The Accessible Justice Project – Privacy Policy

The Accessible Justice Project’s commitment to protecting the privacy of its clients, contacts and staff is set out below.

The Accessible Justice Project (AJP)

AJP is a not for profit law firm. For the AJP to assess whether it can provide legal services to a particular person, it must collect personal information from people who apply for AJP’s assistance. Once AJP agrees to act for a person, further personal information of that person and other parties related to a matter must be collected to enable AJP to assist. AJP manages all personal information in accordance with Australian privacy law, including the Australian Privacy Principles and Privacy Act 1988.

Kinds of Personal Information AJP Collects and Holds

AJP collects and holds personal information of the following types:

• Personal details, including people’s names, mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, nationality, occupation, employment history, qualifications, government-issued identifiers (such as Tax File Number, Australian Company Number or Australian Business Number) and income;
• Where necessary, people’s sensitive information about their health , racial or ethnic origin, criminal record, religious affiliation, membership of a professional or trade association or trade union, or personal opinions;
• Information required for AJP to meet its legal and regulatory obligations;
• Information received by AJP in the course of providing legal services;
• Financial information, including for billing purposes; and
• Records of meetings and events attended at AJP.

How AJP Collects and Holds Personal Information

AJP generally collects personal information that is provided directly by individuals or identified through independent investigation in the following ways:

• Information provided via AJP’s website;
• Information provided via AJP’s physical or online application form;
• Information provided via email and/or telephone; and
• Information collected by AJP in the course of providing legal services.

AJP holds personal information in secured electronic and physical form. We take the protection of all information we hold very seriously and have appropriate technical and organisational processes and measures in place to protect it from misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. For example, we store information in access-controlled premises or in electronic databases with two- step login requirements. All staff with access to confidential information are subject to confidentiality obligations and we conduct regular security training.

From time to time, AJP may engage the services of a third party provider of technology services to store the personal information it collects. Where this is the case, AJP will take all reasonable measures to satisfy itself that the third party is compliant with Australian privacy law, including the Australian Privacy Principles and Privacy Act 1988 in the way that it holds the personal information.

Purposes of Collecting, Holding, Using and Disclosing Personal Information

AJP collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information for the following purposes:

• To enter into agreements for the provision of legal services with AJP clients and to deliver these services;
• To manage, account for and improve AJP’s service to clients;
• To ensure the physical security of AJP’s systems, staff and premises (including the use of security cameras and access passes);
• To meet AJP’s legal, regulatory and ethical obligations (including in respect of managing potential conflicts of interest); and
• Where permission is given by the individual, to market AJP’s services.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

AJP uses and discloses personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, including in the following circumstances:

• With the consent of the individual to the use or disclosure of his or her personal information for one or more purposes. This consent may be revoked at any time, by emailing contact@accessiblejustice.org.au;
• In the course of providing legal services;
• Fulfilment of AJP’s legal obligations; and
• Conduct of legal proceedings, the obtaining and giving of legal advice or establishing, exercising or defending legal rights involving the individual.

Sources and Recipients of Personal Information

Sources of personal information collected, held and used by AJP include clients, staff, intermediaries, third parties connected to the individual (such as their business or personal associates or employers), and open-source material (such as public records or other information freely available on the Internet).

The following is a list of potential recipients of personal information (in each case including respective employees, directors and officers):

1. Barristers or other solicitors AJP instructs to carry out work on the individual’s
   behalf;
2. Experts or other professionals;
3. Sub-contractors, agents or service providers of AJP in the furtherance of the delivery of legal services;
4. Courts or tribunals;
5. Law enforcement agencies where considered necessary for AJP to fulfil its legal obligations; and
6. Regulators or other government or supervisory bodies with a legal right to the material or a legitimate interest in material.

Where AJP enters into an engagement with a third party, we will ensure that personal information is disclosed on a confidential basis only.

Accessing and Correcting Personal Information

Individuals have a right to request access to their personal information and request its correction. If AJP holds personal information about an individual, AJP will give the individual access to the information on request by the individual, unless the law requires or permits us not to do so. Please email contact@accessiblejustice.org.au to make a request.

AJP will take reasonable steps to correct any personal information held by AJP, having regard to the purposes for which it is held, as requested by the individual. Please email contact@accessiblejustice.org.au to request the correction of personal information.

Retention of Personal Information

AJP only keeps information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and retention periods are set out in the client’s letter of engagement. To request information about our retention policy or the destruction of personal data, please write to contact@accessiblejustice.org.au

Marketing Services

You may withdraw your consent to receive marketing materials from AJP at any time. An option to unsubscribe will be contained in every marketing communication we send. Alternatively, consent may be withdrawn at any time by writing to contact@accessiblejustice.org.au

Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is regularly reviewed and updates will appear on our website at www.accessiblejustice.org.au. We last updated this Privacy Policy on 10 August 2020. We invite comments on the effectiveness of this policy and will take into account any suggestions in reviewing this Privacy Policy.

How to Contact AJP

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or any personal information AJP holds about you, please contact contact@accessiblejustice.org.au.

If you would like to make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please make a complaint in writing to contact@accessiblejustice.org.au. If we receive a complaint from you about how we have handled your personal information, we will determine what (if any) action we should take to resolve the complaint. If we have not adequately responded to your complaint within a reasonable time, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner under s 40 of the Privacy Act 1988. A complaint can be made via the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner located here.

Disclosure of Personal Information to Overseas Recipients

Ordinarily, AJP will not disclose personal information to overseas recipients, unless we are required to do so in order to provide legal services, for example, where a respondent to a claim is based overseas or is related to an overseas entity.

Web traffic information is disclosed to Google Analytics when you visit our website. Google stores information across multiple countries.

When you communicate with us through a social network service such as Facebook or Twitter, the social network provider and its partners may collect and hold your personal information.