What types of personal information does Council hold and why?
Types of personal information that Council holds
Council collects only so much personal information as it needs to undertake its functions effectively.
Personal information held by Council may include:
- a person’s name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, employment details
- a photograph of a person
- a person’s salary, bank account or financial details
- a person’s financial interests (sometimes called “material personal interests”) and assets
- a person’s personal or business relationships or partnerships (related parties)
- allegations of wrongdoing against a person or details of wrongdoing or offences they may have committed
- details about a person’s land ownership or disputes to do with the person’s land
- details about a person’s education or education activities, such as what degree the person possesses or candidature for a PhD
- the fact that a person is a member, or leader, of an association, trade union or professional body, and the person’s attendance at meetings
- the fact that a person is accessing a particular local government, commercial or community service, and details
- a person’s medical details or health information, fingerprints or blood type
- details about a person’s religious or sexual preferences
- opinions given by a person or attributed to a person (for example, statements, complaints or submissions and related evidence)
- information contained in local government, government agency or ministerial documents
Purposes for which personal information is used
Personal information is only used for the purpose for which is it collected, unless required by law or consent has been provided to use the personal information for another purpose.
The purposes for which personal information may be collected and used by Council include:
- Providing local government, community and commercial services
- Making assessments, recommendations and decisions in relation to local government and community services
- Making and receiving payments
- Processing approvals, forming agreements and implementing decisions
- Dealing with enquiries, requests and complaints to Council
- Monitoring and responding to community needs and reviewing Council policies and procedures
- Procuring goods or services
- Law enforcement and enforcing rights and obligations
- Recruitment and human resources purposes
- Reporting purposes, legal compliance and risk management