It is necessary for QUT to collect and use personal information about its students, staff and other clients to fulfil its functions. QUT recognises that, in collecting, storing and using this information, it has obligations to protect personal privacy in accordance with the privacy regime established for government departments and agencies found in Information Standard 42 - Information Privacy.
IS42 states that personal information held by Queensland agencies must be responsibly and transparently collected and managed in accordance with 11 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs). The IPPs govern how personal information is collected, stored, used and disclosed.
The IPPs apply to “personal information” which has a very broad meaning, and has been defined in IS42 as “information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion”. IS42 excludes certain types of information from the application of the IPPs, but these exclusions will only be relevant to the University in limited circumstances.
IS42 requires that agencies develop a privacy plan to give effect to the Information Privacy Principles. The plan is designed to assist members of the public and the University community to understand how personal information is managed in QUT and how they can exercise their privacy rights in respect of the University's activities.
Accordingly, this plan explains QUT's privacy framework, including the type of personal information which is collected about individuals and QUT's practices for its use and management. The plan also describes our implementation strategy and complaint mechanisms.