Privacy

Introduction

All personal information that ASQA collects is protected by the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act). Information about the Act can be found on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Under the requirements of the Information Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act, ASQA is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information.

This privacy statement outlines how ASQA maintains this commitment, and how the personal information collected is handled.

What is personal information?

Personal information is broadly defined under the Privacy Act as information or an opinion about you, which identifies you or would allow your identity to be reasonably ascertained.

Some examples of personal information include names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

The definition of personal information only relates to ‘natural’ persons. It does not extend to other ‘legal’ persons, such as companies.

Information ASQA collects and how that information is used

As Australia’s national regulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, ASQA's functions include:

  • registering training providers as ‘registered training organisations’ (RTOs)
  • recommending organisations as CRICOS providers; that is, providers that can enrol international students
  • accrediting VET courses
  • auditing RTOs for compliance
  • assessing the risk of RTO applications.

ASQA also analyses and reports on risks and performance in the VET sector.

Generally, personal information is collected in order for ASQA to properly and efficiently carry out its functions. ASQA uses personal information only for the purposes for which it was provided and for directly related purposes (unless otherwise required by or authorised under law).

Types of information we collect

Information collected through our website

Log information (browsing)

Whenever you visit this website and use ASQA's online services, ASQA's servers automatically record information that your browser sends. This may include your server address, your top level domain name (for example, .com, .gov, .au, and .uk), the date and time of each visit to the site, the pages accessed and documents viewed, the previous sites visited, your browser type, the browser language, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file containing a string of characters to your computer that uniquely identifies your browser. It is information that your web browser sends back to ASQA's website server whenever you visit it again. ASQA uses cookies to ‘remember’ your browser between page visits. In this situation, the cookie identifies your browser, not you personally.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect information about visitors to our website. Google Analytics employs first-party cookies and JavaScript code to help analyse how the site is used. It anonymously tracks how our visitors interact with this website, including how they have accessed the site (for example, from a search engine, a link or an advertisement) and what they did on the site.

The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and Internet usage. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser.

Information collected through application forms

ASQA collects information from RTOs and potential RTOs through application forms, in accordance with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (National VET Regulator Act).

Information collected through forms

Forms are provided on the ASQA website for the submission of applications for registration as a CRICOS provider (and applications for activities associated with CRICOS registration), accreditation of training courses and other ASQA functions. These forms may be submitted by email or by post.

Where you choose to send ASQA a completed electronic form that includes your personal details, ASQA collects personally identifiable information, such as name, address and email address.

Where payment is required, ASQA may collect your credit card details, if you choose to pay by credit card. Applications of the types that can include credit card information are handled only by ASQA’s finance team. Once your payment has been processed, a secure version of your credit card information, with the CCV and all digits excepting the last four and first six removed, is stored securely by ASQA’s finance team, for the purpose of managing disputed transactions.

Sharing information gathered through application forms

Some of the information provided through application forms will be on the National Register in accordance with the National Vocational Education and Training Act 2011.

The information may also be shared with other state and territory government and Australian Government authorities (including the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and ministers, occupational licensing bodies, overseas authorities, and others in accordance with the information sharing provisions contained in the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 or the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988.

Where ASQA discloses personal information about you under the information sharing provisions of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, ASQA will advise you in writing of the disclosure and the details of the personal information disclosed, other than where the disclosure of personal information is made to:

  1. the Secretary of the Department, or
  2. a Commonwealth authority (including TEQSA), or
  3. a state or territory authority, or
  4. another VET regulator.


The Privacy Act 1988 also enables ASQA to disclose personal information to third parties in the following circumstances:

  • you are reasonably likely to have been aware, or made aware by way of a privacy notice, that your personal information is usually passed to the relevant parties
  • you have consented to the information being disclosed
  • ASQA believes on reasonable grounds that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your life or health or that of another person
  • the disclosure is required or authorised by or under law
  • the disclosure is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of criminal law or a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of the public revenue.

Alternative options for the provision of information

Applicants who prefer not to use email for applications may submit forms by post.

Payment information

Where you pay for ASQA services by credit card, ASQA receives your credit card information by email or post. Your credit card details are used to process your payment and then an ‘unusable’ version of your credit card information is stored.

Alternative payment options

Alternative payment options (through bank, business or personal cheque) are available for those who prefer not to use credit cards.

Information collected through emails and mailing lists

Your email address may be recorded on ASQA's servers if you send ASQA a message online.

Email subscriptions

Your personal information is collected for the purpose of maintaining ASQA's mailing lists and answering your queries.

This information will not be disclosed except as required or authorised by law.

Conditions of subscription

The following conditions apply to subscriptions to our mailing lists.

  • Subscribers may cancel their subscription to the mailing lists at any time.
  • A subscription can be cancelled by emailing enquiries@asqa.gov.au with ‘Unsubscribe’ in the subject line of the email.
  • ASQA reserves the right to change the frequency with which updates are forwarded to subscribers.

Access and alteration of records containing personal information

When you provide personal information in relation to ASQA services, you are allowed access to your personal information and may correct the information if it is inaccurate (subject to restrictions on such access/alteration of records under the applicable provisions of any law of the Commonwealth).

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 also provides you with an opportunity to request access to documents in ASQA's possession.  

Read more about ASQA and Freedom of Information.

Contact

If you have any questions or complaints about privacy, confidentiality or access to your personal information, please write to ASQA's Privacy Contact Officer at this address:

Privacy Contact Officer
Australian Skills Quality Authority
GPO Box 9928
MELBOURNE  VIC  3001

Alternatively, you can email privacy@asqa.gov.au 

Changes to this policy

Please note that this privacy policy may change from time to time. This policy was last updated in June 2011.