Privacy Statement

Without collecting personal information we may not be able to provide you with our services or respond to queries or requests that you send us.

The personal information we collect and hold about you will depend on how. you contact or interact with the Far West Community Legal Centre Ltd. Personal information means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether true or not. It can include:

• identifying information such as your name and date of birth;

• contact information such as your postal address, home address, email address and telephone number;

• information you make available to us or to the public via social media;

• information about your family type, country of birth, when you arrived in Australia, languages spoken and occupation;

• sensitive information such as racial or cultural background, criminal history and health information, English proficiency, need for an interpreter, or disability;

• records of our communications with you;

• credit card or other financial details if you make a donation to our Centre;

• where we provide you with legal advice, information about your case or situation including financial details and details of your guardian if applicable;

• details of any feedback from you, including complaints, information collected in the investigation of the matter, and details of how it was actioned or resolved;

• if you apply for a role with us, information you include in your application, including resume, contact details, payment details (if applicable) and any dietary or accessibility requirements;

• where you participate in feedback surveys, your name, organisational contact details and your responses;

• your contact details if you sign up for our communications.

Personal information may be collected in a number of ways, including:

• directly from you or via third parties;

• verbally or in writing;

• electronically by email or webforms;

• from public sources;

• from third parties who are entitled to disclose that information to us;

• by our internet service provider or information technology contractors who may monitor email traffic or for system maintenance purposes only.

Where we are providing legal advice to you, we must collect personal information relevant to the provision of legal advice under legal professional laws.​

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When we collect personal information, we will generally do so directly. In some cases we may collect personal information about you from a third party, for example through your representatives, contractors who provide services to us, or third parties who refer you to us.

Personal information may be used to:

• provide services (including to assess whether you are eligible for legal assistance to assess your case and to refer or arrange non-legal assistance);

• administer and manage those services;

• to carry out education and training;

• to conduct research and statistical analysis;

• for fundraising and marketing activities;

• to undertake law reform and policy work;

• to answer enquiries or provide information or advice about our services;

• to undertake planning, quality control and business improvement activities;

• to monitor and evaluate our services;

• to report to our funding providers;

• to respond to feedback or complaints;

• to keep you informed about our activities and events;

• to comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

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We are strongly committed to your privacy and will de-identify information wherever possible and appropriate. We may also use and disclose your information for other purposes as authorised by you, or in accordance with your requests or instructions. We do not direct market or provide information to other organisations for the purposes of direct marketing.

Your personal information may be disclosed to:

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• your authorised representatives;

• our employees, which includes staff, volunteers and work experience students, who need the information to discharge their duties and who are required to sign confidentiality agreements;

• business and service providers (for example IT systems administrators);

• external lawyers or barristers we may work with to provide you with a service;

• Courts, tribunals, commissions and similar, to file material or respond to court matters or legal process;

• any organisation for any authorised purpose with your express consent;

• funding bodies (deidentified unless you have provided consent);

• government authorities or other people where we are required to by law.

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Your personal information will not be disclosed to anyone outside of Australia. Your personal information will never be sold to any third party.

When you are browsing or searching our website, the server automatically collects data to help us improve our website content. One way that navigational data is collected is by placing “cookies” in your browser file on your hard drive. No personal information is collected or tracked and it cannot identify you as an individual. You can change the settings on your browser to prevent this from happening if you prefer.

You may request access to the personal information that is held about you or to update your personal details.

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To help us continue to provide you with services and keep our records up to date, please tell us when your contact details change, or if you become aware that information we are holding is no longer accurate.

We are committed to protecting your personal information from misuse or loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. We will take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information. Your information is held securely in our electronic and office storage systems.

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It is important to be aware that there may be security risks when you transmit information across the internet and your information may not be secure. 

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If you have concerns about the security of your personal information, contact us.

All documents and records are retained for a minimum period of seven years. If we no longer need, or are no longer required to retain, your personal information we may destroy or permanently de-identify that information without further notice to you.