Privacy Policy
1.5 Privacy Policy
The Privacy Act 1988, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) (Privacy Laws) seeks to protect individuals against interferences with their privacy by regulating the way in which personal information is collected, handled, disclosed, used and stored.
Workforce Partners Australia understands the importance of, and is committed to, protecting the privacy of an individual’s personal information. In handling personal information, Workforce Partners Australia is committed to complying with the Privacy Laws.
Workforce Partners Australia values and promotes diversity, fairness and inclusiveness in the workplace and is committed to ensuring workplace diversity and inclusiveness and that work practices promote equal opportunity and are non-discriminatory. Workforce Partners Australia recognises that Privacy plays an important part in ensuring that all employees, clients, business partners and stakeholders are treated with respect, dignity and fairness.
This policy sets out how Workforce Partners Australia aims to protect the privacy of your personal information, your rights in relation to your personal information managed by Workforce Partners Australia and the way Workforce Partners Australia collects, holds, uses and discloses your personal information. This policy may be updated from time to time as per Workforce Partners Australia commitment to continuous improvement.
If personal information is collected during an application, recruitment or other types of assessment process and you subsequently become an employee of Workforce Partners Australia, Workforce Partners Australia’s handling of such personal information may no longer be governed by the Privacy Laws and this policy will no longer apply to you. Workforce Partners Australia will nevertheless treat personal information it holds about its employees appropriately in all circumstances.
What We Do
Workforce Partners Australia is an innovative and quality provider of employment. We use highly skilled staff to provide employment services which responds to the needs of employers, the community and employees.
Workforce Partners Australia provides on-hired and hosted placement services to a wide range of businesses in a variety of industries that can support predominately Apprentice and Traineeship schemes.
Workforce Partners Australia also providers career development, employment advice, assessment and certification, outsourcing and administrative services. To achieve this, we will partner with like-minded organisation to ensure you have all the support to achieve your goals.
Personal Information
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified, or reasonably identifiable, individual. During the provision of Workforce Partners Australia’s services, Workforce Partners Australia may collect your personal information. Generally, the kinds of personal information Workforce Partners Australia collects may include:
• General contact and identification details (e.g., name, address, email address and phone number).
• Information about your education, work history, qualifications, and skills.
• Opinions of others about your work performance (whether true or not), which will only be collected with your consent.
• Information about your work rights and your eligibility to work within Australia which may include details, copies, or presentation of the originals of any applicable visa, passport, birth or citizenship certificate, or other relevant documentation.
• Sensitive information (e.g., information about your health, medical history or specific condition, criminal record, professional memberships etc), which will only be collected with your consent.
• Any results of relevant tests in which you participate including but not limited to testing carried out on Workforce Partners Australia’s behalf or by other providers.
• Any personal information relevant to any training programs you undertake.
• Your tax file number and relevant bank and superannuation account information necessary to facilitate the payment of wages and superannuation contributions and to ensure appropriate taxation treatment.
• Driver’s licence number and relevant information about your driving history or infringements and any other applicable licences and certificates.
• And other information relevant in the circumstances.
In some circumstances, Workforce Partners Australia may also hold other personal information provided by you.
You are under no obligation to provide your personal information to Workforce Partners Australia. However, without certain information from you, or where information provided is inaccurate or irrelevant, Workforce Partners Australia may not be able to provide its services to you or may be limited in its ability to provide its services to you.
How We Collect, Hold and Manage Your Personal Information
Generally, personal information will be collected from you directly when you complete an application form for positions or training programs, or submit your resume, either online or in hard copy, attend an interview, or otherwise provide us with personal information in person or via telephone, email, fax, post or other means, whether at Workforce Partners Australia’s request or at your own initiative.
Personal information may also be collected from a source other than you when:
• You apply or send your resume through a third-party website.
• We undertake reference checks by inquiring with, or we otherwise receive references or performance feedback (whether negative or positive) from, any of your former or current employers, work colleagues, professional associations, or registration bodies (reference checks are only undertaken with your consent).
• We receive results of any medical tests or criminal history checks, (which are only undertaken with your consent).
• We receive results from any competency tests in which you participate.
• We receive results from any other online process or testing including but not limited to assessments, induction courses and background checks carried out by Workforce Partners Australia or other provider on Workforce Partners Australia’s behalf.
• We undertake a check using an external agency to assess your eligibility to work within Australia.
• We receive any complaint from or about you in the workplace.
• We receive information from your employer for the provision of training services.
• We receive information about a workplace accident in which you were involved; and
•We receive any information about any insurance investigation, litigation, registration or professional disciplinary matter, criminal matter, inquest, or inquiry in which you were or are involved during, or in connection with, a work placement.
There may be other occasions when Workforce Partners Australia collects your personal information from other sources such as an information services provider, your employer or ex-employer or a publicly maintained record, including records publicly available through social media. Generally, Workforce Partners Australia will only collect your personal information from sources other than you if it is unreasonable or impracticable to collect your personal information from you.
How We Use Your Personal Information
Workforce Partners Australia collects, holds, uses and discloses your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for the purposes of providing you with recruitment, work placement services, apprentice and training services and contracting services. This may include using and disclosing your personal information to facilitate, or otherwise in connection with:
• Its requirements to provide the Victorian Department of Education and Training with student and training activity data. This includes personal information collected in the Workforce Partners Australia enrolment form and unique identifiers such as the Victorian Student Number (VSN) and the Commonwealth’s Unique Student Identifier (USI).
• You’re being offered a position as an Apprentice or Trainee of Workforce Partners Australia.
• You are being offered employment or an engagement with a client of Workforce Partners Australia.
• Your actual or potential work placements with clients of Workforce Partners Australia.
• Undertaking performance appraisals in relation to your former or current work placements with clients of Workforce Partners Australia.
• Any test, assessments or checks (including medical tests and assessments and criminal record checks) that you might be required to undergo for the purposes of assessing your suitability for a potential work placement or task with a client of Workforce Partners Australia.
• Identifying, assessing or facilitating your training needs.
• Any necessary workplace rehabilitation during, or for the purposes of, a current or future work placement with a client of Workforce Partners Australia in accordance with applicable legislation.
• The management of any complaint, investigation or inquiry in which you are involved during a work placement with a client of Workforce Partners Australia, or;
• Any insurance claim or proposal in which Workforce Partners Australia is involved by virtue of your current or previous work placements with a client of Workforce Partners Australia.
Workforce Partners Australia may also collect, hold, use or disclose your personal information for:
• Administrative and business management purposes.
• Marketing purposes and to identify and inform you of products, services and training courses that may be of interest to you.
• Its own internal recruitment processes; and/or
• Any other legal requirement.
Data Provision Requirements 2012
Under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Provision Requirements) Instrument 2020, Workforce Partners Australia is required to collect personal information about you and to disclose that personal information to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER).
Your personal information (including the personal information contained on your enrolment form and your training activity data) may be used or disclosed by Workforce Partners Australia for statistical, regulatory and research purposes.
In all circumstances where personal information is used or disclosed, Workforce Partners Australia takes steps reasonable in the circumstances to ensure it is relevant to the purpose for which it is to be used or disclosed.
Personal Information Disclosed to a Third Party
Workforce Partners Australia will only disclose personal information about you for the purposes of recruitment or training (for example, recruiting you to specific positions or for work placement services).
This may include disclosing your personal information to:
• Commonwealth and State or Territory government departments and authorised agencies.
• Your School.
• The National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd.
• Clients of Workforce Partners Australia who may be your potential or actual employer, or with whom you may be placed on a work placement.
• Your referees.
• Other divisions and departments within Workforce Partners Australia, for the purpose of recommending and facilitating courses or programs through which you can upgrade your skills and undertake further training.
• Workforce Partners Australia’s insurers.
• A professional association or registration body if relevant to the provision of Workforce Partners Australia’s services or otherwise with your consent.
• A worker’s compensation body in accordance with applicable legislation.
• Workforce Partners Australia’s contractors and suppliers including external providers of on-line training and induction (i.e., mandatory on-line health and safety induction and background checking agencies, and IT contractors and database designers);
• A Federally registered Job Services Provider, for the purpose of confirming hours of work and hourly rate of pay.
• Workforce Partners Australia’s professional advisors.
• Any other entity, with your consent, or to whom disclosure is required or authorised by law; and/or
• Any other third parties engaged to perform administrative or other services.
This disclosure is always on a confidential basis or otherwise in accordance with law.
Overseas Disclosure
Workforce Partners Australia will not disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient.
Direct Marketing
Workforce Partners Australia may use and disclose your personal information in order to inform you of products and services that may be of interest to you, if you do not wish to receive such communications, you can opt-out by contacting Workforce Partners Australia via the contact details set out below or through any opt-out mechanism contained in a marketing communication to you.
Security of Your Personal Information
Workforce Partners Australia takes all reasonable steps to ensure personal information it holds is protected against misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Workforce Partners Australia holds personal information in both hard copy and electronic forms in secure databases on secure premises, accessible only by authorised staff.
Workforce Partners Australia will destroy or de-identify personal information in circumstances where it is no longer required, unless Workforce Partners Australia is otherwise required or authorised by law to retain the information.
You can Access Your Personal Information
Workforce Partners Australia takes steps reasonable in the circumstances to ensure personal information it holds is accurate, up to-date, complete, relevant and not misleading. Under the Privacy Act, you have a right to access and seek correction of your personal information that is collected and held by Workforce Partners Australia. If at any time you would like to access or correct the personal information that Workforce Partners Australia holds about you, or you would like more information on Workforce Partners Australia's approach to privacy, please contact Workforce Partners Australia via the contact details set out below.
Workforce Partners Australia will grant access to the extent required or authorised by the Privacy Act or other law and take steps reasonable in the circumstances to correct personal information where necessary and appropriate.
To obtain access to your personal information:
• You will have to provide proof of identity. This is necessary to ensure that personal information is provided only to the correct individuals and that the privacy of others is protected.
• Workforce Partners Australia requests that you be reasonably specific about the information you require, and;
• Workforce Partners Australia may charge you a reasonable administration fee, which reflects the cost to Workforce Partners Australia for providing access in accordance with your request.
Workforce Partners Australia will endeavour to respond to your request to access or correct your personal information within 30 days from your request.
If Workforce Partners Australia refuses your request to access or correct your personal information, Workforce Partners Australia will provide you with written reasons for the refusal and details of complaint mechanisms. Workforce Partners Australia will also take steps reasonable in the circumstance to provide you with access in a manner that meets your needs and the needs of Workforce Partners Australia.
Complaints Process
Please direct all privacy complaints to Workforce Partners Australia’s Mildura office.
At all times, privacy complaints:
• Will be treated seriously.
• Will be dealt with promptly.
• Will be dealt with in a confidential manner; and
• Will not affect your existing obligations or affect the arrangements between you and Workforce Partners Australia.
Workforce Partners Australia’s Privacy Officer will commence an investigation into your complaint. You will be informed of the outcome of your complaint following completion of the investigation. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may refer the complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions in relation to privacy or feel the information, we hold is incorrect and wish to amend this, please contact us. You can do this by contacting us at:
•By Mail: Workforce Partners Australia, PO Box 10146 Mildura, Vic 3500
•By Email: admin@workforcepartnersaustralia.com.au
References
Policy developed: Aug 2020
Reviewed date: Aug 2023
Review date: Aug 2026