Privacy Protocol 3 – requests for access to personal information from third parties acting as representatives of staff members or students
The University occasionally receives requests for access to personal information from a third party (individual or company) who is acting as a representative of a staff member or student. These third parties may include solicitors, insurance agencies, parents or spouses.
For such a request for access to the student or staff member’s records to be considered, a signed written authorisation from the student or staff member must be produced with the request.
Provided that the request for access is within the scope of the authorisation provided by the student or staff member concerned, then the administrative access procedures for students or staff members may be followed.
Where an authorisation is not provided or is inadequate to cover the situation, the request must be refused.
A copy of the documentation provided by the representative should be retained for reference.
A student may authorise the University to forward their academic transcript to another person or organisation. If the registrar of another institution (or the director of an interstate university admission centre), to which a student is applying for admission or scholarship funding, formally requests a copy of a student’s academic record, its transmission will be assumed to be authorised by the student on the basis of an implied consent to disclosure. It is preferable however if the other institution can supply a written authorisation signed by the student (commonly included in application forms), and so where possible, enquiries should be made to obtain this.