Mary’s House Services is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its clients, staff and partners.
Our Privacy Officer’s contact details are provided below. The Privacy Officer is the first point of contact for privacy complaints or queries.
Our Full Privacy Policy is provided at the bottom of this webpage, after the Summary.
The meaning of “personal information”
“Personal information” means information that can be used to identify someone.
Personal information collected and held by Mary’s House Services
To provide domestic and family violence services, to raise funds to run our services, and to employ staff, Mary’s House Services needs to collect personal information. Some information collected may be sensitive information such as information about health, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or a criminal record.
A list of the types of personal information collected by Mary’s House Services is available in the below full version of this policy and collections statement.
How Mary’s House Services collects and holds personal information
Mary’s House Services may collect personal information:
- through individuals’ access and use of the Mary’s House Services website and via third party software on other websites used by Mary’s House Services
- during conversations with individuals, or
- when individuals complete forms which are then provided to Mary’s House Services
Mary’s House Services may also collect personal information from third parties including:
- law enforcement agencies
- government departments
- non-government organisations that refer individuals to Mary’s House Services
- other service providers
When interviewing clients or discussing private matters, including matters related to employment or staff relationships, in person or on the telephone, Mary’s House Services staff and volunteers will take reasonable steps to provide privacy.
Website use
Other websites
The Mary’s House Services website may contain links to other websites, including social media sites where Mary’s House Services may have a profile. Mary’s House Services is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites that may be linked to.
Analytics and cookies
To improve visitors’ experience on the Mary’s House Services site, ‘cookies’ may be used. Individuals may refuse the use of cookies by choosing the appropriate settings on their browser.
The Mary’s House Services website uses Google Analytics, a service which sends website traffic data to Google servers in the United States.
Individuals can opt out of Google Analytics if they disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google.
How Mary’s House Services stores, secures and handles personal information
How personal information is stored by Mary’s House Services depends on how the information was received and the purpose of the information. A list of the ways Mary’s House Services stores personal information is available in the below full version of this policy and collections statement.
When Mary’s House Services no longer needs to store personal information or is no longer required by law to store personal information, it will take all reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify that information.
What would happen if Mary’s House Services did not collect personal information
If individuals choose not to provide all the personal information that Mary’s House Services requests, it may limit how Mary’s House Services is able to interact with an individual and may prevent Mary’s House Services providing domestic and family violence services or may prevent Mary’s House Services being able to efficiently and effectively raise funds to support its work.
Why Mary’s House Services collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information
Mary’s House Services collects personal information so it can perform its service delivery activities and to provide quality services to its clients. A list of the purposes for which Mary’s House Services collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information is available in the below full version of this policy and collections statement.
To whom Mary’s House Services may disclose personal information
Mary’s House Services may disclose personal information as part of its service delivery and as part of its business functions to, for example:
- other service providers
- law enforcement agencies
- government departments
- non-government organisations
- to a mailing house
Mary’s House Services will never sell or license individuals’ personal information. Mary’s House Services will never disclose personal information to an overseas entity. Mary’s House Services does however use cloud-based software to store personal information, and in some instances, the server for that software may be located overseas.
Access and correction of personal information
Mary’s House Services will take all reasonable steps to keep personal information accurate and up to date. Individuals have the right to request access to their personal information and may Mary’s House Services to update or correct personal information.
Complaining about a breach of privacy
Mary’s House Services welcomes feedback about privacy issues and will respond to questions and complaints promptly. To make complaints or queries about privacy, individuals can contact the Mary’s House Services Privacy Officer using the details below. If Mary’s House Services takes more than 30 days to respond to a privacy complaint, or if someone is dissatisfied with the outcome, a complaint can be made to the Privacy Commissioner at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The OAIC can be contacted on 1300 363 992 or at www.oaic.gov.au.
Privacy Officer contact details
To contact our Privacy Officer, Ms Sahar Zaidi, please use the following details:
By email: saharz@maryshouse.org.au
By mail: Ms S Zaidi, Privacy Officer, Mary’s House Services, PO Box 84, St Leonards, NSW 1590