and for how long
• time and date of visit
• geographical location of the visitor
• information about what browser was used to view our website and the operating system of the computer
• information about whether the browser supports Java and Flash
• the speed of the user's internet connection

You can opt out of the collection of information via Google Analytics by downloading the Google Analytics Opt-out browser add-on. You can also disable cookies in your internet browser. Doing so will not affect most of our website, but some functions may not work properly if cookies are disabled.

6. Use and disclosure

We may contract third party service providers for purposes including but not limited to conducting surveys, soliciting donations, managing databases, facilitating information collection and managing events. Some of these service providers may conduct all or part of their business overseas and so your personal information may be transferred overseas as a result.

Lifeline Australia’s donor database is hosted on secure off-shore servers in the USA and Japan and accessed through the “cloud.” We will not transfer your personal information overseas or into the “cloud” unless we have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information which is being transferred will not be held, used or disclosed by the recipient of the information in a manner which is inconsistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Lifeline Australia may provide the donor’s personal information to other separately incorporated Lifeline entities for local fundraising and marketing purposes. Lifeline entities may also supply personal information to Lifeline Australia when in accordance with their privacy policy.

Lifeline Australia will not disclose donor’s personal information to a third party for their marketing purposes. We may include messages from partner organisations or sponsors in our direct marketing. We do not trade, rent or sell our donor lists.

7. Data quality

Lifeline Australia will take steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete. These steps include maintaining and updating personal information when we are advised by individuals that their personal information has changed, and at other times as necessary.

8. Information security

We take steps to protect the personal information we hold against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuses. These steps include background checks, password protection for accessing our electronic IT systems, securing paper files in locked cabinets and physical access restrictions. Staff access to information is based on the "need to know" principle. We also regularly engage independent information security experts to review and test our systems and processes.

When no longer required, personal information is destroyed or deleted in a secure manner.

9. Access and correction

• You can ask us to access your personal information or to change it. To make such a request you need to: write to the Privacy Officer either via email to [email protected] or via post to PO Box 173, Deakin West, A.C.T 2600;
• provide us the following information (if relevant):
  • the date, time and number used to contact Lifeline’s 13 11 14 service; or
  • the date, time and IP address used to access Lifeline’s online crisis support chat service;
• provide proof of identity (this may be achieved through a number of means, including using the 100 point identification system or through a legal practitioner).

We will carefully consider any request made. If we decline your request, we will tell you why. Please note that we will not release call records, call recordings, online crisis support chat transcripts and other sensitive material across the internet. Our preferred method is to send them via secure registered post.

10. Retention of personal information

We will retain personal information in accordance with our document retention policies. When personal information is no longer required and there is no other reason for us to hold the information, we will either destroy or de-identify it.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may change from time to time, particularly as new laws or regulations are introduced.

12. Contact Us

If you are concerned about the way we have handled your personal information, our Privacy Officer will investigate any concerns that you send to us in writing.

If you are dissatisfied with our investigation of your concerns, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner who is independent of Lifeline Australia.

Please address any correspondence to the Privacy Officer at:

Postal Address: PO Box 173, Deakin West, ACT 2600; or
Email Address: [email protected]

Personal information means information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained.