Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy details how Accredify Pty Ltd (ACN 629 888 482) ATF The Trustee for Accredify (ABN 16 588 070 492) (“Accredify”, “we” or “us”):

1. generally collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information; and
2. your rights in relation to the personal information that Accredify holds about you.

It contains information about how you may access the personal information about you that we hold, and seek the correction of such information. It also contains information about how you may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principals (APPs) and how we will deal with such a complaint.

Collecting Personal Information

The personal information Accredify may collect about you will depend on the circumstances of collection, including whether we collect the information from you as a client, supplier, contractor, applicant, or in some other capacity.

The type of personal information which Accredify collects about an individual depends on the nature of the individual’s dealings with us. We only collect personal information that is necessary or required by law, so as to deliver our services, including recognition of prior learning services, or for administration purposes including but not limited to, invoicing.

When you request our services as a client (being someone who seeks our recognition of prior learning services, including a person seeking a qualification on a recognition of prior learning basis), Accredify typically collects the following personal information about you:

• your name, address, date of birth and contact details (including telephone number(s) and email address(es));
• citizenship and/or visa details;
• your education, skills, work history and training experience;
• your Unique Student Identifier;
• your identification information (including 100 point identification information);
• your criminal record;
• your health information or data;
• your membership to any professional or trade organisations;
• history with Accredify;
• evidence you provide about yourself in support of any application for any qualification;
• for the purposes of payment of our fees, your banking (including credit card) details; and/or
• employment or other references.

Accredify also collects personal information provided in resumes such as references, education, employment qualifications and competencies. In most cases, we collect personal information about an individual directly from the individual in the following ways, in person, by telephone, letter and/or via electronic means, on the completion of application forms, or when the individual requests further information about our services through our website.

In the case of Registered Training Organisations, Accredify typically collects the following personal information about you:

• your corporate identity (including ACN and ABN) and your trading name;
• your National Register code and details about your Scope of Registration;
• your representatives and assessors (including contact details);
• your qualification assessment materials and criteria; and
• for the purposes of making payments to you, your banking details.

Information is also collected from other parties, for example, government agencies, publicly available records, service providers such as on-line searches and social media sites, parties to whom the individual refers Accredify or from whom the individual authorises collection of data about them, to be passed to Accredify.

Personal information will not be knowingly collected from a minor without his or her parent’s consent.

Accredify will not ask an individual to provide sensitive personal information in a place where other people can overhear. Where personal information is sensitive information, Accredify will only collect that information where:

• It is reasonably necessary for one or more of Accredify’s work functions, activities and/or required for the assessment of an applicant for a qualification;
• The individual consent to the collection of the information; or
• Accredify is required or authorised by law to collect the sensitive information.

If Accredify receives personal information that it did not solicit from an individual and if Accredify determines that it could not have lawfully collected that information as part of its work functions or activities, then Accredify will (if it is lawful and reasonable), notify you and if deemed necessary and lawful will destroy the information or ensure that it is de-identified.

Using and Disclosing Personal Information

Accredify recognises the trust that individuals place in us when they give us personal information. Accredify collects, holds, uses and discloses an individual’s personal information for the purposes of providing services to the individual. Accredify may also use and disclose the personal information for related purposes and other purposes, including to maintain, manage and develop our relationship with the individual, so as to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to contract out some of our work activities to external service providers and suppliers (such as mailing houses and printing companies, IT, advertising and marketing), to assess and consider applications from prospective applicants for recognition of prior learning services, contractors and service providers and for such purposes for which Accredify may obtain consent from you from time to time. In order to deliver a service you have requested, we may sometimes share your personal information with an affiliate (including a Registered Training Organisation). We may also disclose your personal information to other third parties and for other purposes with your consent. That consent may be written, verbal or implied from your conduct.

We may use or disclose your personal information to market our service products or any third party services to you. If you do not want to receive further direct marketing or be contacted for marketing purposes by telephone, email, letter or in person, please let us know by contacting us at info@accredify.com.au. Accredify has an effective system in place to record these requests and will action your request at its earliest time.

If you do not provide the personal information we request or consent to the collection and use of your personal information for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, Accredify may not be able to assist you in providing the services outlined above.

Accredify reserves the right to disclose an individual’s personal information to a responsible person, a close relative or others with a close relationship to that individual where it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious or imminent threat to the individual’s life, health or safety, but this requires your consent. Sometimes Accredify will collect information from a publicly available source if it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the information directly from the individual (for example, checking a candidate’s work history).

Keeping Information Accurate, Complete and Up to Date

While keeping in mind why the information is being collected, Accredify takes reasonable steps to make sure that the information is accurate, complete and up-to-date at the time of collection and when used or disclosed.

Data Security

Accredify will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to protect personal information that it holds from unauthorised access, modification, misuse, interference and loss. When electronic information is no longer required it is permanently destroyed. You authorise us to store your personal information for the longer of:

1. 9 years from its collection;
2. Where your information is required to be kept for a longer period by law (such as under a requirement that qualification-applicant information be retained to demonstrate entitlement to a qualification), that longer period; and
3. For so long as we have any rights against you.

Our employees and data processors are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by us.

Procedures are in place such as:

• maintaining physical security measures over its physical premises, and a range of computer and network security measures (such as systems access, firewalls, data encryption) over its electronic systems. Accredify employees are required to maintain the confidentiality of any personal information held.
• Secure storage of all files after use to reduce the risk of unauthorised access to personal information.

However, Accredify will not be held responsible for events arising from unauthorised access to your personal information.

Access and Correction

Personal information that is collected about you is available for access by you and correction by you at any time. Subject to any exceptions contained in the Privacy Act to the contrary, you have a right to have access to the information that we hold about you on record.

Where you have provided us with personal information that affects any rights we have against you, we are entitled to retain the original personal information provided until such rights are discharged.

We may refuse access or to make any requested changes if there is a reason under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or other relevant law to refuse such access.

If we do not agree to change your record/personal information in accordance with your request, you may write a detailed a statement of the proposed requested changes and we will enclose this with your record. Further should you wish to then obtain access to your record your request should be in writing outlining in detail the information you are seeking. Please note we may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

Accredify may deny access to some information as providing such access could have an unreasonable impact upon the privacy of other individuals.

Before access to personal information is granted to any individual their identity needs to be established. The individual is required to request the information in person with photographic ID or to provide personal details that can be used to identify them.

Complaints

If:

• you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy;
• we have reason to deny you access to your personal information; or
• you have a complaint about our information handling practices,

you can lodge a complaint with us directly by email at info@accredify.com.au. Accredify will respond to complaints within a reasonable period of time. If you disagree with Accredify’s decision, you may refer the complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.