APF Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) is committed to using your information responsibly. We are guided by the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), as well as adhering to our Code of Conduct.

This Privacy Policy applies to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information by the APF. It also provides information on how you can obtain access to or seek correction of your personal information that we hold.

You agree that by providing us with your personal information, including but not limited to when you complete a form (including registration forms for events and activities) and/or use the digital platform known as the APF Community (Platform), grants your consent to the collection and use of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time, in which case we will use reasonable efforts to notify you of such changes, however it is your responsibility to check regularly for any changes.

Your use of the Platform and/or participation in any APF programs or activities following any changes to this Privacy Policy will confirm your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the changes then you should not use the Platform or participate in the APF’s programs or activities.

2. Kinds of personal information collected

The types of personal information we collect and hold may include your:

• Full name
• Email address
• Postal address
• Phone number
• Gender; and
• Other information relevant to the supply of our services that is collected by the Platform, or that you choose to provide to us.

3. Collection of your personal information

In most cases, we collect personal information directly from you and/or your employer (if you have given your consent for your employer to provide it). This may take place when you and/or your employer provides us with your personal information via email, in person, over the telephone or by completing documents, such as administrative forms or an online survey form. It may also take place as part of our services to you.

To the extent that any additional obligations arising under the Privacy Laws apply to our collection of your information, we will comply with those obligations and only collect this information from you directly, unless it is not reasonable or practical to do so. In operating the Platform we may additionally collect information that does not personally identify you but monitors your use of the Platform.

3.1 Reason for collecting your personal information

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for us to provide the Platform and the services you have requested.

In particular, we collect your personal information to:

• Provide programs and services to you
• Enhance your use of the Platform
• Send you general correspondence relating to your Platform account
• Ensure high quality services are provided
• Obtain de-identifiable data for research purposes and to provide reports on the uptake and use of our program(s) and activities to your employer; and
• Obtain de-identifiable data for the purpose of further improving our programs and activities (together the above are the ‘Purpose’).

Some information requested from you may be identified as mandatory. You do not have to provide us with your personal information. However, if you do not provide the mandatory information, you may be unable to continue using the Platform and/or we may not be able to effectively carry out the Purpose.

3.2 Storage and security of your personal information

We may hold your personal information in any combination of data storage facilities, cloud computing facilities or paper-based files, which may be operated or held by us or by third party service providers under a contractual arrangement. These service providers may provide hosting and/or support services in Australia or overseas.

We take care where possible to work with service providers who we consider maintain acceptable standards of data security compliance. By providing us with your personal information, you consent to your personal information being used and stored (including overseas) for such purposes.

We will use reasonable endeavours to maintain the security of your personal information from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, and misuse and loss. We cannot ensure or warrant that your personal information will always be secure during transmission or protected from unauthorised access during storage. Therefore, you provide your personal information to us at your own risk.

Please contact us immediately if you become aware or have reason to believe there has been any unauthorised use of your personal information in connection with the APF, the Platform and/or our provision of services to you.

3.3 Use and disclosure of your personal information

By providing your personal information to us, you consent to us using such information:

• For the Purpose (as described in Section 4 above)
• For any purpose directly relating to the Purpose (as described in Section 4 above) that you would reasonably expect us to use it for
• Any purpose to which you otherwise consent (including in a collection statement at the point where we collect such personal information); and
• Any other purpose required or authorised by law (including the Privacy Laws)

Without limiting the above, you specifically consent to us using and/or disclosing (as applicable) your personal information to:

• Contact you to provide feedback about the Platform, including through an anonymous survey
• Contact you to inform you about our program(s), activities and services
• Perform administrative functions and activities in relation to our services and the Platform
• Improve our services or Platform and/or develop new products or services, which may involve performing analytics on information that we collect automatically
• Respond to enquiries you make regarding our services of Platform
• Provide you with online training where applicable
• Comply with any applicable laws; and
• Third parties we engage to perform functions or provide services on our behalf; and collect and moderate comments and feedback provided by you to the Platform.

If you decide that you do not wish to receive information from us, please contact us with your request to be removed from our mailing list. We will remove your details from our mailing list within a reasonable period of receipt of notice.

Where practicable, we will endeavour to collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for the purposes described above on a de-identified basis.

4. Anonymity

Where practicable, we will allow you to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym (unless this is against the law, including Privacy Laws).

5. Access, amendment and deletion of your personal information

You must endeavour to ensure that the personal information that you provide to us is accurate, complete, up to date, relevant and not misleading.

You may ask us to access your personal information in accordance with Privacy Laws, including by asking us to provide you with a complete list of your personal information that we hold, which we will do within a reasonable period of receipt of your request (unless limited by Privacy Laws).

Where we are unable to provide you with access to your personal information, you may contact us to amend any of your personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date or request that your personal information be deleted.

We will amend or delete your records as requested within a reasonable period of receipt of notice. If applicable, any legal requirement on us to maintain certain records of your personal information will prevail over any of your requests. We may require identification to be provided before releasing copies of personal information.

6. Disclaimer

We will only collect, use or disclose information that personally identifies you in accordance with this Privacy Policy, unless we are required to disclose it by law or, in our opinion, we are required to disclose it to protect the rights or property of us or any third party or to avoid injury to any person.

7. Links

If you use a link on our website or the Platform to access a third-party website, you do so entirely at your own risk. You should always read the applicable privacy policies on the other websites.

Third party websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

8. Data breach notifications

Under the Privacy Laws, we are required to notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner if we suspect that a data breach (relating to your personal information) has occurred and there is a real risk of serious harm to you as a result of this breach.

9. Applicable law

The Platform is controlled from our offices in Australia.

This Privacy Policy will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Australia. You irrevocably and unconditionally submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Australia. If any provision of this Privacy Policy is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of law, such invalidity or unenforceability will not affect the remainder of this Privacy Policy, which will continue in full force and effect.

10. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Policy or would like further information, please contact us through any of the following means:

Mail:

Attention Chief Operating Officer Asia Pacific Forum GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia

Email:

apf@asiapacificforum.net

11. Making a complaint

If you have any concerns about how we manage your personal information, you may write to our Chief Operating Officer. We will reasonably endeavour to provide a response within 30 days of receipt of your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) by writing to the OAIC at GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001. For further information about the OAIC, please visit www.oaic.gov.au

Version History:

Last updated: 14 October 2024