Greater Shepparton City Council adopted the Privacy Policy 37.POL12 at the February Ordinary Council Meeting.
The Policy was originally adopted by Council in September 2017, and was scheduled for review after the general election in 2020. However, a key report has been published by the Victorian Information Commissioner which requires the policy to be updated sooner.
The updated Privacy Policy has additional material to ensure it address all of the Information Privacy Principles and provides more information on the process of making a privacy complaint.
The report from the Victorian Information Commissioner made four recommendations:
- That councils review their privacy policies, unless they have done so in the last year
- That privacy policy reviews are scheduled at least every two years
- That explanations for the process of accessing and correcting personal information are reviewed
- That plain English drafting principles are considered when conducting reviews
In addition the four general recommendations the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner provided the following feedback specifically relating to Greater Shepparton City Council's Privacy Policy:
- That the policy is well written
- That the policy does not address all of the IPPs and as such Council should consider reviewing the policy to ensure it explores how Council adheres to all the Information Privacy Principles
- That Council consider including information in the policy concerning Council's privacy complaints process
By adopting the updated policy, Council ensured it addressed recommendations for improvement.
