1     Policy

1.1            Anonymity

Should it be appropriate and practicable, a person may elect not to identify him or herself in entering into transactions with EASTERN. Sensitive material will not be collected unless the individual consents.

1.2            Collection of information

The College collects information from you at various times during your engagement with The College, which includes but is not limited to the following

• When you apply to study with The College
• When you complete an online form
• When you become an employee of The College
• When you make a donation to The College
• When you interact with any of The College’s online websites
• When you engage in learning through The College’s Learning Management System (LMS) and Student Management System.
• When you become a graduate of The College
• When you attend an event with The College such as Open Day or a public lecture
• When you attend a face-to-face class or have an interview with a staff member
• When you become a member of the EASTERN Board of Directors
• When you are employed by The College as a staff or faculty member.
• When you enter into an agreement as a Volunteer of The College

EASTERN also collects this information for related, secondary purposes including:

• meeting our legal obligations,
• administration,
• contacting donors to, and graduates of, EASTERN, and
• for marketing purposes (with the express exception of sensitive information).

1.2.1      Personal information

EASTERN only collects personal information that is reasonably necessary for one or more of EASTERN’s functions or activities. EASTERN collects personal information for the primary purpose of maintaining a database in order to operate effectively as a provider of Christian education and ministry.

The College collects and stores information about you including, but not limited to:

• Personal contact details
• Details about any church affiliations including and pastors or mentors
• Details about your previous studies and results
• Details about your academic interests or the purpose of course advice
• Details about your other interests for the purposes of placements and job offers
• Details about racial or ethnic origin
• Health records including disabilities or histories of mental illness
• Additional information for Tuition Protection purposes:
  • date of birth and identifiers (e.g. Unique Student Identifier),
  • study arrangements and details including enrolments and course progress, and
  • payment arrangements, including tuition fees paid or payable, scholarships and payments by third parties.

1.2.2      Means of Collection

Means of collection: EASTERN collects personal information only by lawful and fair means from the individual concerned unless the individual consents to collection of information from another person or EASTERN is required or authorized by or under Australian law to collect from someone else.

1.2.3      Consent and collection of information from third parties

The College does not collect any information about you from third parties, unless you consent to the collection prior to the collection of the information. With your consent we may collect information about you from, but not limited to:

• Your pastor, mentor or supervisor
• Your supervisor during a practicum or placement arrangement

1.2.4      Use of Personal Information

The College may use your information for the purposes of, but not limited to:

• Determining your suitability to study with The College
• Maintaining accurate academic information and course progress
• Developing a learning and training plan
• Meeting legal requirements
• Marketing and promotions

1.3            Types of Information Collected

The following types of personal information are collected but are not limited to:
 

Electronically stored personal information	Paper records of personal information
Application and enrolment forms, any medical report and in-coming references, past and present Student’s attendance record, academic progress and results	Application and enrolment forms, any medical report and in-coming references, past and present Student’s attendance record, academic progress and results
Overseas Student visa information	Overseas Student visa information
Correspondence from, or concerning, Students, including copy references from EASTERN	Correspondence from, or concerning, Students, including copy references from EASTERN
Board of Directors, Faculty, Staff and Graduate names and contact details, Volunteers	Board of Directors, Faculty, Staff and Graduate names and contact details, Volunteers
Donor names and contact details and direct debit details where provided	Donor names and contact details and direct debit details where provided
The unique identifier (log-in identification and Student number) and email address of anyone who communicates with EASTERN on-line
The results of on-line surveys made of Students, Graduates, Donors, Churches and Mission Agencies	The results of on-line surveys made of Students, Graduates, Donors, Churches and Mission Agencies
Newsletters from Graduates	Newsletters from Graduates
Website chat-rooms, forums, on-line tuition, message boards and / or news groups	Records relating to counselling of Students, Faculty and Staff (including performance appraisal)
Requests for prayer	Requests for prayer (also may be oral)

1.4            Disclosure and Storage of Personal Information

Your personal information may be used or disclosed by Melbourne School of Australia for statistical, administrative, regulatory and research purposes or for support purposes. Melbourne School of Australia may disclose your personal information for these purposes to:

• Staff who, under the terms of their employment contract with Eastern College Australia, are also members of the staff of Melbourne School of Theology.
• Commonwealth and State or Territory government departments and authorised agencies.
• National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

1.5            Disclosure of Personal Information

Personal information that EASTERN collects will not be used or disclosed for any purpose other than the primary purpose for which it was collected or for a related, secondary purpose where the individual has consented or would reasonably expect the information to be used. The exceptions are where:

• EASTERN provides a debt collection agency, or a solicitor, with the name and contact details of a person who either has an outstanding debt payable to EASTERN, or is involved in another legal matter concerning that person and EASTERN.
• EASTERN provides a personal reference or a copy of a person’s academic results to another educational institution, prospective employer or mission agency, upon request of that institution etc, unless the Student or Graduate has requested in writing that such information be not provided.

 
Only authorized Faculty or Staff involved in providing training, education and ministry for the individual providing personal information may have access to such information as they need to provide an appropriate service.
Information about a person’s race, ethnic origin or religious affiliation may be used in the compilation or analysis of statistics relevant to planning and marketing. Such information will be de-identified. Sensitive information that EASTERN collects will not be used for any purpose other than the primary purpose for which it was collected. Sensitive information will not be disclosed for any purpose without the consent of the individual unless information is disclosed is necessary for an enforcement related activity in which case a written record of disclosure will be kept.
 
Services Australia

• We may disclose your personal information to Australian Government agencies, including Services Australia, where there is required or authorised by Australian law.
• Information about your enrolment with us may be disclosed if you are claiming or receiving a payment from Services Australia.
• You are still required to notify Services Australia of any change in circumstances that affect your payment.

1.6            Treatment of Sensitive Information

In referring to 'sensitive information', the College means: information relating to a person's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices or criminal record, that is also personal information; health information and biometric information about an individual.
 
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.

1.7            Management and Security of Personal Information

Third party service providers are examined for compliance with Australia’s privacy principles.

The College's staff are required to respect the confidentiality of all stakeholders’ personal information and the privacy of individuals.
 
The College has policies and procedures in place to protect the personal information the College holds from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and password access rights to computerised records.
 
Access and Correction of Personal Information
Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act and the Health Privacy Principles contained in the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), an individual has the right to seek and obtain access to any personal information which the College holds about them and to advise the College of any perceived inaccuracy. Students will generally be able to access and update their personal information.
 
There are some exceptions to these rights set out in the applicable legislation.
 
To make a request to access or to update any personal information the College holds about you, contact the Vice Principal (Community and Operations). The College may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. While generally no fee will be charged, the College may charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your application and locating, retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested. If the information sought is extensive, the College will advise the likely cost in advance. If we cannot provide you with access to that information, we will provide you with written notice explaining the reasons for refusal.

1.8            Access and Updating of Personal Information

Your personal contact information can be viewed and updated by you through a web link sent to you upon request or in person through the Student Services Team at Reception. However, updating other information, for example a change of name, will require you to fill in a form and may require you to pay a fee.

1.9            Surveillance Technologies

The College uses surveillance technologies in and around school premises as part of their security systems and safety procedures to ensure the College provides a Child Safe environment for students, staff and visitors and reasonably protect the College against risks of intruders, vandalism and unauthorised student exits. Signs are affixed in a number of suitable places to identify these safety procedures for the benefit of the whole College community.

1.10        Collecting Personal Information via EASTERN Website

EASTERN does not collect or solicit any personal information through its website that might be unlawful, unnecessary, excessive or unrelated to the functions or activities of The College.

1.10.1   Record of your visit

When you visit EASTERN’s website, a record is generated about your visit which may be used for statistical gathering and analytical purposes.

• your server address
• your top-level domain name (eg: .au; .gov; .com; etc)
• the date and time of your visit
• the pages you accessed and documents downloaded
• the previous site you visited, and
• the type of browser you used.

1.10.2   The Use of Cookies

A cookie is a small text file passed from your internet browser on to your computer's hard drive, allowing websites to remember who you are when you return. Cookies also track information such as your computer’s IP address, operating system, browser type and traffic patterns such as how you arrived on sites, your time of arrival, the pages you viewed and how long you stayed.
 
EASTERN may use cookies to store information that may speed up your use of our website for any of your future visits to the website. We may also use cookies to help manage the display and presentation of information on the website. Cookies are stored on your computer and not on our website.
 
The information we collect through cookies is anonymous and not personally identifiable and may be used for statistical and business purposes. Cookies do not contain your name, address, telephone number, email address or other personal information.
 
Disclosure about collection of data
Third parties, including Facebook, may use cookies, web beacons and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from our website and elsewhere on the Internet, and use that information to provide measurement services and target advertisements. You can opt out of this collection by visiting sites such as or go to

• http://www.youronlinechoices.com.au/
• https://adssettings.google.com/

 
You can find more information on the OAIC website.
 
Google Analytics
Cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They’re widely used across the web.
 
Facebook Advertising
Cookies help our advertising programs to be efficient, enabling us to place EASTERN advertisements on Facebook to targeted and relevant users who have visited the EASTERN website in the past. For Facebook’s privacy policies. Go to:
 
Facebook cookie policy https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies/
Facebook privacy policy https://www.facebook.com/policy.php

1.11        Complaints

For all complaints, please contact the Vice Principal (Community and Operations). For general enquiries please visit our website.

1.12        Related Government Bodies

Your personal information is required to be reported to the government as a part of the Unique Student Identifier program. https://www.usi.gov.au/about
 
Your personal information is required to be reported to the Victorian Government if you participate in the Victorian Government Skills First program.
 
 
END