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Privacy Policy

Introduction

Gilson College is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1988) (Cth) – specifically the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection 2012 (Amending Act). The Privacy Act (1988) is one of many Acts which govern privacy in Australia. The Australian Privacy Principles cover the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. They allow individuals to access their personal information and have it corrected if it is incorrect. Gilson College is committed to protecting privacy and confidentiality. Our Privacy Policy ensures the School continues to manage personal information provided to it, or collected by it, in accordance with current Australian privacy laws. The School will regularly review and make any amendments to this Policy to reflect changes to new laws, technology changes or changes to the School’s operations and practices.

What kinds of personal information does the School collect

Gilson College collects and holds (but is not limited to) personal information, including sensitive and health information, about:

  • Students and parents and/or guardians before, during and after the course of a student’s enrolment at the School. This includes information for unsuccessful applicants for enrolment
  • Staff members, volunteers and contractors
  • Other individuals or organisations that come into contact with the School.

Why we collect personal information

The main purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information include carrying out the day-to-day administration of the School, meeting the School’s legal obligations and fulfilling its duty of care to students and staff.

Students and Parents/Guardians

Students and Parents/Guardians In relation to the personal information of students and parents and/or guardians, the School’s primary purpose of collecting the personal information is to enable the School to provide education to the student and fulfil its duty of care owed to the student. The purpose for which the School uses the personal information of students and parents and/or guardians include:

  • providing schooling to students;
  • correspondence with parents and/or guardians to keep parents and/or guardians informed about matters related to their child’s performance at school;
  • publication of newsletters and articles on our website;
  • day-to-day administration;
  • looking after a student’s educational, social and medical wellbeing;
  • fulfilling its duty of care obligations;
  • the collection of debts owed to the School;
  • and seeking donations and other fundraising activities for the School.

The School may publish the contact details of parents and/or guardians in a class list and publish images of students and parents and/or guardians in publications, on social media, or in public advertisements.

Staff members, Contractors and Volunteers

In relation to the personal information of prospective and current staff members, contractors and volunteers, the School uses the personal information for purposes including:

  • to enable the School to carry out its recruitment functions;
  • correspond with the person, provide training and professional development;
  • fulfil the terms of any contractual relationship;
  • and ensure that the person can perform their duties to facilitate the education of the students.

The School may publish the images of staff, contractors and volunteers in publications, on social media, or in public advertisements.

Development and Marketing

Development and fundraising are important for the future growth and development of Gilson College and are also an important part of ensuring the School continues to be a quality learning environment in which both students and staff thrive. Personal information held by the School may be disclosed to people providing services to the School to assist in the School’s fundraising and marketing.

Collection of Personal Information through the website

Information is automatically collected through your use of the Gilson College website.

We may use temporary (session) cookies or permanent cookies when you access our website. This allows us to recognise your browser and track the web pages you have visited. Cookies are small text files that websites may place on your computer or device. Most often, cookies are used to recognise repeat users of websites and remember user preferences. Cookies are also used to allow the website to track usage behaviour and aggregate data to allow Gilson College to customise a user’s experience on our website.

The information may be used and disclosed by Gilson College for purposes including statistical analysis, and to assist Gilson College in improving the functionality and usability of marketing materials, including the website. You can switch off cookies by adjusting the settings on your web browser.

Services that our website may use from time to time include Google Analytics, a service that transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We use reports provided by Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and web page usage. By using our website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google’s most updated version of its Privacy Policy (located on the Google website) and for the purposes set out above. You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google.

We are constantly developing and enhancing our use of online technologies, and make reasonable efforts to ensure we keep this Privacy Policy and related documents up to date in this regard. Opting out: Where an individual has consented to receive marketing communications from us, consent will remain current until the individual advises us otherwise. However, you can opt-out at any time, by:

  • Contacting us (either via the contact details provided on the communication received or via the details at the end of this Policy);

  • Advising us if you receive a marketing call that you no longer wish to receive these calls; or

  • Using the unsubscribe facility that we include in the relevant documentation.


Collection notices: The school will take reasonable steps to provide you with certain details about that collection (such as why we are collecting the information and who we might share it with). Collection notices may provide more specific information than contained in the Privacy Policy. We encourage you to refer to those provisions carefully.

Disclosure of personal information

Gilson College may disclose personal information held about a student or other individual to:

  • People providing services to the School, including specialist visiting teachers, consultants, counsellors, sports coaches and other co-curricular;

  • Another school or educational institution;

  • Parents;

  • Recipients of School reports, publications, newsletters and magazines;

  • Gilson College Alumni Community and the Gilson College Parents Association;

  • Medical practitioners, or other health-related professionals;

  • Law enforcement agencies;

Sending Information Overseas

Gilson College will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:

  • Obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or

  • Otherwise complying with the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.

Management and Security of Personal Information


Gilson College staff are required to respect the confidentiality of students' and parents’ personal information and the privacy of individuals and take this obligation seriously.

The School has in place reasonable steps to protect the personal information the School holds from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods.

Gilson College also takes reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information if, in the School’s opinion, it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected.

Access to Personal Information

Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act (and the Health Records Act), an individual has the right to obtain access to any personal information that the School holds about them.

There are some exceptions to this right that are set out in the legislation. To make a request to access any personal information held by the school, please contact the Gilson College Privacy Officer in writing via admin.th@gilson.vic.edu.au.

Correction of personal information

An individual may advise Gilson College of any perceived inaccuracy in their personal information held by the School. If the individual is able to establish that the information is not accurate, complete and up-to-date, the School will take reasonable steps to correct it. Gilson College will give reasons if it refuses to correct personal information.

Responding to Data Breaches

Gilson College will take appropriate, prompt action if we have reasonable grounds to believe that a data breach may have, or is suspected to have occurred. Depending on the type of data breach, this may include a review of our internal security procedures, taking remedial internal action, notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). If we are unable to notify individuals, we will publish a statement on our website and take reasonable steps to publicise the contents of this statement.

If you believe you have been the subject of a Data Breach by the school, please contact the Privacy Officer immediately on 03 9717 7300 or admin.th@gilson.vic.edu.au.