Privacy Policy
Privacy and Confidentiality Statement
Policy objective
To ensure that information gathered and used by MPS Group in the running of the business, is kept confidential by all employees. MPS Group is also covered by the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APP) as set out in the Privacy Act 1988.
The company will adopt a policy of confidentiality of information in employment and this aligns with the MPS Group values of trust, authenticity, responsibility, and accountability.
The objective of this policy is to recognise the importance of protecting personal information, which MPS Group may be required to collect from individuals who become associated with its business. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that any individual who provides information to MPS Group is protected according to the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 and to ensure that all employees of MPS Group understand their obligation to abide by the privacy and confidentiality requirements.
MPS Group takes its obligations under the Privacy Act seriously and as such will take all reasonable steps in order to comply with the Act and will protect the privacy of all personal information that it holds.
Responsibilities
Privacy Officer Responsibilities
The Privacy Officer is the HR Manager at MPS Group. The Privacy Officer is responsible for:
- Oversight of the Privacy Policy and regular update of the Privacy Policy to ensure it meets the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 and any associated regulations;
- Implementation of the Privacy and Data Breach Response Procedure in the event of a data or privacy breach;
- Training of staff to ensure all internal staff at MPS Group are aware of their responsibilities under the Privacy Policy.
Managers and Supervisors Responsibilities
Managers and supervisors are responsible and accountable for:
- The effective implementation, promotion and support of the Privacy Policy in their areas of responsibility;
- Ensuring employees under their supervision understand and follow the provisions outlined in the Privacy Policy;
- Reporting any breaches of the Privacy Policy (by themselves or another) to the Privacy Officer immediately upon being made aware of the breach.
Employees Responsibilities
All employees are responsible for:
- Following the provisions of the Privacy Policy at all times;
- Ensuring that labour hire contractors understand and follow the provisions of the Privacy Policy; and
- Reporting any breaches of the Privacy Policy (by themselves or another) to their Line Manager or the Privacy Officer immediately upon being made aware of the breach.
Definitions
Confidential Information - for the purpose of this Policy, “confidential information” is defined as:
- the names, details and information relating to the business affairs of the clients or members of MPS Group
- Intellectual property matters of a technical nature, trade secrets, technical data, marketing procedures and information, accounting programs and procedures, financial information, strategic and business plans and like information relating to the business of MPS Group
- other information which MPS Group informs the employee is confidential or which, if disclosed, the employee knows or ought reasonably to know, would be detrimental to MPS Group
- all other information which is imparted to the employee in circumstances which the employee knows or ought reasonably to know that the information is confidential to MPS Group or any persons with whom MPS Group is concerned and excludes any information that is public knowledge.
Personal Information – information relating to an individual, including an opinion, which may be provided to MPS Group either in material form or not and whether true or not. Such information may personally identify an individual or make the person’s identity reasonably apparent. Personal Information may be ‘solicited’ (that is, requested) or ‘unsolicited’ (that is, personal information that you tell us but that we do not request). The Australian Privacy Principles have clear rules about how we treat your personal information.
Sensitive Information – information or an opinion about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade association, membership of a trade union, sexual practices, criminal record or health information.
Collection and Storage of Personal Information
MPS Group collects personal information for the performance of our recruitment and labour hire services.
MPS Group may collect the following information about candidates or employees for the purposes of conducting recruitment and labour hire activities:
- Personal identification information, such as your name, address, birthdate, driver’s licence, eligibility to work in Australia, and telephone number;
- Information about your qualifications, skills, and licences;
- Information from previous employers about your work history, attendance, leave taken or illnesses, and performance;
- Information about any workplace incidents or accidents in which you may have been involved;
- Information about your driving record, criminal history, child-related employment history, or other workplace clearances required by an employer and for which you have given permission;
- Job seeker information to supply to your employment services provider (jobactive, Community Development Program or Disability Employment Services provider) if applicable;
- Urine or saliva sample for drug and alcohol screening if required by an employer and for which you have signed consent;
- Medical assessment (may include physical assessment, audiology, spirometry, or other medical assessment) if required by an employer and for which you have signed consent; and
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage where required for roles that are identified
- Indigenous roles;
- Financial information, such as tax file number, superannuation details, bank account details, to enable MPS Group to pay you.
Information we do not collect ethnic or cultural background (except in the case of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified positions); gender or sexual identity; marital status; or disability status (except where a candidate chooses to disclose disability for the purposes of workplace modifications); unsolicited personal information.
Collection and Use of Information
MPS Group may require the collection of personal information from individuals to enable it to provide improvements to the organisation. The reasons for the collection of personal information include, but are not limited to, statistical, taxation and other legal requirements.
Storage, Access and Retention of Personal Information
All personal information collected by MPS Group will be retained as part of a secure database, which will be securely monitored and maintained by the Payroll and Accounts Manager. The data will not be made available to a third party, unless we are under a legal requirement to do so, without the authority of the individual who provided the personal information.
MPS Group will make available for inspection all personal information, based on the information supplied by the individual, that it holds, provided reasonable notice is given. In the event that any part of the personal information that the individual inspects is determined to be incorrect and required alteration then MPS Group will make such alteration in compliance with the corrected advice provided by the individual.
Where information held by MPS Group is no longer required to be held, and the retention is not required by law, then MPS Group will destroy such personal information by a secure means.
Access to Personal Information
Staff of MPS Group will have access to your personal information during the normal duties of their employment. Moreover, some contractors delivering services to MPS Group, such as security and information technology services, may have access to records and information in the normal course of delivering these services to MPS Group.
MPS Group will take all reasonable steps to protect the security of the personal information that it holds. This includes appropriate measures to protect electronic materials and materials stored and generated in hard copy (i.e. through secure passwords, lockable fireproof cabinets and limited access to approved personnel).
We may disclose your information for the purposes of recruitment services, which is the primary reason for which it is held, or for a related secondary purpose.
Complaints
If you have any concerns regarding the privacy of personal information, then you may make a complaint to the HR Manager who will then endeavour to resolve the complaint.
RELATED PROCEDURES
HR – Disciplinary and Termination Policy
HR – Code of Conduct
REFERENCES
Australian Privacy Principle Guidelines - https://www.oaic.gov.au/agencies-guidelines/
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
Information Privacy Act 2014 (ACT)
Information Privacy Act 2009 (QLD)
Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW)
Personal Information and Protection Act 2004 (TAS)
Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (VIC)
Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW)
Health Records Act 2001 (VIC)
South Australian Privacy Committee
Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA)