Introduction

The purpose of this policy is to inform the Homelessness Clearinghouse website (the website) users of what information about them is collected on the website and what is done with this information once it is collected.

We also describe what precautions people should take when publishing content on the website.

Privacy Policy

The Homelessness Information Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse) invites and encourages open debate and sharing of resources to further develop the body of knowledge around homelessness and the relating complex issues. The Clearinghouse acknowledges its responsibility in ensuring the privacy of registered users, Government, organisations and the general public are maintained. The staff who operate this website are subject to the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act).  This Act lays down strict privacy safeguards which Commonwealth Government departments and agencies must observe in handling personal information.  More information about the Privacy Act can be ontained from the Privacy Commissioner’s web site at: (http://www.privacy.gov.au/)

Information collected automatically when you visit this website

The Clearinghouse does not collect any personal information about you through this website unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email, or using services as a registered user.

When you visit the website our servers automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

• the address of the referring site (i.e. the previous site that you visited);
• your server's IP address (a number unique to the computer through which you are connected to the Internet);
• the date and time of your visit; and
• the address of the pages accessed and the documents downloaded.

This information is collected for the purposes of creating summary statistics that assist us to make our website more useful to visitors. No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities except, in the unlikely event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the service provider's logs. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and the Clearinghouse will not sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the website for commercial marketing purposes.

Statistical information collected from the website may be disclosed to the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) and the National Coordination Development Committee (CAD), and the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) for program analysis, funding purposes and other analytical functions. 

Activities on the website may require the creation of a session based cookie on your computer. The purpose of these cookies is to improve the user experience and assist you as you use features of the website. These cookies do not collect or return personal information to the website and are used only for purposes relating to feature s of the website.

Collection of e-mail addresses

The Homelessness Information Clearinghouse collects e-mail address sent to us in the registration process. If you consent, it will be added the Clearinghouses own e-newsletter. Your email address is not added to other mailing lists.

E-mail contact lists may be disclosed to Clearinghouse initiators and funding bodies the SAAP and the CAD and FaHCSIA for their records, statistics or participation analysis.

E-mail addresses will not be disclosed for commercial purposes. We will record your e-mail address if you send us a message and we will respond to your e-mail address and the information included in your message to address issues you identify, and may use the information provided to improve this website.

Some functions in the website may require you to submit an online form such as a registration, survey or a feedback form. The information, including any personal information, volunteered by you in completing the form will only be used for the purposes stated at submission.

Photos

All individuals depicted in photos used on the website have given permission for their photos to be displayed. The permission does not extend to other users of our website who may wish to download the images. Website users should seek permission from individuals depicted in photos before downloading images for use elsewhere.

Protection of personal information

All records and personal information is protected by appropriate server security measures. Whilst the Clearinghouse has taken all reasonable measures to ensure the privacy and safety of records is maintained, some users may prefer to provide information via telephone or in writing; this can be done via the contact details at the bottom of this document.

Submission of articles, comments and document repository items

The information published on the website is publicly accessible. Items within the repository may be categorised as 'Registered User access only', however few restrictions are placed on the application for Registered User access, organisations should be mindful that documentation provided for the repository is appropriate for website publication, such considerations include;

placing documents which contain personal information on the website, as this information may be exposed to a much wider audience than originally intended; and

publishing on the website, personal information which was collected for inclusion in a less widely available publication.

Organisations should take care to de-identify or remove personal information from a document before submitting it for publication, the submitting organisation holds responsibility for ensuring submitted documentation does not breech the Privacy Act.

The Clearinghouse reserves the right to withdraw any document from publication if it considers that the document may breach individual privacy.

Publication of Personal Information on the Website

Registered users have the ability to create and manage their own personal profile. While these profiles can only be viewed by Registered Users, few restrictions are placed on the application of Registered User access.

The Clearinghouse is particularly mindful that homeless people are vulnerable and may constitute people currently being protected from violent or dangerous situations. It is critical people in these circumstances are not traceable. This applies to locations of shelters, identities of workers, publications of case details or case studies.