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About Council

Learn more about the Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Citizenship Ceremonies

Hinchinbrook Shire Council Citizenship Ceremonies

Events Calendar

A place where you can find and share events that are happening in the Hinchinbrook community.

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Privacy and Security

Privacy and Security

Queensland has privacy legislation which applies to the Queensland public sector – the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act). The IP Act contains privacy principles which set out how agencies may and must handle personal information. 

The Hinchinbrook Shire Council Privacy Statement sets out details of the types of personal information we hold and how we handle this information. 

Website Privacy and Security Statement

Hinchinbrook Shire Council is committed to protecting the privacy of our website users. Council understand and appreciates that visitors to and users of this website are concerned about their privacy and the confidentiality and security of the information they provide to us. 

By visiting Hinchinbrook Shire Council’s website, you are accepting the practices described in this Website Privacy Statement.

For the purposes of this statement, personal information refers to any information that may enable the identification of an individual visitor to the website. As a visitor to the Hinchinbrook Shire Council’s website, you will not be required to disclose personal information to visit or browse our site unless you voluntarily choose to do so. 

When visiting this site, an anonymous record of your visit is logged. This data is collected for statistical purposes and is used to help improve this website. The following information is supplied by your browser (for example Internet Explorer) and collected by us:

  • The user's server address
  • The user's operating system (for example Windows, MAC)
  • The user's top level domain name (for example: .com, .gov)
  • The date and time of the visit to the site
  • The pages accessed and the documents downloaded
  • The previous site visited
  • The type of browser used. 

Council may also collect personal information that you choose to give us via online forms or by email.

Emails

When you email Council personal information, or provide it to us through 'Contact Us' for online webforms, Council will record your email address and any other information submitted. Council will only use this information for the purposes provided. Your email address will not be added to a mailing list unless provided by you specifically for that purpose.

If you do not provide Council with a minimum level of information (usually marked with an asterisk and generally an email address), we may not be able to respond to you.

Email messages may be monitored by Council's Information Technology staff for system trouble-shooting and maintenance purposes

Collection notice

You are providing personal information which will be used for the purpose of delivering services and carrying out council business.

Your personal information is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 and will only be accessed by persons who have been authorised to do so.  The personal information collected varies according to the types of transactions a person conducts with Council and the services provided. Some of the most common information collected by Council includes:  

  • Name
  • Residential address
  • Postal address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Telephone numbers
  • Email address
  • Photo and video images (for example, from security cameras at Council-controlled venues)
  • Addresses of your property whether owned or leased by you
  • Credit card information
  • Bank account details
  • Driver licence details
  • Passport details
  • Details of your eligibility for child related employment (for example details of your "blue card" and related correspondence) whether as employee, volunteer or otherwise
  • Your vehicle description and registration details
  • Details of your assets and liabilities, property(ies), your and your invitees' interactions with the Council (including Council officers, application forms, decisions by the Council and enforcement actions by the Council affecting you, your property(ies) or your invitee(s)
  • Details of any pets or animals owned by you or registered in your name and any of your interactions with the Council regarding such pets or animals
  • Copies of correspondence exchanged between Council and you, including Council records of any interactions Council has had with you
  • If you are a Council employee - your Council employee ID, employee file, payroll number and your tax file number.

The information that Council collects is generally stored in Council databases and in hardcopy as well as on computers, external hard drives and mobile devices. We take precautions to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure or other forms of misuse.

As a general rule, we use and/or disclose information in order to perform Council functions and activities, to provide services requested by individuals and to comply with our legal and legislative obligations. 

Council may collect your personal information so that we can use it for the following purposes:

  • To review and consider any applications or submissions to Council (for example, development and building applications, applications for licences or permits).
  • To process any Council-related payments or transactions (for example, animal registration, property rates, an infringement notice, an application fee).
  • To carry out any Council inspections (for example, building inspections and food or health inspections).
  • To facilitate and organise Council’s civic, corporate or community events, including citizenship, prizes and awards ceremonies.
  • To inform you of Council and local news and developments or to notify you of Council-related developments or events which you have requested to be notified of (for example, Council newsletters and notices).
  • To assess your eligibility to be a Council volunteer, and to administer and co-ordinate Council’s volunteer programs and to communicate with our volunteers.
  • To answer any search requests submitted by a member of the public for publicly available information (for example, property-related searches).
  • To register your pets.
  • To respond to any communications and correspondence you send to us – which includes answering any queries and dealing with any feedback or complaints you have.
  • If you are a Council employee or have applied for employment at Council – to process employment applications and to process any employment related tasks (for example, to verify employment related matters and information, grant building and IT access and manage salary/wage arrangements).
  • To investigate any complaints lodged by you in connection with Council, its employees or its functions and activities.
  • To provide you with any Council information, services or products you have requested or are designed to better serve or promote the Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
  • To assist us to determine your needs and requirements to enable us to provide you with the appropriate Council services and information you have requested (for example, to direct your call or enquiry to the relevant council department).
  • To maintain any Council information databases, records or registers including those that we are required under Federal or State legislation to maintain.
  • To administer and enforce any legislation which Council is required to administer and enforce.
  • To verify any information you have provided to us.
  • To contact you should we need to.
  • To take any further action which we are required or authorised by law to take, including any investigative, enforcement and recovery action.

Council collects personal information for these purposes in a number of ways including when people contact Council directly by writing a letter, by telephone, email, internet or other form of electronic communication.  When people visit and/or communicate with Council through our websites (for example through an online enquiry form) or social media sites or when people participate in a competition or promotion run by Council, personal information may also be collected.

We collect personal information via online forms or by email communications for the purposes of, for example:

  • Contact details for tender / offer documents
  • Contact details for applicants for advertised positions within Council

As far as possible, we will collect personal information directly from you (for example, during personal meetings, phone conversations, from the Council's website or social media or during Council's interactions with you including by correspondence or when considering your enquiries, complaints or applications). However, in certain circumstances, we may collect your personal information from a third party for example:

  • If you are a minor – your parents or guardian
  • From other government departments and bodies (for example, Department of Communities)
  • From your current or former employer (for example, to obtain a reference check if you are applying for employment with the council)
  • Council and other databases (for example, to obtain information about your properties in the event of any enforcement action) 

Public Records

E-mail correspondence, blog comments and information provided via web forms can constitute public records and can be retained as required by the Public Records Act 2002 and other relevant legislation. Council will only use personal information collected via our website for the purposes for which it was given to us and for related, internal management purposes.

Council does not share personal information about you with other government agencies, organisations or anyone else unless one of the following applies:

  • You have consented
  • You would expect us to, or we have told you we will
  • It is required or authorised by law
  • It will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to somebody's life or health
  • The disclosure is reasonably necessary for law enforcement or for the protection of public revenue.

Recognising a secure site

A "secure" site is recognised by the closed padlock or an unbroken key coming into view in the bottom status bar in your web browser. You can also check to make sure that a valid site certificate is being used. A site certificate is used to validate a site's authority to use SSL and authenticates the website's state of security. This enables you to check the site's validity yourself. You can do this by double clicking on either the closed padlock or the unbroken key.

Website analytics

To improve your experience on our site, we may use 'cookies'. Cookies are an industry standard and most major websites use them. A cookie is a small test file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

Council uses Google Analytics to gather statistics about how the website is accessed. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather information for the purpose of providing statistical reporting.

The information gathered by the cookie about your use of the website will be transmitted and stored by Google on servers located outside of Australia. No personally identifying information is recorded or provided to Google.

Information gathered using the Google Analytics cookie includes:

  • The number of visitors to Council's website
  • How visitors arrive at Council's website, for example, did they type the address in directly, follow a link from another webpage or arrive via a search engine?
  • The number of times each page is viewed and for how long
  • Time and date of visit
  • Geographical location of the visitor
  • Information about what browser was used to view Council's website and the operating system of the computer
  • Information about whether the browser supports Java and Flash
  • The speed of the user's internet connection.

This information is used to refine and improve Council’s online service delivery and in turn the community’s online experience.

Security

The Hinchinbrook Shire Council takes strong precautions to protect the personal information we hold concerning you from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuse. However, please be aware we do not provide a mechanism for securing the transmission of information across the Internet.

Links to other sites

Council's website may contain links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. When you go to other websites from here, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.

Website Disclaimer

While the Hinchinbrook Shire Council has made every reasonable effort to ensure all the information contained within this site is both accurate and current, users should contact Council if they have any concern in relation to information presented. Council does not accept any liability for any statements or opinion, or for any errors or omissions contained within this site. All users accessing the site are responsible for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its contents. Links to other websites are provided purely for convenience and do not constitute endorsement of any material contained within these sites.

No reliance should be placed on information contained or to be implied or inferred from this website without checking out the details with an authorised officer of Hinchinbrook Shire Council. Council reserves the right to monitor all use of its computer systems and communication networks through authorised systems administrators.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

The information contained herein is the property of the Hinchinbrook Shire Council. Information may be downloaded, displayed, printed and copied in an unaltered form only. It is not to be distributed or used for commercial purposes without the written permission of the Chief Executive Officer of the Hinchinbrook Shire Council. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.

Internet Usage Policy

Public WiFi Acceptable Use Terms and Conditions

Hinchinbrook Shire Council provides a number of public WiFi hotspots across the municipality via the Latrobe City Public WiFi Network, allowing community members and visitors access to free internet connectivity at those locations (the Service).

Access to, and use of, the Service is subject to Hinchinbrook Shire Council’s Public WiFi Acceptable Use Terms and Conditions set out below (the Terms and Conditions). By accessing and using the Service, you agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions without exception or limitation and assume all responsibility and risk arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service. Hinchinbrook Shire Council may modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. You should therefore review them each time you log in.

1. Usage and Service Availability

Session time and download limits may be applied to use of the Service as deemed necessary by Hinchinbrook Shire Council at its discretion. These limits may be altered at any time without notice.

The Service may be altered, suspended, withdrawn or discontinued at any time without notice, at the discretion of Hinchinbrook Shire Council.

The Service is provided to you on an “as is” and “as available” basis. No warranty or representation of any kind is given in relation to the accessibility, security, quality or level of the Service.

The Service is not suitable for supporting any applications or use which require continuous, fault-free network connectivity or uninterrupted data traffic flow.

2. Unacceptable Use

The Service must not be used:

  • For business or commercial use;
  • In a way that could damage or interfere with the operation, integrity or performance of the Service or the equipment used by Hinchinbrook Shire Council to provide the Service;
  • To send, allow to be sent or assist in the sending of unsolicited commercial messages or bulk emails;
  • To gain access to, send, publish, promote or solicit receipt of material that is abusive, sexist, racist, unlawful, defamatory, harassing, menacing, threatening, pornographic, offensive, obscene, indecent, or discriminatory in nature;
  • In a way that intentionally infringes copyright, patent, trademark, design or other intellectual property rights;
  • For illegal, fraudulent or malicious purposes;
  • For unauthorised accessing of computers, accounts, equipment or networks belonging to another party or unauthorised monitoring of electronic communications;
  • To use or knowingly distribute any malicious computer code or software such as viruses, malware, Trojans, keyboard loggers, worms or data harvesting software; or
  • In a way that could cause Hinchinbrook Shire Council to breach any law or incur a liability to a third party, or that could reflect poorly on the reputation of Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
3. Responsibility for Content

Hinchinbrook Shire Council does not exercise control over the content of websites you access while using the Service and makes no warranty or representation as to the accuracy, relevance or quality of any material you access or that such material is fit for any particular purpose.

4. Security

The Service is provided on an open and public basis and Hinchinbrook Shire Council cannot guarantee security of the Service at all times.

The onus is on you as the user to take reasonable measures to protect the security of your device and data. It is recommended you do not send or receive sensitive personal information during your use of the Service.

5. Supervision of Minors

Hinchinbrook Shire Council is not responsible for supervising minors in access to and use of the Service. Supervision or restriction of a minor’s access to the Service is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

6. Privacy

Information about your device type, web browser and operating system may be collected, stored and used by Hinchinbrook Shire Council for the purposes of monitoring and improving the Service for users.

Hinchinbrook Shire Council may also collect, store, use and disclose your personal information for the purposes of delivering the Service or as required or authorised by law. Any personal information collected will be handled in accordance with all applicable privacy laws.

Hinchinbrook Shire Council is not responsible for third party collection or use of personal information and it is recommended you make your own enquiries to satisfy yourself in relation to the privacy policies of websites that you access.

7. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability

You will indemnify and hold harmless Hinchinbrook Shire Council and its personnel from and against any loss, damage, liability, charge, expense or cost (including reasonable legal and other professional costs on a full indemnity basis) arising out of or in connection with a breach by you of these Terms and Conditions.

Your use of the Service is at your own risk.

To the extent permitted by law, Hinchinbrook Shire Council and its personnel will not be liable for any costs or damages arising from or incidental to your access to and use of the Service including but not limited to:

  • Loss of revenue, profit, anticipated savings, opportunity, data, goodwill, reputation or productivity and any indirect or consequential loss; and
  • Direct or indirect damage to devices or loss of data.

Where liability cannot be excluded by law, it is limited to the minimum liability allowable by law.

8. Breach

If you do not comply with these Terms and Conditions, Hinchinbrook Shire Council reserves the right to terminate your access to and use of the Service on a temporary or permanent basis.

Please note - you will be required to re-log into HSC FREE PUBLIC WIFI every eight hours.

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