The Department of Finance Privacy Policy has been updated to reflect the language used in the Parliamentary Service Amendment (Independent Parliamentary Workplace Complaints Mechanism) Determination 2022. These changes ensure the appropriate management of ‘serious incidents or misconduct’ relating to a parliamentarian and/or a Member of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act) employee is included as a primary purpose of collection for which the Department may use and disclose personal and sensitive information.
The updated policy provides that Finance may use and disclose collected personal and sensitive information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, including to:
- manage human resources for individuals employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act), and assist in complying with Finance’s workplace health and safety obligations, including ensuring appropriate support and referral procedures are in place, including:
- disclosing personal and sensitive information to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service to assist performance of its functions, including investigating and providing support for serious incidents or misconduct relating to a parliamentarian and/or a MOP(S) Act employee.
Finance may also use or disclose personal information for a secondary purpose where an exception applies. Exceptions may include:
- an individual would reasonably expect the secondary use or disclosure, and that is related to the primary purpose of collection or, in the case of sensitive information, directly related to the primary purpose, including:
- where Finance may need to liaise with the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service on serious incidents or misconduct relating to a parliamentarian and/or a MOP(S) Act employee.
A summary of the policy is available at: Privacy policy summary | Department of Finance.
The full policy is available at: Department of Finance Privacy Policy | Department of Finance.
Further detail about how the Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MaPS) Division within the Department of Finance handles personal information, see the privacy statement at: MaPS privacy statement | Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (finance.gov.au).
For more information contact us by email at privacy@finance.gov.au.