Victorian Auditor-General's Office

Information privacy

VAGO is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of individuals.

We collect and hold personal information in the course of our business in line with our Privacy Policy, which is available on request.

We will use personal information for the primary purpose it was collected. We may use or disclose personal information for another purpose, but only if it is related to the primary purpose and you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose the information for that purpose.

We will also use and disclose personal information if it is required or authorised by law. For instance, the Auditor-General is required by the Audit Act 1994 to notify the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) of any matter that appears to involve corrupt conduct.

Other situations where we will use or disclose your personal information could include:

  • a serious and imminent threat to an individual's life, health, safety or welfare; or a serious threat to public health, public safety or public welfare
  • if we reasonably believe that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary for a law enforcement agency for matters relating to criminal offences, proceeds of crime, protection of public revenue, or serious improper conduct.

We will only collect sensitive information from you if the collection is required under law or if you have given consent.

How can I access my information?

You have a right to access and correct personal information that VAGO holds about you. You can request access to your information from VAGO.

If the information is audit evidence, we cannot disclose this information due to secrecy requirements in the Audit Act 1994 relating to audit evidence. In this case, we cannot provide access.

We will correct inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date personal information when new details are provided.

When does VAGO collect information?

We collect personal information for different reasons, including when someone:

  • is included in an audit
  • calls or writes to us
  • makes a complaint
  • applies for a job
  • tenders a product or service
  • subscribes to a mailing list.

VAGO also uses web analytics software to collect usage statistics for its website. We do not use this information to identify you or match with any of your personal information.

Our web server may automatically record non-personal information for statistical and system administration purposes, such as:

  • your server address
  • your top level domain name (for example, com, .au, .gov)
  • the date and the time of your visit to the site
  • the pages you accessed and downloaded
  • the address of the last site you visited
  • your operating system
  • the type of browser you are using.

We will not attempt to identify you from such clickstream data unless necessary for the investigation of unlawful activity or otherwise permitted under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualise and personalise the ads of its own advertising network.

For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page.

Facebook

Facebook remarketing service is provided by Facebook Inc. You can learn more about interest-based advertising from Facebook by visiting this page.

To opt-out from Facebook’s interest-based ads follow these instructions from Facebook.

Facebook adheres to the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioural Advertising established by the Digital Advertising Alliance.

For more information on the privacy practices of Facebook, please visit Facebook’s Data Policy.

How does VAGO ensure that information is accurate and up to date?

We take reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date. To assist us with this, please try to ensure that the personal information you provide to VAGO is accurate and complete.

How does VAGO store and protect information?

We maintain a secure system for storing personal information. We have policies and procedures to protect personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. When personal information does not need to be held anymore, we will dispose of it appropriately and according to legislative requirements.

Complaints regarding breaches of privacy

Breaches or interferences of privacy can be brought to the attention of our privacy officer.

All complaints should be in writing and include:

  • how you believe your privacy has been breached
  • the effect that the breach has had on you
  • what you would like VAGO to do in response to your complaint.

If we do not respond within 28 days or you are unsatisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.