Privacy

Our privacy obligations

Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is governed by The Office of the Information Commissioner (WA) which administers the Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA) which includes some privacy principles relating to the disclosure and amendment of personal information held by Western Australian State and local government agencies.

'Personal information' means any recorded information or opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained.

The types of personal information we collect and hold

You can browse the general content of our website anonymously, without providing or disclosing your personal information, however, some functionality and services on this site may require you to provide personal information.

We also collect personal information about our staff, contractors and suppliers, as well as the contact details of individuals who work for contractors and suppliers, and other types of professional associates and personal contacts.

Information Collection Notices

The objective of an Information Collection Notice is to explain to you what personal information we need to collect, why we are collecting your personal information and how it will be used and disclosed. By being transparent at this point, we are enabling individuals to make informed choices about their information.

To view an example of an Information Collection Notice, please visit the WHS Mines Statutory Positions Portal - Information Collection Notice published on our website.

How we collect personal information

Requests to provide information

Generally, you will know if we are collecting your personal information because we will ask you for it. For example, if you submit an online form to renew your WorkSafe licence, we will ask you to provide certain details about yourself in order to process your lodgement.

Wherever possible, we will ensure you are provided with a Collection Notice at the time, to explain how we will use the personal information we are asking for. The notice may be written or verbal.

Providing us with your information is voluntary except where required to process your lodgement or application. If you choose to not provide us with the requested information, we may not be able to respond to you or provide you with the service you are seeking.

Automatic collection of information through your use of our website

When you visit our website, some statistical information is collected about how you interact with the website. We use 'web cookies' to collect this type of information. A ‘cookie’ is a small piece of text sent to your web browser by a website you visit. Cookies will help the website remember information about your visit, which can make it easier to visit the site again and make the site more useful to you.

If you do not want cookies to be sent to your browser then you can manage them by changing the settings of your preferred web browser, however, some of the features of our website may not function fully and your ability to browse, read, submit and download information may be impaired.

Automatic collection of your information by third parties

We use tools to gather information about visitors to our websites and social media channels to help us improve our presence in the delivery of our online services. We use analytics software tools provided by various third-party vendors, which collect data about how you use and interact with our online services, including the following:

  • Tools that track, profile and collect information about how you interact with our online services:
    • Google Analytics
    • Google Tag Manager
    • Matomo Analytics
  • Tools that collect and analyse information about how you use our online services based on your usage patterns, also known as 'user behavioural data':
    • Addthis
  • Tools that track, profile and collect information about how you interact with our social media channels:
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

The use of these tools provides a number of data and information collection points about your visit and interaction with our online services, including the following:

  • The date and time of your visit to our online services
  • Which pages on our websites you visit and access
  • The amount of time you spend on each page
  • Links you click on within our websites
  • Technical information such as:
    • the type of device you use to connect to our online services;
    • your IP address; and
    • the type of browser and operating system you are using.

We only collect anonymous information and will not attempt to identify individuals unless it is necessary to the investigation of a breach of law or regulation.

It is important to understand that our use of these tools inexorably provides third-party vendors with access to the information collected, including their own use of unique identifiers used to identify your browser, app or device.

We recommend you read and consider the respective privacy statements for how these third-parties handle your personal information through their use of cookies and unique identifiers.

Information that you specifically provide us

We may ask you to provide us with certain types of personal information if you require a particular service from us. This may be over the telephone, through one of our online services, by completing a paper form, or meeting face-to-face. Wherever possible, we will ensure you receive a written or verbal Collection Notice to explain how we will use the personal information.

You may also provide your personal information to us without us directly requesting it, for example, if you engage with us through one of our social media channels.

Information that we collect from others

If you apply for a job or contract with us, we will collect personal information about you from your referees, business partners or associates, or any other person or entity’s information you have provided to us as a contact point. With your consent, we may also use a third-party service to ensure your employment, educational and identity records are valid and current. We may also check some details about our suppliers from publicly available sources, such as the Australian Business Register and ASIC databases.

The types of personal information we collect

The types of personal information we collect about you are determined by the nature of your engagement with us, whether that is for employment at the department, services we provide such as an application for a licence, or business relationships and can include the following:

  • Your full name
  • Your date and place of birth
  • Your address
  • Your contact details such as your email address and phone number
  • Other details about you such as:
    • your occupation;
    • driver’s licence number;
    • passport number;
    • unique student identifier number;
    • national police clearance;
    • documented relevant work or business experience;
    • evidence of applicable qualifications;
    • evidence of applicable training; or
    • evidence of trading practices.

In all cases, we will request only the minimum amount of information necessary to satisfy the requirements of the engagement.

Links to other sites

When visiting or accessing our online services, they may include links to third-party websites. These linked sites are not under our control, and we cannot accept responsibility for the conduct of third parties linked to our online services.

You may be presented with information or advertising and marketing material unrelated or unaffiliated with us. For example, you may be presented with information or advertising material if you visit the Facebook page of a group within the department. Such information or advertising content is not under our control and we cannot accept responsibility for the conduct of third-party services used to promote our presence in the delivery of our online services.

Before providing your personal information via any other website, we advise you to examine the terms and conditions of using that website and its privacy policy.

We recommend you read and consider the respective privacy statements for how these third parties will use your personal information.

How we use personal information

The personal information you provide us through the use of our services is collected on the principle of information limitation and will only be used for the primary purpose for which it was collected. We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To provide the service you have requested
  • To provide technical or other support to you
  • To answer your enquiry about our services or functions, or to respond to a complaint
  • To assess your eligibility prior to granting you a required licence to operate
  • To manage our employment or business relationship with you
  • To promote our other programs, products or services which may be of interest to you (unless you have opted out from such communications)
  • To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
  • If otherwise permitted or required by law
  • For other purposes with your consent, unless you withdraw your consent.

Your personal information for the above purposes, will at all times, be dealt with in accordance with the applicable legislation in Western Australia and consistent with any legal obligation, including the State Records Act 2000.

When we disclose personal information

Other federal or state government agencies:

The personal information of our staff, customers, suppliers and other contacts may be disclosed for related purposes to other government agencies, for example, where you have asked us to inform another agency of a change of address transaction.

Our third-party service providers

The personal information of our staff, customers, suppliers and other contacts may be held on our behalf outside of Western Australia, including ‘in the cloud’, by our third-party service providers. Our third-party service providers are bound by contract to only use your personal information on our behalf, under our instructions.

Other disclosures and transfers:

We may also disclose your personal information to third parties for the following purposes:

  • If necessary to provide the service or product you have requested
  • If otherwise permitted or required by law
  • For other purposes with your consent.

Security of your personal information

We will take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure.

We will take reasonable steps to ensure personal information is stored securely, not kept longer than necessary, and disposed of appropriately.

Accessing or correcting your personal information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. Unless an exception applies, we must allow you to see your personal information within a reasonable time period.

You also have the right to request the correction of your personal information if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

Some requests for access or correction to personal information can be processed expeditiously by contacting us through our website. In more complex cases, you will need to make a ‘Freedom of Information’ request.

You can request access or correction to your personal information by using the instructions provided in the “Contacting us” section of this policy.

Requests for the deletion of personal information

We will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer necessary to be retained or when it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected.

Unless an exception applies such as where the information is required by law to be retained, you may request the deletion of your personal information at any time.

We will take reasonable steps to process your request for deletion within a reasonable time period and will notify you once your request has been actioned.

You can request the deletion of your personal information by using the instructions provided in the “Contacting us” section of this policy.

Exercising your rights

You have a number of other rights in relation to the personal information the DEPARTMENT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY holds about you. You have the right to:

  • opt-out of direct marketing, and profiling for marketing;
  • opt-out of processing for research / statistical purposes, or processing on the grounds of 'public interest' or 'legitimate interest', and
  • data portability.

To seek to exercise any of those rights, please use the contact instructions provided in the “Contacting us” section below.

Contacting us

We welcome your privacy requests, concerns or feedback about the way we handle your personal information. You can access our list of comprehensive contact details by visiting, Who we are > Contacting the department on our website and selecting the appropriate group holding your information from the contact options provided.

If you are unsure about which group within the department holds your personal information, please contact our Service Desk where you will be directed to the correct group.