Our Policy
It is the policy and practice of HealthStaff Recruitment to comply with the National Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000, as required by that Act (‘federal privacy law’). Apart from our legal and ethical commitment to compliance with the law, we value and respect our professional relationships with our clients, staff, candidates and other individuals with whom we deal and we respect their right to privacy. This privacy policy is also the policy of the managing director, John de Haard, and each officer and employee of HealthStaff Recruitment for all purposes not connected with his or her personal, family or household affairs. We set out below how we comply with the National Privacy Principles.
Collection
HealthStaff Recruitment collects holds the following types of personal information, purely for the purpose of best serving the needs of its clients, candidates, principals, staff and other persons to whom it has a commitment (which includes serving its business needs as a recruiter of health professionals):
- Information of many types about individual clients generally as given to us by those clients, collected in the course of acting for them;
- information of many types about candidates or employees or other individuals with whom we and our clients deal, collected from candidates, employees or prospective employees, their referees or our clients. Candidate and employee information includes, but is not restricted to –
- information given to us directly by the candidate or employee
- information obtained as a result of enquiries from former employers, work colleagues, professional associations or registration bodies
- the results of competency or medical testing
- performance feedback
- any complaint we may receive from or about a candidate or employee in the workplace
- information about any workplace accident
- information received in respect of registration or professional disciplinary actions, litigation in which a candidate or employee may be involved, insurance investigations or any criminal matters pertaining to a candidate or employee.
- information about roles, means of communication with and personal attributes of officers, employees and other representatives of corporations with whom HealthStaff Recruitment or its clients deal, collected incidentally in the course of dealing with those corporations;
- information or opinion about character, capabilities, performance and other attributes of potential employees and potential and actual contractors and tax identifiers, bank account details and insurance information about contractors, collected in the course of recruitment of employees or selection or engagement of and dealing with contractors;
- information disclosed by personal users of HealthStaff Recruitment’s information technology systems (which are typical systems which store data), collected in the ordinary course of the use of such systems.
If HealthStaff Recruitment receives, although it has not sought, personal information about individuals from them or from other persons, it only retains it in a record if it is necessary for HealthStaff Recruitment’s functions or activities and if it can comply with federal privacy law in relation to it.
Use and disclosure
Information type 2 in respect of candidates or employees is disclosed in relation to –
- actual or possible work placements
- performance appraisals
- our assessment of ongoing performance and prospects
- any test or assessment (including medical tests and assessments) that candidates may be required to undergo
- our identification of training needs
- any workplace rehabilitation
- our management of any complaint, investigation or inquiry in which a candidate or employee is involved
- any insurance claim or proposal that requires disclosure of personal or sensitive information.
In general, HealthStaff Recruitment only uses the information it collects as required for its internal professional or business needs, which include meeting its statutory and contractual obligations, assessing a person’s compliance with law, firm policy and contracts, making payments and of course communicating with the individual concerned. We only disclose the information in accordance with clients’ and candidates’ requirements, as required by law, or in some cases to contractors or advisers (such as external photocopying or IT contractors) in the course of the performance of their duties, but subject to equivalent privacy commitments. It is conceivable in an extreme situation that information could be disclosed if it is both important for the individual and is permissible under federal privacy law (e.g. a health or safety threat).
Data quality and data security
Information types 1, 2, 3 and 4 are held predominantly in electronic records (some in hard copy) and information type 5 is held electronically, in data storage systems which permit lawful access by only those HealthStaff Recruitment principals, employees and contractors who need access to perform their functions. It is destroyed when it is no longer useful or it is unreliable and cannot be corrected. Hard copy materials are secured in locked filing cabinets. Every effort is made to ensure information is accurate, complete and up to date.
Openness
By this Policy, we commit to the requirements of federal privacy laws in relation to the information we hold, the purposes for which it is used and how we collect, hold and disclose that information.
Access and correction
Personal information is not used or disclosed unless, relying on its internal practices, HealthStaff Recruitment is confident that it is accurate, complete and current. Individuals can assist us to maintain accurate records by notifying us of any change in their personal details.
HealthStaff Recruitment will allow an individual access to personal information about himself or herself, except to the extent that it is entitled to deny access under federal privacy law. It will correct any such information which the individual establishes is not accurate, complete or up-to-date.
Identifiers
We do not use any identifiers for personal information other than the name and contact details of the person or organisation to which the information applies.
Anonymity
Where it is lawful and practicable, individuals have the option of not identifying themselves when making general enquiries.
Transborder data flows
HealthStaff Recruitment discloses personal information to persons offshore in the ordinary course of its professional practice only if appropriate privacy protection is in place and with the permission of the individual concerned.
Sensitive information
Sensitive information is only collected and stored with the permission of the person or organisation to which that information relates. Sensitive information is only sought insofar as it is required for the recruitment process.
Information on privacy lawFurther information on privacy issues in Australia can be obtained by visiting The Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner or download the fact sheet with the Australian Privacy Principles. |
Our privacy officerIf you have questions or would like to discuss any aspect of our privacy policy, please contact our Privacy Officer, Please change to: PO Box 1257 |