Privacy policy

As an Australian Government Agency, the ABCB (we, our, us, the ABCB) is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act), which regulates how agencies collect, use, disclose and store personal information, including sensitive information, and how individuals may access and correct records containing their personal information.

The ABCB respects the right to privacy under the Privacy Act and complies with Privacy Act requirements in relation to the collection and management of personal information.

The following provides a general overview of the ABCB’s Privacy Policy.
 

The ABCB collects personal information that is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, its functions and activities. The ABCB will only use and disclose personal information for the purpose it was collected and in accordance with the Privacy Act.

The ABCB may collect personal information in ways including, but not limited to, directly from individuals when they:

• access and use our website and web based channels;
• have conversations with our representatives via telephone and in person; and
• complete an application.

From time to time, we may also collect personal information from third parties or a private source however this will only be carried out by the ABCB if:

• the individual consents;
• the ABCB is required or authorised to collect the information under an Australian law, or a court/tribunal order; or
• if it is reasonable or practicable for us to collect information in this way instead of collecting the information directly from the individual.

In limited circumstances, the ABCB may receive ‘unsolicited personal information’ about third parties from individuals who contact us or provide us with documentation. In these circumstances the ABCB will consider whether it could have collected the information if it had been solicited and, if so, it will handle the information in accordance with the Privacy Act.

We understand that from time to time an individual may not want to provide the ABCB with personal information. That is fine, however, it may mean that we are not able to provide that individual with the products and services they require, or a high level of service. Accordingly, the ABCB will ordinarily request that an individual identify themselves for the ABCB to appropriately carry out its functions and activities.

The ABCB only uses and discloses personal information for the purposes for which it was provided to us, being purposes which are directly related to one of our functions or activities, unless the use and disclosure is otherwise authorised by the Privacy Act (for example, where the secondary purpose is related to the primary purpose or where an individual consents to the use or disclosure).

Personal information may be disclosed to third parties, including third party suppliers and service providers located overseas, for purposes related to the ABCB’s functions or activities. Where necessary the ABCB will take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients do not breach privacy obligations relating to personal information under the Privacy Act. However, in some circumstances personal information may be subject to local legislation instead of the Privacy Act.

Once the ABCB receives personal information, the information is maintained in a secure environment. Personal information will not be released by the ABCB unless in accordance with the Privacy Act or where consent is provided.

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is protected from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We may hold personal information in either electronic or hard copy form. Personal information is destroyed or de-identified when no longer required in accordance with the requirements of the Archives Act 1983 (Cth).

We also take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information collected by us is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant. These measures include updating and maintaining personal information when we are advised by individuals that information is incorrect or has changed.

Individuals may request access to any personal information we hold about them by contacting us. In addition, where individuals believe that personal information we hold about them is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate, then they may request to have it amended.

We will consider whether the personal information requested can be assessed or requires amendment. Where we hold information that an individual is entitled to access, we will provide a suitable means of accessing it. We will not charge for providing the information, or for costs of making any corrections to personal information.

In the unlikely event that access to, or correction of, personal information is not granted, for example, where access is refused under Commonwealth legislation or the ABCB does not agree that personal information requires amendment, we will provide written reasons.

For more information about the ABCB's Privacy Policy, access and correction of personal information, please submit an online enquiry. 

The ABCB's website contains links to other websites. The ABCB is not responsible for the content and the privacy practices of other websites. The ABCB encourages individuals to examine each website's privacy policy. Further information on ABCB's policies relating to copyright, external websites, clickstream data, cookies, email addresses and security is available.

In addition to web server logs, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Reports obtained from Google Analytics are used to help improve the efficiency and usability of this website.

Google Analytics uses first-party cookies and JavaScript code to gather statistics about how the website is accessed. It anonymously tracks how our visitors interact with this website, including where they came from, what they did on the site including such things as news registration. The information generated by the cookie and JavaScript code about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers located outside Australia. Google is based in the United States of America (USA). Should you wish to contact Google, you can find contact details on Google's Contact us page.

Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of our website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.

By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google's Privacy Policy and for the purposes set out above. Relevant legislation of the USA will apply. You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google.

Clickstreams are the paths a user takes when navigating a web site and the internet in general. When you visit one of our sites, our servers record the following information for statistical purposes:

• Your server (IP) address and machine name
• Your top level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk, etc)
• The date and time of visit to the site
• The pages accessed and documents downloaded
• The number of bytes transmitted and received for each request
• The previous site or page visited
• Search terms used
• Your browser type
• The address of the referring page

The ABCB examines this information to determine the traffic through the server and to specific pages or applications. In order to deliver better services, we also perform statistical analysis to establish priorities and allocate resources.

No attempt will be made 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 server logs.

The statistics and log files may be preserved indefinitely and used at any time and in any way necessary to prevent security breaches and to ensure the integrity of the information supplied by the ABCB.

A cookie is a short piece of data which is sent from a web server to a web browser on the user's machine when the browser visits the server's site. The cookie is stored on the user's machine, but it is not an executable program and cannot do anything to your machine.

Whenever a web browser requests a file from the same web server that sent the cookie, the browser sends a copy of that cookie back to the server along with the request. In this way, the server knows you have visited before and can co-ordinate your access to different pages on its web site. A server cannot find out a name or e-mail address, or anything about a user's computer, by using cookies.

We use cookies to obtain session details for access to parts of our sites. Cookies are essential in providing a seamless access to some on-line databases. Cookie information is not stored or collected by the ABCB.

We will only record your e-mail address if you send us a message or supply it when participating in a discussion forum, in which case it will be visible to other users of that forum.

Your email address will only be used by us for the purpose for which you have provided it and will not be added to a mailing list unless you have asked us to, nor will we disclose it except as described in the previous paragraph.

Once the ABCB receives information from you via email or any other means, the information is in a secure environment. Your personal information will not be released unless the law permits it or your permission is granted.

You need to be aware of inherent risks associated with the transmission of information via the Internet.

If you have concerns in this regard, the ABCB has other ways of obtaining and providing information. Normal mail and telephone facilities are available.

The ABCB aligns its Privacy Policy with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. The Department of Industry, Science and Resource's Privacy Policy details how personal information is handled.

All general enquiries, complaints about the ABCB's compliance with the Privacy Act, or requests for access or correction, should be directed to the ABCB's Privacy Contact Officer.

Email:

Please submit an online enquiry.

Post:

Privacy Contact Officer
Australian Building Codes Board
GPO Box 2013
Canberra ACT 2601

Phone:

1300 134 631