Privacy Policy

Your Privacy is Important

This statement outlines The HOPE Fund's policy on how The HOPE Fund uses and manages personal information provided to or collected by it.

The HOPE Fund is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act and is compliant with the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012. In relation to health records, The HOPE Fund is also bound by the Victorian Health Privacy Principles which are contained in the Health Records Act 2001.

Organisations are caught by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) if their turnover is more than $3M or they collect health or credit information. The HOPE will ensure that specific requirements for the use of personal information for direct marketing under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), are adhered to.

The HOPE Fund may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to The HOPE Fund’s operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing legal environment.

This privacy policy assumes that you are resident in Australia. If you are resident in the UK or Europe, please contact us for more information regarding how we treat your personal information.

What kind of personal information does The HOPE Fund collect and how does The HOPE Fund collect it?

The type of information The HOPE Fund collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including sensitive information:

  • Full Name

  • Email Address

  • Contact phone number

  • Address for delivery of any goods, such as raffle or auction items.

Personal Information you provide:

The HOPE Fund will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of email, phone calls, forms etc. You do have the right to seek to deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym, but in almost every circumstance it will not be practicable for us to deal with you or provide any services to you except for the most general responses to general enquiries, unless you identify yourself.

In relation to employee records:

Under the Privacy Act the Australian Privacy Principles do not apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy does not apply to The HOPE Fund’s treatment of an employee record, where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between The HOPE Fund and employee. However, The HOPE Fund must provide access and ensure compliance with the Health Privacy Principles under the Victorian Health Records Act 2001.

The HOPE owes obligations of confidentiality to employees, contractors and volunteers. Our privacy obligations extend to contractors’ and volunteers’ records, as they are not caught by the employee records exemption. Any job applicants are also excluded from the employee records’ exemption.

How will The HOPE Fund use the personal information you provide?

The HOPE Fund will use personal information it collects from you for the primary purpose of collection, and for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose of collection and reasonably expected, or to which you have consented.

In relation to direct marketing, The HOPE Fund will use your personal information for direct marketing where you have provided that information, and you are likely to expect direct marketing: only then you will be sent direct marketing containing an opt out. If we use your personal information obtained from elsewhere we will still send you direct marketing information where you have consented and which will also contain an opt out. We will always obtain your consent to use sensitive information as the basis for any of our direct marketing.

We may use video surveillance for security purposes and the footage will be used only by The HOPE Fund and by the providers of our security services for security purposes. Surveillance videos are not used by The HOPE Fund for other purposes and the footage is not publicly available. Surveillance cameras are not located in any bathrooms or change room facilities.

Job applicants, staff members and contractors:

In relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, The HOPE Fund’s primary purpose of collection is to assess and (if successful) to engage the applicant, staff member or contractor, as the case may be.

The purposes for which The HOPE Fund uses personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:

  • for insurance purposes;

  • to satisfy The HOPE Fund’s legal obligations,

Where The HOPE Fund receives unsolicited job applications these will usually be dealt with in accordance with the unsolicited personal information requirements of the Privacy Act.

Volunteers:

The HOPE Fund also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist The HOPE Fund in its functions or conduct associated activities, such as to enable The HOPE Fund and the volunteers to work together.

Marketing and fundraising:

The HOPE Fund treats marketing and seeking donations for the future growth and development of The HOPE Fund as important. Personal information held by The HOPE Fund may be disclosed to an organisation that assists in The HOPE Fund’s fundraising.

Who might The HOPE Fund disclose personal information to?

The HOPE Fund may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about an individual to:

  • government departments;

  • people providing services to The HOPE Fund,

  • anyone you authorise The HOPE Fund to disclose information to.

Sending information overseas:

The HOPE Fund will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:

  • obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or

  • otherwise complying with the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.

We do use overseas providers of IT services including servers and cloud services from Canada.

How does The HOPE Fund treat sensitive information?

In referring to ‘sensitive information’, The HOPE Fund means: “information relating to a person’s racial ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual orientation or criminal record, that is also personal information; and health information about an individual”.

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.

Management and security of personal information

The HOPE Fund’s staff are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.

The HOPE Fund has in place steps to protect the personal information The HOPE Fund holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, interference or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and passworded access rights to computerised records.

We have a data breach response plan, which we would follow in the unlikely event of a privacy or data breach.

We may also use web beacons, Flash local stored objects and JavaScript. If you adjust your browser settings to block, reject or delete these functions, the webpage may not function in an optimal manner.

Updating Personal Information:

The HOPE Fund endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. A person may seek to update their personal information held by The HOPE Fund by contacting a staff member or representative of The HOPE Fund at any time.

The Australian Privacy Principles and the Health Privacy Principles require The HOPE Fund not to store personal information longer than necessary. In particular, the Health Privacy Principles impose certain obligations about the length of time health records must be stored.

You have the right to check what personal information The HOPE Fund holds about you.

Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act and the Health Records Act, an individual has the right to obtain access to any personal information which The HOPE Fund holds about them and to advise The HOPE Fund of any perceived inaccuracy. There are some exceptions to this right set out in the applicable legislation. To make a request to access any information The HOPE Fund holds about you, please contact a staff member or representative of The HOPE Fund in writing.

The HOPE Fund may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. Although no fee will be charged for accessing your personal information or making a correction, The HOPE Fund may charge a fee to retrieve and copy any material. If the information sought is extensive, The HOPE Fund will advise the likely cost in advance.

How long will The HOPE Fund keep my information?

Your personal information that is no longer required will be de-identified or destroyed. In many circumstances, however it will be kept for marketing purposes, as you will have consented to that in writing with us.

Enquiries and privacy complaints

If you would like further information about the way The HOPE Fund manages the personal information it holds, please contact a staff member or representative of The HOPE Fund. If you have any concerns, complaints or you think there has been a breach of privacy, please contact a staff member or representative of The HOPE Fund via email at: contact@thehopefund.org.au

If we then have not dealt satisfactorily with your concerns we will meet with you to discuss further. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint within 30 days from this meeting then you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner via: