Bell People Privacy Policy

We manage personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles. This condensed policy applies to information collected by Bell People. You can read parts of our full policy and obtain more information by following the links.

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for the proper performance of our activities or functions.

We do not collect personal information just because we think it could be useful at some future stage if we have no present need for it.

We may decline to collect unsolicited personal information from or about you and take steps to purge it from our systems.

By following the links in this document, you will be able to find out how we manage your personal information as an APP Entity under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). You will also be able to find out about the information flows associated with that information.

If you have any questions please contact us Bell People

Bell People manages personal information, as an APP Entity, under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

1.1. Information Flow

When we collect your personal information:

We check that it is reasonably necessary for the purpose to work as a Recruitment Consultancy Company;
We check that it is current, complete and accurate. This will sometimes mean that we have to cross check the information that we collect from you with third parties;
We record and hold your information in our
Information Record System
Some information may be disclosed to
Overseas Recipients;
We retrieve your information when we need to use or disclose it for our functions and activities. At that time, we check that it is current, complete, accurate and relevant. This will sometimes mean that we have to cross check the information that we collect from you with third parties once again – especially if some time has passed since we last checked.
Subject to some exceptions, we permit you to access access and correct your personal information in accordance with APP:12 of the Australian Privacy Principles
We correct or attach associated statements toyour personal information in accordance with APP:13 of the Australian Privacy Principles
We destroy or de-identify your personal information when it is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed provided that it is lawful for us to do so. We do not
destroy or de-identify information that is contained in a Commonwealth Record.

2. Kinds of information that we collect and hold

Personal information that we collect and hold is information that is reasonably necessary for the proper performance of our functions and activities as a recruitment consultancy and is likely to differ depending on whether you are:

2.1. For Work seekers

The type of information that we typically collect and hold about Work seekers is information that is necessary to assess amenability to work offers and work availability; suitability for placements; or to manage the performance in work obtained through us and includes:

Your name and contact details, employment history, identification details, educational qualifications, salary details

2.2. For Clients

The type of information that we typically collect and hold about Clients is information that is necessary to help us manage the presentation and delivery of our services and includes:

Your name and contact details, your role within organisation, notes for account management, billing details

2.3. For Referees

The type of information that we typically collect and hold about Referees is information that is necessary to help to make determinations about the suitability of one of our Work seekers for particular jobs or particular types of work and includes

Your name and contact details, role within organisation, the reference information you provide

3. Purposes

The purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information are likely to differ depending on whether you are:

3.1. For Work seekers

Information that we collect, hold, use and disclose about Work seekers is typically used for:

work placement operations;
recruitment functions;
statistical purposes and statutory compliance requirements;

3.2. For Clients

Personal information that we collect, hold, use and disclose about Clients is typically used for:

3.3. For Referees

Personal information that we collect, hold, use and disclose about Referees is typically used for:

to confirm identity and authority to provide references;

Work seeker suitability assessment;

recruitment functions;

3.4. Our Policy on Direct Marketing

The following sections are also relevant to our use and disclosure of your personal information:

4. How your personal information is collected

The means by which we will generally collect your personal information are likely to differ depending on whether you are:

4.1. For Work seekers

Personal information will be collected from you directly when you fill out and submit one of our application forms or any other information in connection with your application to us for work.

Personal information is also collected via:

We may also collect personal information about you from a range of publicly available sources including newspapers, journals, directories, the Internet and social media sites. When we collect personal information about you from publicly available sources for inclusion in our records we will manage the information in accordance with the APPs and our Privacy Policy.

4.2. For Clients

Personal information about you may be collected when you provide it to us for business or business related social purposes and also may be collected via;

4.3. For Referees

Personal information about you may be collected when you provide it to us:

We sometimes collect information from third parties and publicly available sources when it is necessary for a specific purpose such as checking information that you have given us or where you have consented or would reasonably expect us to collect your personal information in this way.

Sometimes the technology that is used to support communications between us will provide personal information to us – see the section in this policy on electronic transactions. We may also collect personal information about you from a range of publicly available sources including newspapers, journals, directories, the Internet and social media sites. When we collect personal information about you from publicly available sources for inclusion in our records we will manage the information in accordance with the APPs and our Privacy Policy.

4.4. Photos & Images

We will not request that you supply photographs, scan photo ID, or capture and retain video image data of you in cases where simply sighting photographs or proof of identity documents would be sufficient in the circumstances.

4.5. Electronic Transactions

Sometimes, we collect personal information that individuals choose to give us via online forms or by email, for example when individuals:

It is important that you understand that there are risks associated with use of the Internet and you should take all appropriate steps to protect your personal information. It might help you to look at the OAIC’s resource on Internet Communications and other Technologies

You can contact us by land line telephone or post if you have concerns about making contact via the Internet.

5. How your personal information is held

Personal information is held in our information record system until it is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed at which time it will be de-identified or destroyed provided that it is lawful for us to do so.

We take a range of measures to protect your personal information from:

misuse, interference and loss; and
Unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

5.1. Our Information Record System

For Work seeker, Contractors, Clients and Referees; your personal information may be stored by various means:

We have electronic personal information on our server and other electronic portable devices
We also utilize a paper based record system

5.2 Information Security

Bell People provide training for staff on our Privacy Policy and internal privacy protection policies.

Our electronic transactions are protected by an up to date anti-virus
All our user accounts are password protected
Our server has a dedicated hardware firewall to stop unwanted access

6. Disclosures

We may disclose your personal information for any of the purposes for which it is primarily held or for a lawful related purpose.

We may disclose your personal information where we are under a legal duty to do so.

Disclosure will usually be:

internally and to our related entities
to our Clients
to Referees for suitability and screening purposes.

6.1. Related Purpose Disclosures

We outsource a number of services to contracted service suppliers (CSPs) from time to time. Our CSPs may see some of your personal information. Typically our CSPs would include:

Software solutions providers;
I.T. contractors and database designers and Internet service suppliers;
Legal and other professional advisor;
Insurance brokers, loss assessors and underwriters;
Superannuation fund managers;

We take reasonable steps to ensure that terms of service with our CSPs recognise that we are bound by obligations to protect the privacy of your personal information and that they will not do anything that would cause us to breach those obligations.

6.2. Cross-Border Disclosures

Where relevant and only for the purpose of our business, some of your personal information may be disclosed to overseas recipients. We cannot guarantee that any recipient of your personal information will protect it to the standard to which it ought to be protected. The costs and difficulties of enforcement of privacy rights in foreign jurisdictions and the impracticability of attempting to enforce such rights in some jurisdictions will mean that in some instances, we will need to seek your consent to disclosure.

7. Access & Correction

Subject to some exceptions set out in privacy law, you can gain access to your personal information that we hold.

Important exceptions include:

Evaluative opinion material obtained confidentially in the course of our performing reference checks; and access that would impact on the privacy rights of other people. In many cases evaluative material contained in references that we obtain will be collected under obligations of confidentiality that the person who gave us that information is entitled to expect will be observed. We do refuse access if it would breach confidentiality.

For more information about access to your information or applying to correct your information see our Access and Correction Policy.

7.1. Access Policy

If you wish to obtain access to your personal information you should contact our Privacy Co-ordinator. You will need to be in a position to verify your identity.

Where you seek a response from us, we will let you know who will be handling your matter and when you can expect a full response.

7.2. Correction Policy

If you find that personal information that we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, you can ask us to correct it by contacting us.

We will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to correct that information to ensure that, having regard to the purpose for which it is held, the information is accurate, up to date, complete, relevant and not misleading.

If we have disclosed personal information about you that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, you can ask us to notify the third parties to whom we made the disclosure and we will take such steps (if any) as are reasonable in the circumstances to give that notification unless it is impracticable or unlawful to do so.

In the case of access and corrections requests, please provide as much detail as you can about the particular information you seek in order to help us retrieve it. Under the Privacy Act and other relevant laws, we are required to provide reasons if we refuse your request. Where we decide not to make a requested correction and you disagree, you may ask us to make a note of your requested correction with the information.

Complaints

You have a right to complain about our handling of your personal information if you believe that we have interfered with your privacy.

For more information see our complaints procedure

7.3. Complaints procedure

If you are making a complaint about our handling of your personal information, it should first be made to us in writing.

You can make complaints about our handling of your personal information to our Privacy Co-ordinator, whose contact details are Sue Campbell Director, Bell People – aYou can also make complaints to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Complaints may also be made to RCSA, the industry association of which we are a member.

RCSA administers a Code of Conduct for the professional and ethical conduct of its members.

The RCSA Code is supported by rules for the resolution of disputes involving members.

NOTE: The Association Code and Dispute Resolution Rules do NOT constitute a recognised external dispute resolution scheme for the purposes of the APPs; but are primarily designed to regulate the good conduct of the Associations members

When we receive your complaint:

will take steps to confirm the authenticity of the complaint and the contact details provided to us to ensure that we are responding to you or to a person whom you have authorised to receive information about your complaint;
Upon confirmation we will write to you to acknowledge receipt and to confirm that we are handling your complaint in accordance with our policy.
We may ask for clarification of certain aspects of the complaint and for further detail;
We will consider the complaint and may make inquiries of people who can assist us to established what has happened and why;
We will require a reasonable time (usually 30 days) to respond;
If the complaint can be resolved by procedures for access and correction we will suggest these to you as possible solutions;
If we believe that your complaint may be capable of some other solution we will suggest that solution to you, on a confidential and without prejudice basis in our response;

If the complaint cannot be resolved by means that we propose in our response, we will suggest that you take your complaint to any recognised external dispute resolution scheme to which we belong or to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner