Privacy Policy for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet

The Department collects, uses, holds and discloses personal information, including sensitive personal information, when carrying out its functions and role.

The Department has a central role in supporting Executive Government in Western Australia. It is responsible for providing advice and support to the Premier, the Cabinet, portfolio Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. You can find more information about the Department and its functions here. 

A full list of legislation the Department administers, as well as other key legislation affecting its operations is available in the Department’s annual report. 

The specific types of activities which the Department undertakes, and that the Department might collect, hold, use and / or disclose personal information for include:

• conducting commissioned research which the Department has partnered to deliver
• coordinating and running submissions for inquiries, reports and investigations
• coordinating on intergovernmental policy matters and forums with States, Territories and the Commonwealth
• delivery of state-type services to the Indian Ocean Territories and on national defence, security and emergency management matters
• develop and oversee strategic communications for key government initiatives
• facilitate planning, prioritisation and regulatory approvals across government to progress major projects
• lead whole-of-government policy development and reform commitments, including engaging stakeholders for feedback on policies, programs, services, as well as overseeing the review and reform of existing government policies and programs
• supports and coordinates the digital transformation of the WA public sector including whole-of-government cyber security
• connecting candidates with board and committee opportunities across the WA public sector
• coordinating honours and awards and deliver anniversary messages
• facilitating travel and associated security arrangements
• handling complaints (including privacy complaints) and feedback provided to the Department
• maintaining subscription services so that individuals who subscribe can receive information and other communications from the Department
• planning official visits by distinguished guests, coordinating official hospitality and major ceremonial events, and liaising with the Consular Corps
• processing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 1992 or other legislative and administrative requirements
• provide secretariat and procedural support for Cabinet and its sub-committees including submissions, decisions and the cabinet record
• providing administrative and executive support to the Premier, or portfolio Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, members of parliament and bureau serviced agencies, which includes managing executive government information in Department controlled systems
• responding to correspondence from the public or organisations to the Department, the Premier, or portfolio Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
• undertaking recruitment and manage employment (including job applications, staff performance, pay, superannuation and tax information, diversity information including, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, employment history and medical certificates), and
• administering agreements payments and grants.

The Department aims to only collect the personal or sensitive information that it needs to carry out its functions and role. 

In performing its functions, the Department may collect and hold the following kinds of personal information:

• identity and contact details for individuals (e.g. name, phone number, email and postal address)
• information relating to individuals’ personal circumstances and health (e.g. age, gender and family circumstances including spouses, carers and dependents)
• information relating to individuals’ financial affairs (e.g. payment details, bank account details)
• other information relating to identity (e.g. date of birth, signatures, citizenship and visa status)
• information about employment (e.g. employment status and work history, education status, referee comments, salary), and
• government identifiers (e.g. tax file number).

The Department may also collect and hold the following sensitive personal information:

• racial and ethnic origin
• sexual orientation
• biometrics (such as photographs, video recordings and audio recordings of individuals, passport details, drivers licences)
• religious, cultural and linguistic background
• health (including information about your medical history and any disabilities or injuries)
• information about political or union memberships and associations, and
• information about criminal history and related personal background.

The Department may also collect information about how you use our online services. For example, the Department uses social networking services such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn to communicate with the public. When you communicate with the Department using these services personal information may be collected to respond to you and the public. These social networking services will also handle your personal information for their own purposes. These services have their own privacy policies. You can access the privacy policies for these services on their websites.

The Department may also collect information when you use our online applications. The Department administers systems such as ServiceWA, OnBoard WA and People WA. These applications each have their own privacy statements or notices that you will find on the respective system website.

The main way that the Department collects personal information about you is when you provide it. The Department may collect personal information about individuals through surveys, email and phone communications, correspondence and submissions, forms and notices (including online systems) and via our websites. This includes:

• from the individual directly or through their authorised representative, or
• via a third party if permitted by law.

When the Department collects personal information from you, you will be notified by a privacy notice if it is reasonable to do so. The notice will include reasons why the information is being collected, whether the collection is required or authorised by law and any person or body to whom the information would ordinarily be disclosed to.

There may be some situations where the Department is not able to notify you using a privacy collection notice. Examples of these situations include:

• notification would be inconsistent with another legal obligation, for example, by breaching a statutory secrecy provision, a client’s legal professional privilege, or a legal obligation of confidence, or
• notification may pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of an individual or pose a threat to public health or safety, for example, a law enforcement agency obtaining personal information from a confidential source for the purpose of an investigation.

In many instances you can remain anonymous or use a pseudonym when interacting with the Department. However, in some instances it will be necessary for you to provide some personal information.

For example, the Department would require personal information to assess your eligibility for a grant or initiative or when confirming your identity for the release of personal information. You will be informed if you are not able to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym when dealing with us.

The Department may use and disclose collected personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, and in other circumstances where we are permitted by law to do so. The Department will take reasonable steps to give you information about the reason for collection at the time of capture or as soon as practicable thereafter. The Department will only use and disclose your personal information for a secondary purpose consistent with this policy.

The Department uses and discloses personal information for purposes other than the purpose for which it was collected in some circumstances. This includes:

• where you have consented to that secondary use or disclosure
• where a secondary use or disclosure is authorised or permitted by law, or
• where the purpose of a secondary use or disclosure is related to the primary purpose (or, in the case of sensitive information, directly related to the primary purpose) and you would reasonably expect it to be used for that purpose.

The Department may disclose personal information to interstate or overseas third parties (such as a foreign government or organisation) where this is a necessary part of our work. The Department will only disclose to overseas third parties if:

• it is consistent with this policy
• you have given us your consent to disclose personal information to a third party, or
• the disclosure is required or authorised by law or court / tribunal order.

The Department may also use third party providers to deliver or otherwise communicate content. These third parties may collect and store your personal information in servers outside of Australia, they include; Google, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Campaign Monitor, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Instagram, YouTube and others. Such third-party sites have their own privacy policies and may send their own cookies to your computer. The Department does not control third party privacy policies or the setting of third-party cookies and suggest you check the third-party websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them.

The Department does not currently employ automated decision-making processes involving the use of personal information to make significant decisions about an individual.

The Department hosts its website content on the WA Government’s wa.gov.au website. There is a separate privacy statement for the website. The website may use 'cookies'. The website also uses Google Analytics to gather information about visitors to help improve the service. When you use the website the Department will only collect anonymous information. No identifiable personal data is collected.

By using the website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google's Privacy Statement and for the purposes set out above. 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.

As the Department hosts it website content on a WA Government’s wa.gov.au website there may be links to other websites. Please be aware the Department is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of linked websites. When you visit other websites we advise you to read the respective privacy notices.

Find out more about the WA Government’s collection and use of information from websites at wa.gov.au in the privacy statement.

You have a right to request access to personal information the Department holds about you under the Freedom of Information Act 1992. You can also apply to have your personal information corrected if the information is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading. The Department will manage any requests for access to personal information and for correction of personal information in accordance with the terms of Freedom of Information Act 1992. Information about how to apply, including an application form, can be found on the Department’s website here.

You can also contact the Department’s Freedom of Information team at foi@dpc.wa.gov.au. Discussing your request with a Freedom of Information Officer will help us give you early guidance about your request. This may include guidance about whether your request is best dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 1992 or another arrangement.

The Department takes its obligations to protect the personal information it holds seriously. The Department will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information against misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

These steps include:

• classifying and storing records appropriately following the WA Government Information Classification policy
• internal access to information is limited to authorised employees and may be further controlled on a need-to-know basis
• monitoring system access with security controls and reports
• ensuring the security of our buildings, and
• regularly updating and auditing our storage and data systems.

When personal information is collected from a third party, the Department will take steps to inform you of the collection. This may occur through this privacy policy, notices or discussions on websites or as part of a contracting process.

If personal information the Department holds is lost or subject to unauthorised access or disclosure, a response will be taken consistent with the WA Government Cyber Security Policy and the Department’s data breach processes. The Department will aim to provide timely advice to affected individuals if a data breach is likely to result in serious harm.

The Department retains and disposes of its records, including the personal information within them by following the requirements of its Record Keeping Plan required by the State Records Act 2000.

If you are not satisfied with how the Department has collected, held, used or disclosed your personal information, you can make a formal complaint using the contact information below.

Your complaint should include:

• a short description of your privacy concern
• any action or dealings you have had with staff of the Department to address your concern, and
• your preferred contact details so we can contact you about your complaint.

Contact the Department if you want to:

• ask questions about our privacy policy, or if you need a copy of this policy in an alternative format
• obtain access to or seek correction of your personal information held by the Department, or
• make a privacy complaint about the Department.

Email: admin@dpc.wa.gov.au

Post:

Director General

Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Locked Bag 3001

WEST PERTH WA 6872