Privacy, copyright and disclaimer

Privacy

What information do we collect and why?

We (Council) use or ask for your personal information (such as your name, credit card details, email address or street address) to:

  • provide you with information on services you might be interested in
  • post or email notices, e-newsletters and updates to you
  • invite you to participate in surveys for Council, recognising that Council provides services to a property in which you live, own, visit, or manage a business
  • provide incentives and prizes associated with research and engagement activities.

Personal information will not be collected from any person who is known by Council to be under the age of 15 without the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

How do we protect your information?

We take all reasonable steps to keep your information secure. Your personal information is held securely and used only for the purposes listed above.

Do we give your information to anyone?

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and will not disclose any personal information you provide (such as your name, credit card details, email address or street address) to a third party without your consent, unless required by law or to action a customer service request.

We reserve the right to collect and disclose demographic and summarised information about website visitors provided the information does not reveal the identity of any individual visitor.

Liability and personal information

We are not liable for events or consequences arising from unauthorised access to your personal information. Please keep your contact details and passwords confidential. If you provide private information regarding any customer service requests (such as your email address or request number) to a third party, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.

View our Privacy Policy

Survey and consultation responses 

Council uses a number of software packages to collect online survey responses from our community members:

  • SurveyMonkey:  The data collected online is stored securely on servers located in the United States. (View SurveyMonkey’s Privacy Policy). 
  • LimeSurvey: This is a surveying system hosted in Australia. Only Council employees and website administrators have access to the data collected using this system, and all data is stored on Australian servers.
  • The Hive (Creating Cardinia): This is an engagement platform where all data is hosted in Australia.  Only Council employees and website administrators have access to the data collected via this system. All data is stored on Australian servers.

How do we manage your personal information when collected for a survey or consultation?

The personal information collected via our online surveys or The Hive platform will only be used to address your comments or requests and improve our services.

Occasionally a survey will include a question whereby an answer might result in a respondent being identifiable. To maintain respondent anonymity we carefully review all data and will delete any instances that pose a risk of identification prior to analysis/storing the data file on internal systems.

Where we use the online survey software to manage email invites to a survey, the email is stored in a separate data file to the survey responses. These can be linked with a randomly generated code that is recognised only within the surveying system so that the software can identify those who have completed the survey (so as not to send them reminders). The survey data file does not contain any identifiable information (email address, street address or name). The address file held within the survey system is deleted at a time that is determined within industry guidelines.

Where it is necessary to collect contact details to provide an update on a project or incentive for survey participation, this information is collected and stored in a separate database to survey responses. The information is never used for any purpose other than to contact incentive recipients or to provide project updates. The data file is stored on a secure system and is deleted at a time that is determined within industry guidelines or contractual arrangements.

If you don't want to complete an online survey or contribute to an online consultation, you can provide written responses by posting to:  

Cardinia Shire Council
PO BOX 7
Pakenham VIC 3810

or you can request for a hard copy of a survey or submission form to be posted to you.  To request this, contact our customer service team on 1300 787 624 or mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au

E-newsletters and email mailing lists using MailChimp

We use MailChimp to create, send, and manage our e-newsletters and some emails. MailChimp may collect personal information, such as distribution lists that contain email addresses, and other information relating to those email addresses. For further information about the type of personal information MailChimp collects, view the MailChimp Privacy Policy

We will only use this information to:

  • create, send and manage emails relating to the work of the council
  • measure email campaign performance
  • improve the features for specific segments of customers
  • evaluate your use of our website
  • compile reports on website activity for website operators, and
  • provide other services relating to website activity and internet usage.

The data collected by MailChimp is stored securely on servers located in the United States.

By subscribing to our e-newsletters:

  • you consent to your personal information being collected, used, disclosed and stored as set out in MailChimp’s Privacy Policy and agree to abide by MailChimp’s Terms of Use
  • you understand and acknowledge that this service utilises a MailChimp platform, which is located in the United States of America (USA) and relevant legislation of the USA will apply
  • Australian Privacy Principle 8.1 contained in Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act will not apply
  • you understand and acknowledge that MailChimp is not subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and you will not be able to seek redress under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) but will need to seek redress under the laws of the USA.

To opt out of a Council e-newsletter or mailing list you can:

  • choose the ‘unsubscribe’ option provided by MailChimp in every email
  • contact us on 1300 787 624 or at mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au

Copyright

The entire contents of this website are the property of Cardinia Shire Council. All written content and images are not to be copied or reproduced without our (Council’s) written permission, or unless used in accordance with copyright legislation.

When you access information on this website, you agree it is for personal use only.

Disclaimer

The content of this website is for information purposes only.

While every effort is made to keep information on this website up-to-date and accurate, we cannot absolutely guarantee its accuracy. 

You should not rely on this website’s information in circumstances where loss, damage or injury is possible. In such circumstances, please contact Council or the relevant authority/organisation for this information or advice.

We reserve the right to make changes to the website and its information without notice.

We and our employees, agents, consultants and representatives are not liable for any loss, damage or injury resulting from any person relying on information obtained by or through this website.

This website includes links to other websites which are not controlled by Council. Therefore, we are not responsible for any information or service which may appear on any third party sites which you might access through this website.