Staff privacy at QUT

QUT is committed to protecting the personal information of all our staff and members of the QUT community.

The University is governed by the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) when collecting, storing and managing the personal information of individuals. To the extent that they apply to our activities, the University is also subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, which relates to the personal data of individuals located in the European Economic Area. Together, we refer to these as 'Privacy Laws'.

'Personal information' is defined broadly in the Privacy Laws as recorded information or opinion that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

The 'processing' of personal information refers to all activities relating to the management of personal information by QUT, from its collection and use, through to its storage and disposal, and everything in between.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and processing your personal information fairly and lawfully in compliance with the Privacy Laws as applicable.

Information we collect

QUT collects your information under the general provisions of the Queensland University of Technology Act 1998, the Fair Work Act 2009 and QUT Enterprise Agreements with academic and professional staff, QUT policies and procedures, Senior staff contracts, the Migration Act 1958 and other legislation relating to taxation and superannuation.

QUT will collect personal information about you during recruitment and your employment, which may include:

• your name, date of birth, and address
• tax file number, banking and superannuation details
• qualifications, reference reports and performance appraisals
• details of paid outside work or directorships
• other information relevant to your recruitment, employment and work-related matters.

This information will be collected from several interactions between you and QUT. For example, when you provide QUT with information when completing recruitment and employment forms or entering information into QUT systems. Other instances include when previous employers, referees, other staff members and students provide us with information about your employment history and work-related matters.

What do we do with the information

The information you provide is primarily used to administer your employment, manage your remuneration, benefits, and other employment conditions appropriately and accurately, including compliance with MOPP B/8.1 QUT Staff Code of Conduct and other QUT policy.

We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected. The information collected is securely stored in accordance with retention and disposal requirements under the Public Records Act 2002.

QUT uses the information for other related human resources (HR) purposes, including to improve and streamline processes and service offerings relating to its HR practices. Your personal information may be used for data analysis and in aggregate form to produce staffing reports. When conducting this analysis, your personal information will be de-identified where required, however where this is not possible, we will use the minimum amount of information necessary, and do so in accordance with MOPP F/6.2 QUT Information Privacy policy and QUT’s privacy protocols.

We may verify information provided by you or seek further information by reference to information in the public domain, including information published on social media.

Our disclosure practices

QUT will only use or disclose your personal information under the following circumstances:

• for the purpose for which it was collected
• for a related purpose which you might reasonably expect
• where you have consented to the disclosure
• if we are required or permitted to do so by law
• where we have engaged a contracted service provider or partner to perform legitimate functions on our behalf, such as those outlined in this statement.

QUT may disclose information to relevant government departments or agencies for a range of purposes (including but not limited to):

• verifying your immigration/citizenship status
• verifying educational qualifications
• undertaking required security and criminal checks
• eligibility for government benefits
• taxation requirements
• superannuation benefits.

Unless a disclosure is authorised by a particular law or otherwise permitted by the Information Privacy Act 2009, QUT will obtain your agreement before disclosing your information to a third party.

Protecting your privacy

QUT’s information privacy policy (MOPP F/6.2) provides applicants information on how the university is managing their personal information according to the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) and other relevant privacy laws, this includes a privacy complaints policy and ways to access personal information, check it is accurate and that it is being used for an appropriate purpose.

If you have concerns about the way QUT is managing your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Laws, you may refer to QUT's privacy complaints procedure, or seek to access to your personal information to check it is accurate and that it is being used for an appropriate purpose.

Find more information about managing the University's privacy responsibilities on the Digital Workplace.

Applying for a job at QUT

As part of QUT staff recruitment and new appointments processes we will ask you to provide us with your information such as contact details; address; educational background; employment history; and citizenship status. For some particular roles, we will ask you to provide us with further information such as country of birth, previous citizenship, and connections with international collaborators, institutions and entities.

The personal information we collect from you is used to:

• determine your eligibility to apply for the role;
• assess your application;
• carry out checks to verify the information you supply;
• undertake any relevant security checks; and
• to progress the appointment process if you are successful in obtaining a position.

We may verify claims made in your application or seek further information by reference to information in the public domain, including information published on social media. QUT may also use the information to undertake research or evaluation of recruitment processes and strategies but in this case will use the information in a de-identified form.

In the event that QUT engages a third party to assist us with recruitment processes, the information may also be disclosed to that organisation solely for the purposes of the job application process as listed above.

If you would like QUT to rectify your personal information, you can contact HR at hrassist@qut.edu.au