TAC RECRUITMENT - PRIVACY COLLECTION STATEMENT
This statement applies to all methods of collecting personal information (including hardcopy, electronic or verbal means during interview) for the purposes of recruitment by the TAC. This statement should be read in conjunction with the TAC Privacy Policy and can be accessed in full on TAC's website.
Lodging your application
The TAC uses the website of a company called PageUp to collect and store your job application. The TAC has an agreement with PageUp to facilitate applications for and enquiries about positions with the TAC. This means that once PageUp has collected your information, it passes the information onto the TAC, and the TAC then considers your suitability as a candidate.
The TAC requires contractors like PageUp to provide privacy and data security assurances, such as compliance with the Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014, the Health Records Act 2001, and security standards under ISO 27001.
Collection of your personal information
The TAC collects the personal information you provide during recruitment for the purpose of assessing your suitability for a position, and administering your application. This includes:
- Communicating with you about your application,
- Providing associated services such as security and parking, and
- To assess and improve the TAC’s recruitment practices.
Should you progress past the initial application stage, or if you are shortlisted, the TAC may also collect information about you from third parties such as your nominated referees (the TAC has engaged XRef to conduct referee checks for candidates on its behalf), previous employers, and education institutions/professional bodies you list in your application. For certain positions, you may be asked to complete probity checks (such as consent to a Police Check and/or agree to obtain a Working with Children Check (the TAC has engaged CVCheck to conduct background checks for candidates on its behalf). The TAC will not collect ‘sensitive’ or ‘health information’ (see the definitions of each in the TAC Privacy Policy) about you, unless you provide your consent.
TAC takes reasonable steps when conducting national police checks to identify the major considerations to be taken into account. TAC balances its obligation to protect its reputation, resources and clients, against the applicants’ right to privacy and freedom from discrimination. All decisions are made based on individual circumstances. For more information about the standards expected across the VPS, click here.
If your application is successful, then the TAC may request your tax file number (TFN) for taxation and superannuation law purposes. You are not required by law to give the TAC your TFN, however there may be financial consequences if you do not. The TAC uses PageUp to collect this information.
If you don't provide all or part of any of the information the TAC requests during the recruitment process, the TAC may not be able to properly consider your application. If you have any concerns about the information requested by the TAC, you can contact the TAC Privacy Officer to discuss this (see contact details below).
Use & disclosure of your personal information
Information you provide to the TAC as part of your application and during the recruitment process may be shared with:
- Your nominated referees to verify your skills, talent & experience
- Your previous employers, registration bodies, professional associations or education institutions to verify your qualifications and experience
- The TAC's legal counsel, and TAC staff who are relevant to the recruitment process & decision
- Organisations that conduct competency tests or medical tests on behalf of the TAC
- In the event of an emergency while you are onsite, relevant people who are required to respond (e.g. police, ambulance, hospital)
- Other disclosures or uses required or authorised by or under law
If you provide the TAC with other people’s personal information (such as your referees), you should inform them that:
- You are providing their information to the TAC
- If you are successful, their personal information may be kept on your employment record, and
- They can access that information by contacting the TAC’s Privacy Officer.
If your application is successful
If your application is successful, the TAC will keep your information as a part of your employment record. This is a comprehensive file of your work history at the TAC. The information retained on it also enables the TAC to contact your next of kin in an emergency; or, in relation to information about your state of health (e.g. relevant medical conditions) to take necessary steps to provide you with a safe working environment. Other information collected during your employment with the TAC and stored on your employment record may include:
- Performance feedback
- Information about a workplace accident in which you are involved
- Information about any insurance investigation, litigation, registration or professional disciplinary matter, criminal matter, inquest or inquiry in which you are involved
This information can be used or disclosed to:
- Assist your role / career performance or management
- Assist in any workplace rehabilitation
- Manage any complaint, investigation or inquiry in which you are involved
- Respond to any insurance claim or proposal that requires disclosure of your information
- Analysing human resources and comparative labour markets (in a de-identified form)
If your application is unsuccessful
If your application is unsuccessful, the TAC is required to keep your information for at least six months to meet its legal record-keeping obligations. The TAC may legally keep your personal information beyond this time for other legitimate purposes. The TAC considers that one such legitimate purpose is to consider your suitability for other roles at the TAC. If a role arises that you may be interested in, the TAC will contact you by email or telephone and ask if you consent to being considered further. You may then be forwarded information about that position or advised how to locate it on the web.
If you do not want your information retained in order to be considered for future roles at the TAC, please email: people_culture@tac.vic.gov.au. Please include the words 'Remove personal information' in the subject line. The TAC will ensure your application is removed from its database and any associated databases (such as PageUp’s website). The TAC periodically destroys applications (and also ensures that PageUp does so too) independently of you requesting that the TAC do so.
Accessing your information
You have a right to access any information the TAC holds about you, subject to exceptions in relevant legislation such as the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic). If you would like to access your information, or if you want to know more about how it is stored, used or shared, please contact the TAC Privacy Officer, or the FOI & Privacy Manager via the following:
Email: privacy@tac.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1800 332 556
Post: PO Box 742, Geelong Vic 3220.
Referee checks conducted by XREF – Collection Notice
TAC Collection Notice – for candidates
The TAC has engaged XRef to conduct referee checks for candidates on its behalf. The personal information provided by you and your nominated referees will be collected by XRef, and forwarded to the TAC. The personal information collected by XREF from your nominated referees relates to your talents, skills, competencies, employment history and attitude in the workplace. It is used by the TAC for the purpose of assessing your suitability for the role.
Neither the TAC nor XREF will use or disclose the personal information provided by you or your referees for any reason unrelated to the assessment of your for suitability for the role, unless it is required by law, or your consent (or your referees' consent) has been obtained (this is in spite of anything written to the contrary in XREF’s privacy policy).
If you or your referees do not provide all of the information requested by XREF, the TAC may not be able to properly assess your suitability for the role.
TAC Collection Notice – for referees
The TAC has engaged XRef to conduct referee checks for candidates on its behalf. Your personal information, and the personal information provided by you about the Candidate will be collected by XRef, and forwarded to the TAC. The feedback provided by you about the candidate’s talents, skills, competencies, employment history and attitude in the workplace is used by the TAC for the purpose of assessing their suitability for the role.
Neither the TAC nor XREF will use or disclose the personal information provided by you for any reason unrelated to the assessment of the Candidate’s for suitability for the role, unless it is required by law, or your consent has been obtained. (This is in spite of anything written to the contrary in XREF’s privacy policy). Please note, if a candidate requests a copy of the feedback you provide, it is the TAC’s usual process to provide this in full to the candidate.
If you do not provide all of the information requested by XREF, the TAC may not be able to properly assess the candidate’s suitability for the role.
If you wish to gain access to the information you have provided as a part of this process, please contact the TAC’s People & Culture team, or the FOI team on 1800 332 556.
TAC background checks conducted by CVCheck – Collection Notice
Who collects your personal information & why?
The TAC has engaged CVCheck to conduct background checks for candidates on its behalf. The TAC may request CVCheck to contact you and conduct one or more of the following checks where it is relevant to the position at the TAC:
- National and worldwide identity verification searches
- Australian police /criminal background checks thru AFP & ACIC
- Other international criminal history and identity checks
- Professional history qualification & registration checks
- Licencing checks (such as ASIC checks, APRA checks & directorship records)
- Financial history & credit checks using independent consumer & commercial credit reporting services.
The findings /results of the background checks are compiled by CVCheck and sent to the TAC. The TAC then uses these findings as a part of the recruitment process.
What personal information is collected about you?
In order to conduct the background checks, CVCheck will need to collect your name, contact details, date and place of birth, gender, current and previous residential addresses, and identify information (such as copies of your driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport). The results of the checks may contain sensitive information including your criminal record history, information about your country of origin or ethnicity, and financial information.
Your consent will be required by CVCheck to conduct some of these checks for the TAC.
While providing the requested information and consents are voluntary, if you do not provide your consent or all or part the information requested, this may affect your recruitment.
Disclosure of your personal information
CVCheck only discloses your personal information to organisations that are directly relevant to conducting the background checks. These include law enforcement organisations (such as ACIC or the Australian Federal Police), government agencies to verify your identity (e.g. Births Registry for birth certificates), and other agencies and organisations relevant to credit checking and financial verifications (e.g. ASIC) For more information about how CVCheck collects, shares and retains your information, see CVChecks collection notice.
The results of the background checks will be provided by CVCheck to the TAC.
The TAC will not use or disclose the personal or sensitive information collected about you for any reason unrelated to recruitment, unless it is required to by law, or your consent has been obtained.
TAC onboarding by PageUp - Collection notice
Onboarding for new employees
For new starters, the TAC uses PageUp to collect information needed for your future employment such as:
- Your contact information and emergency contact details,
- Financial information including your nominated superannuation fund, bank account details and Tax file number
- Residency /work status
- Information about pre-existing health conditions relevant to the workplace
- Copy of driver’s license/passport/birth certificate
- Signed acknowledgement of having read all TAC policies and procedures
This information will only be shared with TAC staff relevant to the onboarding process, the TAC’s solicitors and insurers.
TAC Collection of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Status by CHM Check My Vax platform – Collection notice
The Chief Health Officer (CHO) has issued a COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Workers) Direction issued by the Acting Chief Health Minister on 7 October 2021 (as may be updated), pursuant to section 200(1)(d) of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) (Mandated Directions).
Who is collecting information about your vaccination status?
The TAC has engaged Corporate Health Management Pty Ltd (CHM) as its contracted service provider to collect information about TAC workers’ vaccination status on the TAC’s behalf.
TAC workers are provided with access to CHM’s Check My Vax tool, so that CHM can request:
- Your work email address, full name, date of birth and Medicare number
- Your business division and occupation (this is a standard list of government roles – workers are asked to pick the most appropriate one)
- Information about your vaccination status
CHM will use the information you provide to validate your vaccination status as being either fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated of exempt for a permitted reason under the Mandated Directions from being fully vaccinated, against the Australian Immunisation Register, which holds any information about COVID-19 vaccinations you have received, or any exemptions relating to your COVID-19 vaccination status.
By clicking the ‘Accept’ button, you provide permission for CHM (on TAC’s behalf) to access, process and validate at any time your vaccination status against COVD-19 as being either fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated or exempt under the Mandated Directions.
What is the purpose of TAC collecting my vaccination status?
The TAC must collect your vaccination status for the purpose of administering your engagement and/or employment at the TAC, for ensuring the health and safety of all TAC staff, and to demonstrate compliance with its legal obligations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CHO Directive requires all Victorian government agencies such as the TAC to collect proof of vaccination status.
Is this vaccination requirement legal?
Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic), the CHO has emergency powers that can be exercised where a public health emergency has been declared - which is currently the case in Victoria. These powers include the ability to issue required health directions.
In this instance, under the COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Workers) Directions, the CHO requires that, from 15 October 2021, employers (including VPS employers) must collect, record and hold vaccination information about workers who are, or may be, scheduled to work outside a worker’s ordinary place of residence.
The TAC is also bound the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) in relation to its collection, use, disclosure and management of health information. Under Health Privacy Principle (HPP) 1.1 (Collection), the TAC is able to collect health information (such as your vaccination status) where the collection is authorised under law, and/or where the collection is necessary to prevent a serious threat to public health, safety or welfare. Where either of these two grounds exist, your consent is not required.
The collection of vaccination status by the TAC is therefore also permitted under the Health Records Act 2001(Vic).
What happens if I fail to comply with the vaccination information requirement by 15 October 2021? Will I be able to keep working?
If you do not provide vaccination status information, and/or you make a decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccination, you should advise your manager by email as soon as possible. You will not be able to work outside your home after 15 October 2021 if you remain unvaccinated.
Employees who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine because they have an approved medical exception will be managed appropriately.
The requirement for VPS employees to be vaccinated is lawful and reasonable. Employees who do not comply with vaccination requirements will continue to work from home while the COVID health restrictions state the direction of “You must work from home” or “If you can work from home, you should work from home” (subject to change). Once employees are expected to recommence working outside their home, unvaccinated employees (excluding those with a medical exception) will be considered unable to meet the inherent requirements of their role, which may impact their ongoing employment.
Will my manager or colleagues be able to view my vaccine status?
Your vaccine information will be held in accordance with TAC’s obligations under the Health Records Act 2001.
Your personal medical information will not be shared with your manager for the purpose of meeting the CHO’s direction. However, your manager will be advised if you are non-compliant with the direction, in order to work through any implications with you.
How will the TAC secure my vaccination status?
The TAC is bound by the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) in how it manages your health and personal information. Your direct line manager will not have access to it.
The People & Culture Operations and Business Partnering Team will be able to access these details for the purpose of ensuring that TAC staff have provided the information required under the CHO Directions. No other TAC staff will have access to these details. The TAC is committed to protecting the personal and health information of all persons with whom it interacts within the course of its functions and activities.
How can I gain access to my vaccination status?
Under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), you have a right to access and seek correction of your health information that is collected and held by TAC. You can contact the privacy team (privacy@tac.vic.gov.au) if you require assistance in obtaining a copy of your vaccination status.
What if I have concerns about the TAC collecting my vaccination status?
For further information about the TAC’s information handling practices, or to make a privacy complaint, please contact the Information & Privacy Manager at TAC at privacy@tac.vic.gov.au.