This web site is provided and maintained by the Department of Planning & Infrastructure (the department). This privacy statement sets out the Department's practices relating to the privacy of your personal information. The department’s privacy practices are regulated by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and the Department's Privacy Management Plan. Please note that the department does not have any responsibility for the privacy policies or practices of third party sites linked to the Department's web site.
What is personal information?
Your personal information relates to you personally and includes any information or opinion made about you. Personal information includes your name, address, phone number, email address or any information from which your identity can be reasonably ascertained.
What is not personal information?
Information that is not protected by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 if it:
- can be found in a publicly available publication (such as a newspaper or book);
- is in a public register;
- relates to someone’s suitability for public sector employment;
- is about people that have been dead for more than 30 years;
- relates to some types of law enforcement and investigation activities; and
- is allowed to be disclosed under another piece of legislation.
Submissions
When you make a submission to the Department of Planning & Infrastructure we collect your:
- name (including title);
- address;
- email (if provided);
- internet protocol (IP) address (if the submission is made online); and
- any other personal information contained in a political donations disclosure statement (if provided)
Making a submission is entirely voluntary and you are under no obligation to provide us with any of your personal information, except as otherwise required by law.
How will your personal information be used?
We will publish online:
- Your submission.
- Your name (unless you state that you want your name withheld);
- Your suburb;
- Any political donations disclosure statement.
We will publish any personal information you have included in your submissions on a proposal. Do not include any personal information in your submissions that you do not want published.
We will use your contact details to send you notifications. For example it is a statutory requirement to notify submitters when an application is determined.
Your submission may be published in reports, or other documents that are produced following the exhibition period.
We may forward your submission and personal information to the Planning Assessment Commission if the proposal has been referred to them. The Commission will use your contact details to notify you of any public meetings scheduled for the proposal. The Commission may publish your submission on their website, or in a report in accordance with the Commission’s Privacy Statement.
We may forward your submission to third parties including other public authorities and Government agencies, local government, or an applicant. There are statutory requirements to forward submissions on some applications to these third parties as part of the assessment process.
Online registration for NSW Housing Code and NSW Commercial and Industrial Code training
Any personal information collected through the online registration process will be used by the Department solely for the purpose of providing information about the NSW Housing Code and NSW Commercial and Industrial Code and will not be provided to third parties unless required to by law.
The supply of personal information is not required by law; but failing to provide your contact details will mean that you will not be able to register for training or receive further information about the Codes.
Under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 you may also request access to your personal information collected by the Department.
Email management
If you email the department, we will only retain and use your e-mail address for the purpose for which you have provided it. It will not be added to a mailing list without your consent.
Site Visit Data
To help the department improve its website and provide better services to its users, the Department makes a record of your visit and logs the following information:
- the user's service address;
- the user’s top-level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc.);
- the address of your server;
- the date and time of your visit to the site.
Cookies are not used from the Department of Planning & Information site to collect information.
Exceptions to the Rule
The department will not collect, use and disclose more extensive information than stated above except in the following circumstances:
- unauthorised attempts to access files that are not published on the Department of Planning & Infrastructure pages;
- unauthorised tampering or interference with files published on the Department of Planning & Infrastructure site;
- unauthorised attempts to index the contents of the Department of Planning & Infrastructure site by other sites;
- attempts to intercept messages or other users of the Department of Planning & Infrastructure site;
- communications which are defamatory, abusive, vilify individuals or groups or which give rise to a suspicion that an offence is being committed;
- attempts to otherwise compromise the security of the web server, breach the laws of the State of New South Wales or Commonwealth of Australia, or interfere with the enjoyment of the Department of Planning & Infrastructure site by other users;
- any other circumstances permitted under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.
Right of access to information
Under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 you have the right to access and change personal information that the Department of Planning & Infrastructure holds. If you would like to make a request to access or change the information held by the department please contact:
Public Access to Information & Privacy Unit
Department of Planning & Infrastructure
GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001
Telephone: 02 9228 6116 or 02 9228 6597
Email: patiunit@planning.nsw.gov.au
Complaints
If you feel there has been a breach of your privacy under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998, you have the right to make a complaint to the Department of Planning & Infrastructure or the NSW Office of Privacy Commissioner (www.privacy.nsw.gov.au).
Contact the Department
If you have any questions about the application of the department's privacy policy please contact:
Manager
Public Access to Information, Privacy & Complaints
Department of Planning &Infrastructure
GPO Box 39 Sydney New South Wales 2001
email: david.watson@planning.nsw.gov.au