The below privacy statement explains how your personal information is handled as you access and interact with this website.
All personal and health information collected by the VLSB+C will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
How we collect information on this website
There are three main ways that we may collect information from you on this website:
- requests to provide information
- automatic collection through the website
- automatic collection by third-party software vendors.
Requests to collect personal information
You may choose to provide us with personal information via our online forms or when subscribing to receive newsletters, or you may need to provide us with personal information when you access our services.
In most circumstances, you will know if we are collecting personal information from you because we will ask you to provide it (in line with our Privacy Policy and privacy collection notices). For instance, if you submit a form to contact us through the website, we will ask you to provide your name and email address.
We collect, use, and store personal information for the purposes set out in this statement and in accordance with the Information Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). We only collect personal information where it is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities, and we take steps to ensure the information is used and disclosed consistently with those purposes.
We manage and hold personal information in line with the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards (VPDSS). We also take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, up to date, and retained only for as long as required, in accordance with applicable legislative and record-keeping obligations.
For more information on specific personal information collection and handling practices, see our privacy collection notices web page.
Automatic collection through the website
Some personal information is automatically collected as a result of your visit to our website. This information is collected using software techniques such as web server log file analysis and cookies.
If you don't want to have cookies placed on your computer, you can disable them in your web browser settings. You will need to customise each web browser you use to turn off cookie tracking.
If you opt out of using cookies, you will still have access to all the information and resources provided by this website, though some features may not work as expected. You can still access our services by contacting us by telephone, email, or mail.
Automatic collection by third-party software vendors
This website uses several online tools to measure website use, which are provided by third-party software vendors. We use these tools to help us make our site better.
We use software by third parties, including:
When you visit our website, your web browser automatically sends information to software providers. Information that may be shared with these third parties includes:
- your network location and IP address
- date and time you visited to our website
- the web browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Safari) and operating system (e.g. Windows 11, Mac OS X etc.) you are using
- information about the device you used to access the website (e.g. hardware model, operating system information, app version, app usage)
- information about the device you used to access the website (e.g. hardware model, operating system information, app version, app usage)
- pages visited and the time spent on each page
- documents you downloaded
- search terms used
- web forms accessed
- a unique user identifier.
This Analytics data may be processed outside of Australia and software provides Third-party software vendors may alter how they collect and handle personal information at any time. For further information on how these third-party software vendors handle your personal information, please review their privacy policies.
Use and disclosure
Personal information
We will not use or disclose any information that we collect through our website unless the use or disclosure is:
- for the primary purpose the information was collected
- for a related secondary purpose, which an individual ought to reasonably expect in the circumstances
- required or authorised by law, in particular the provisions governing the legal profession in Victoria for any other purpose permitted under Victorian privacy laws.
Use of web analytics data
We use web analytics data for statistical purposes, such as to analyse, measure, and report on data about our website traffic and visits. This information helps us understand general user trends at an aggregate level and improve our website, content and user experience.
We may also use this information for security audits to protect against threats from hackers or other security purposes.
We do not use this information to identify you or match it with any other personal information that we may collect from you, unless required to do so as part of an internal investigation or for a law enforcement-related purpose, in accordance with the PDP Act.
Your site visit data is collected under the authority of Information Privacy Principle 1.1 of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) for the purposes stated above.
Disclosure of web analytics data
Apart from the third-party tools described earlier, we do not disclose your site visit data to any other third parties without your consent, unless we are required or authorised to do so by law.
In the event of an investigation into suspected unlawful or improper activity, a law enforcement or government agency may use its legal authority to inspect our web server’s records (e.g. in relation to hacking or abusive messages).
Security of your personal information
Under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) we have a responsibility to protect your personal information. We take reasonable steps to make sure that your personal information is protected from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Access to systems, applications and the information that we collect is limited to authorised staff members only.
Personal information that we collect and use for identifying user trends (for example, IP address) is aggregated and anonymised when generating reports.
Access and correction
You may request access to view and correct your personal information that we hold. For information on how to make a request contact us.
In some cases, requests for access or correction will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic). For information refer to our Freedom of Information Policy.
Social media
We maintain social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. We may collect information that you provide us via these social media accounts (e.g. name, location, age, gender) to help us Any personal information we collect will be handled appropriately and in accordance with this privacy statement.
To better protect your privacy and that of others, please do not provide personal information about yourself or others (e.g. telephone numbers or email addresses) on social media, including in messages to us.
LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube may also collect your personal information for their own purposes. When you agree to their terms of service and privacy policies, you agree to your information being transferred outside Victoria.
Be aware that information you share on social media may be accessible to anyone else engaging with us. Each social media platform has inbuilt privacy settings. We recommend that you regularly check and configure your privacy settings for your profile and accounts to make sure you know what information you are making available and who to.
We have social media sharing links on this website. These are located on the right-hand side of webpages under the heading 'Share this'. By clicking these links, you are given the option to share the web page as a post on your social media account. These social media networks have channel-specific privacy policies and may collect your personal information if you choose to share a post, so we recommend you review their privacy policies.