Information Privacy
Whittlesea City Council (‘Council’) is committed to the responsible collection and handling of personal information, consistent with the Information Privacy Principles in the Information Privacy Act and the Health Records Act. Council’s Information Privacy Policy is publicly available on request and can be viewed on Council’s website.
Council adopted an Information Privacy Policy on 18 June 2002 that clearly expresses Council’s approach to the management of personal and health information. Council has also prepared two public brochures, which communicate how Council manages personal information.
You can download a copy of Council’s Information Privacy Policy, Information Privacy brochure and Privacy Personal Health brochure or inspect them in print at the Civic Centre.
Website Privacy & Security Statement
Council’s Information Privacy Policy communicates how Council manages personal information and should be referred to from time to time as it may be updated to reflect technological changes, Council policy and community feedback.
Collection, Use and Disclosure of Information
Council will only use the personal information provided by you for the purposes for which it was collected and any other authorised use. The information Council collects may also be used for its own planning and research purposes to improve the services to the community. Council will never reveal personal information Council collects to third parties, unless disclosure is required or authorised by law.
Council will also protect the quality and integrity of your personally identifiable information. Council will utilise appropriate technologies and security methods to store the information collected and prevent unauthorised access and improper use of the information.
Council will only collect personal information from you with your prior knowledge and consent. You can access Council’s website home page and browse the site without disclosing personal information.
When you look at the City of Whittlesea website our Internet Service Provider, Bulletproof Networks, makes a record of your visit and logs the following information for statistical purposes - the user's server address, the user's top level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc), the date and time of the visit to the site, the pages accessed and documents downloaded.
No attempt will be made by the City of Whittlesea to identify users or their browsing activities except, in the unlikely event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the Internet Service Provider's logs.
Council will only record your email address if you send us a message. It will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it and will not be added to a mailing list. Council will not use your email address for any other purpose, and will not disclose it, without your consent.
E-Service & Internet Payments
Your credit card transaction is secure while being transmitted through the Internet.
To accept credit card transactions, Council’s website utilises secure Internet technology, called Secure Socket Layer (SSL) which is a widely used encryption system that is built into the major web browsers.
Council employs the services of SecurePay to deal with all credit card transactions. When you make payments over Council’s website, the transaction occurs directly between the bank and SecurePay™ . SecurePay™ uses SSL encryption technology - a 128-bit digital server certificate provided by VeriSign™. This level of encryption is currently considered realistically unbreakable.
Council cannot access any of your credit card details and any other personal information needed for credit card transactions is kept confidential and will not be used for any other purpose.
Cookies & Web beacons
Council’s website does not use cookies or Web beacons.
Cookies are data sent by a website and stored in a user's computer. The cookie is recognised by the website each time the user visits the website. A cookie can contain data such as the parts of a website a user has visited or the duration of the user's visit to the website.
Web beacons are images that originate from a third party site to track visitor’s activities. The image is placed on many or all pages and is generally invisible to visitors. Common forms of web beacons are used for statistical purposes and counters.
Links to Other Websites
The above statements only apply to Council’s websites. They do not apply to any linked external websites. Links to other relevant websites have been provided in good faith, as a community service. When you click through to one of the linked websites, Council recommends you read the privacy statement of that site to familiarise yourself with its privacy policy and practices.
Accessing and Updating your Personal Information
If you need to access or correct any personal information Council holds about you, please contact Council’s Privacy Officer (see below). Please provide as much detail as you can about the particular information you need, in order to help us to retrieve it. An access fee may be charged to cover our costs of providing that information to you. In certain circumstances, Council may not be required by law to provide you with access or to correct your personal information. However, if that is the case, Council will give you its reasons for that decision.
Further Information
If you have any queries or need further information regarding privacy issues, please contact Council’s Privacy Officer:
Director Corporate and Economic Development
Tel: (03) 9217 2223
Email: info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au
