Introduction
RSPCA Federation is the collective association of RSPCA Member Societies and RSPCA Australia (‘Members’), each of which is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), for the purpose of pursuing charitable objectives. The RSPCA Federation exists to coordinate joint activities and to promote collaboration among its Members.
RSPCA Federation entities covered by the Privacy Policy being RSPCA Australia, its Member Societies (and their related bodies corporate) (referred to as ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘RSPCA’ in this Privacy Policy) includes:
- RSPCA Australia ABN 99 668 654 249
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Victoria) ABN 56 749 449 191;
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New South Wales ABN 87 000 001 641;
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Western Australia ABN 48 626 609 587;
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (South Australia) Limited ABN 60 740 135 753;
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Queensland) Limited ABN 74 851 544 037;
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Tasmania ABN 71 723 781 546;
- RSPCA Northern Territory Incorporated ABN 42 603 546 873;
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ACT) ABN 35 730 738 037.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information.
What is Personal Information?
Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual who can be identified or reasonably identified. This may include your name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, profession and financial details. By accessing our websites and engaging with us, you acknowledge and agree to this Privacy Policy.
What Personal Information do we collect and hold and how does the RSPCA collect it?
We may collect and hold different kinds of Personal Information about you depending on the nature of your engagement with us. We collect your Personal Information directly from you when you use our services, interact with our representatives in person, over the telephone or electronically (e.g. via websites, social media posts, chats, emails), when using our websites and when the law requires (e.g. when we investigate a cruelty complaint). Information is collected directly through forms, our website, phone calls, emails, and in-person interactions at our shelters and veterinary hospitals. We may also collect data indirectly through cookies, analytics tools, and third-party platforms.
We sometimes collect personal information from a third party or from a publicly available source, but only if:
- you have consented to such collection or would reasonably expect us to collect your personal information in this way; or
- it is necessary for a specific purpose, such as the investigation of a cruelty complaint.
We may collect the following Personal Information from you:
- your name and contact details including your address, email, phone number, geographic location, gender and birth date;
- your veterinary records;
- your interactions with our shelters and veterinary clinics;
- payment information including your bank account or credit card details;
- footage collected from CCTV at our sites and shelters1;
- website usage data including cookies and IP logs; and
- any other information which is provided to us which is necessary or incidental to our engagement with you (including to provide products or services to you).
Wherever it is lawful and practicable, you may choose to interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym. For example, you may make a general enquiry or a donation without identifying yourself. However, in many circumstances it may not be possible for us to provide services such as processing an adoption application, investigating a cruelty complaint, or issuing a tax-deductible receipt unless you provide certain identifying information.
Sensitive Information
Sensitive information is a sub-category of Personal Information and includes information or an opinion about an individual’s race or ethnic origins, political opinions and associations, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, trade or union memberships, criminal record, or health information.
There are circumstances where we collect sensitive information, although we attempt to limit those circumstances where feasible, for example, as part of our recruitment process, or in the context of crisis support service provision. If you apply for a job, volunteer role or work placement you may need to provide information about your education, employment, criminal records, and state of health. Your application will constitute your express consent to our use of this information to assess your application and to allow us to carry out both recruitment analytics and any monitoring activities which may be required of us under applicable law as an employer.
Unsolicited Information
If we receive personal information that we did not solicit, we will determine within a reasonable period whether we could have lawfully collected that information under this Privacy Policy. If not, and the information is not required for one of our functions or activities, we will destroy or de-identify the information as soon as reasonably practicable, provided it is lawful and reasonable to do so.
Cookies
Our websites use cookies. A cookie is a small string of information that a website transfers to your browser for identification purposes. We are using cookies to collect data about our visitors’ device type and screen size, approximate location, browser, OS, IPs, page visits, bounce rate, conversions and popular content on the website. Cookies help us monitor how visitors are using our websites and allow us to improve our sites and to deliver a more personalised web experience.
Depending on the surrounding circumstances, the cookies used on our websites may or may not be classified as Personal Information. If they are classified as Personal Information, they are subject to the Privacy Act and the APPs, and we will handle this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Most internet browsers are set to accept cookies. If you prefer not to receive them, you can adjust your internet browser to reject cookies, or to notify you when they are being used. There are also software products available that can manage cookies for you. Rejecting cookies can, however, limit the functionality of our website (such as preventing users from logging on and making donations).
How does RSPCA use and disclose Personal Information?
We use personal information to:
- provide and improve our services and website;
- process adoptions, provide veterinary services and grooming services;
- to fundraise and to develop and maintain relationships with our (potential) donors and supporters;
- process donations and purchases;
- communicate with you about RSPCA activities, events, products and services;
- conduct research and analysis to enhance service delivery;
- gather evidence for the purpose of investigation and/or prosecution of cruelty complaints;
- respond to your comments or questions;
- provide clinic, hospital, consult and shelter follow ups, including post-adoption surveys and calls, and scheduled health check reminders;
- to assess your suitability to become a volunteer, employee or contractor;
- any purpose disclosed to you and to which you have consented;
- provide you with marketing material;
- comply with legal obligations; and
- maintain our business records and otherwise to run our business.
We may disclose your Personal Information to:
- our employees, contractors, and service providers, including IT services, insurers, financial institutions, debt collection agencies and mailing houses;
- other RSPCA member organisations within Australia;
- our professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, consultants and auditors;
- your agents and representatives;
- suppliers and other third parties with whom we have commercial relationships, where this is necessary to provide you with a service or product;
- Government, regulatory and law enforcement authorities; and
- any other third party with your consent.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. For example:
- donor records are generally retained for seven years after the last donation for taxation and audit purposes;
- veterinary records are retained for the minimum period required under applicable veterinary practice legislation; and
- recruitment records are retained for up to 12 months after the process is finalised unless a longer period is required by law.
When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.
Overseas disclosure
We may disclose your Personal Information to certain third party service providers (including for IT storage and back-up purposes) which are located in countries outside Australia including, but not limited to, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the USA. As a result, your personal information may be disclosed to these recipients. All service providers that have access to personal information held by us are required to keep the information confidential and not to make use of it for any purpose other than to provide services in accordance with their engagement.
Overseas Recipients
Where we disclose personal information to third-party service providers located overseas (for example, in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Canada, or the USA), we take reasonable steps to ensure that those providers are subject to privacy obligations that are substantially similar to those under the Privacy Act. This may include entering into contractual arrangements requiring the overseas recipient to handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Government Identifiers
We do not adopt, use or disclose government-related identifiers (such as Medicare numbers, Tax File Numbers, driver licence numbers or Centrelink identifiers) as our own identifiers of individuals. We may only use or disclose such identifiers where it is reasonably necessary for us to verify an individual’s identity, to fulfil our legal obligations, or as otherwise permitted by law.
Direct Marketing
We may send you direct marketing communications and information about our products and services that we consider may be of interest to you.
These communications may be sent in various forms, including email, SMS, fax and by post, in accordance with applicable marketing laws, such as the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth). If you indicate a preference for a method of communication, we will endeavour to use that method whenever practical to do so.
In addition, at any time you may opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us by contacting us (see the Contact Us box below), or by using unsubscribe facilities provided in the marketing communications, and we will then ensure that your name is removed from our mailing list.
Data Security
We take commercially reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is protected from misuse, loss, interference and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. For example, whenever we ask for your financial details online, we use security-encrypted response forms.
However, data protection and security measures are never completely secure (particularly for information sent online) and, despite the measures we have put in place, we cannot guarantee the security of your information. You must take care to ensure you protect your personal information (for example, by protecting any usernames and passwords, etc.) and you should notify us as soon as possible after you become aware of any security breaches. If you don’t wish to make your financial contribution online, please contact us to receive a hard copy form.
When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information.
Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach involving personal information that is likely to result in serious harm, we will promptly:
- Assess the breach in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth);
- Notify affected individuals with recommendations on steps they should take;
- Notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) using the prescribed form;
- Take remedial actions to contain and prevent further breaches.
We maintain a Data Breach Response Plan and regularly review our procedures to ensure compliance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Automated Decision-Making
We may use computer programs to assist or make decisions that relate to individuals, including decisions about service eligibility, volunteer placement, or donor engagement. Where such decisions are made solely or substantially by automated means and could significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests:
- We will disclose the kinds of personal information used in such systems;
- We will describe the types of decisions made by automated processes;
- We will provide individuals with information about how to seek human review of such decisions, where applicable.
We are committed to transparency and will update this policy to reflect any changes in our use of automated decision-making technologies.
Access and Correction
You may request access to your personal information at any time. If the information we hold about you is incorrect or outdated, you can request its amendment. We will respond to your requests promptly and provide reasons for any refusal of access.
Complaints
If you believe that your privacy has been breached, please contact us using the contact information below and provide details of the incident so that we can investigate it.
Our procedure for investigating and dealing with privacy breaches is an internal review by the Privacy Officer, who may contact you to seek further information to your initial complaint, if needed. At the conclusion of that review, you will be provided with a written account of the outcome and any measures we propose to take to address defects in our processes.
At any time, if you wish to have the matter considered externally, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner via the details below.
Contact the Australian Information Commissioner:
Post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
Tel: 1300 363 992
or via the contact - complaints link on the Commission website: www.oaic.gov.au
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We review this Privacy Policy regularly to ensure it remains up-to-date and reflects current legal requirements, technologies, and our practices. At a minimum, the policy will be reviewed every two years, or more frequently if there are significant changes to our operations or the law.
Contact Information
For any privacy-related inquiries, complaints, or requests, please contact the Privacy Officer in each of the relevant States and Territories:
RSPCA Australia:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 6282 8300
Post: PO Box 265, Deakin West
RSPCA ACT:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA ACT
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 6287 8100
Post: PO Box 3082 Weston Creek ACT
RSPCA NSW:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA NSW
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 278 358
Post: PO Box 34 Yagoona NSW 2199
RSPCA NT:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA NT
Email: [email protected] (for privacy related issues) and [email protected] (to update your direct marketing preferences)
Phone: 1800 051 811
Post: GPO Box 40034 Casuarina NT 0811
RSPCA QLD:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA QLD
Email: [email protected]
Post: Locked Bag 3000, Archerfield BH QLD 4108
RSPCA SA:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA SA
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 4 777 22
Post: PO Box 325 O’Halloran Hill SA 5158
RSPCA TAS:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA TAS
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 6332 8200
Post: PO Box 66 Mowbray TAS 7248
RSPCA Victoria:
Privacy Office, RSPCA VIC
Email: [email protected]
RSPCA WA:
Privacy Officer, RSPCA WA
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (08) 9209 9300
Post: PO Box 3147 Malaga WA 6944
1 Some RSPCA shelters, clinics and offices may use Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras or other surveillance technologies for security, safety, and animal welfare purposes. Where such systems are in place, we will ensure they are operated in accordance with applicable State and Territory surveillance and workplace monitoring laws. CCTV footage may constitute personal information, in which case it will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and destroyed or de-identified when no longer required.
