Privacy Policy

Purpose

The Old Virgilians Association (ABN 44 209 395 649) (we, our or us) is committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

We are committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information.  Our staff are trained to protect your personal information in accordance with our policies, procedures and systems. 

This policy outlines how we manage and secure your personal information.  It also describes the kinds of personal information that we hold and for what purposes, and how that information is collected, held, used and disclosed. 

This policy is easy to access and is available on our website at www.oldvirgilians.org.au. You may request a copy of the policy by contacting the Privacy Officer in accordance with the details at the end of this policy. 

Please read this policy carefully before you provide us with any personal information. 

We will review this policy from time to time.  We encourage you to check our website regularly as any updated policy will be available on our website. 

Personal information

‘Personal information’ is defined by the Privacy Act as information or an opinion, whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information.  

Personal information may include ‘sensitive information’ about an individual.

We may collect personal information, including sensitive information, about:

• former students;
• parents, guardians and carers of former students;
• staff members, volunteers and contractors;
• applicants for employment; and
• other individuals that liaise with us.

If you do not provide us with your personal information, we may not be able to:

• verify your identity; and
• provide you with services.

Types of personal information we collect

We may collect and hold the following types of personal information about you: 

• contact information such as name, date of birth, residential address, email address, phone number, occupation, gender, emergency contact details and employment status;
• education or employment history;
• financial information;
• information about how you use and access our website, including cookies; 
• log-ins and activity on our website;
• information regarding donations made by you to the school;
• photographs or video recordings; 
• consent forms and communication preferences; and
• any other information that we consider to be reasonably necessary.

We may need to collect sensitive information about you from time to time.  Unless the collection of the sensitive information is permitted under the Privacy Act, we will only collect sensitive information with your consent where that information is reasonably necessary for our functions.

Sensitive information that we may collect includes:

• health information (including disability information and dietary information); and
• nationality, place of birth, languages spoken, religious beliefs.
   

Collection of personal information

We collect personal information in many ways, including when:

• we are contacted online, via email, phone, SMS, social media or through our website;
• employment applications are submitted;
• forms are submitted online;
• face to face meetings and interviews occur;
• enquiries or documentation are lodged;
• tenders are lodged or agreements formed;
• personal accounts are created on our website;
• our website is used by you (e.g. we may collect website activity information such as your IP address);
• content is posted to our online forums;
• individuals attend our meetings or events and provide us with their information;
• individuals join our communities, clubs and organisations; 
• you subscribe to our mailing list or newsletters;
• you make donations or contributions to us; and
• you voluntarily submit your personal information, or request it be provided by a third party, to us for any reason. 

When we receive personal information directly from you, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of the collection and the circumstances that surround the collection.

We may also collect personal information about you because the collection of the information is required or authorised by law or a court/tribunal order. 

Collection of personal information from third parties

In some circumstances, we may be provided with personal information about you from a third party. This may include disclosures from government agencies or your family members.  

If we collect information that can be used to identify you, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of the collection and the circumstances that surround the collection, unless we are reasonably satisfied the third party has notified you of such collection. 

If we receive unsolicited personal information from a third party and we determine that we could not have otherwise collected that personal information, we will destroy or de-identify the information as soon as practicable, if it is lawful and reasonable for us to do so.

Use of your personal information

We collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the purpose it was collected and related purposes, including: 

to administer the functions and activities of the Old Virgilians Association;

• to seek donations or fundraising;
• to communicate with alumni of the school; 
• to manage community activities, reunion events and sports activities; 
• to provide services in connection with your membership with the Old Virgilian Association; and
• for any other purpose for which you have given your consent.
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Storage of your personal information

We are committed to keeping your personal information secure. 

We store your personal information in different ways, including physical and electronic form.

We use technical measures and organisational measures (through this privacy policy and training of staff) to secure your personal information. 

We treat all personal information as confidential.  We will take reasonable steps to ensure personal information is protected from:

• misuse, interference and loss; and
• unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Personal information collected by us is held in a dedicated, secure cloud server hosted in Sydney.   Industry standard firewalls, anti-virus, encryption and back-up methods are in place, as well as strict data handling protocols. Your personal information will not be stored or transmitted outside Australia by us.

We always ensure only authorised persons have access to your information, which means only our approved employees and contractors, and that everyone who has access is appropriately trained in data management.   

If you have an online profile for our website, you are responsible for keeping your login details (email and password) confidential and we ask that you do not share your password with anyone.

 

Disclosure of your personal information

We will not use or disclose personal information we hold about you that was collected for a particular purpose for another purpose, unless:

you have consented to the use or disclosure of the information for another purpose; or

the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act (e.g. you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose the information for another purpose or the use or disclosure of the information is required or authorised by law or a court/tribunal order).

Sometimes we may disclose personal information held about you to third parties including: 

• Edmund Rice Education Australia Ltd;
• government departments;  
• debt collection agencies; 
• law enforcement agencies; 
• recipients of Old Virgilians Association publications, like newsletters and magazines;  
• anyone you authorise us to disclose information to;
• third parties with whom we partner to run events; 
• providers that enable us to operate ICT systems, applications and websites; and
• any other person where you have given your consent.

We are not likely to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

Where your personal information is disclosed, we will seek to ensure that information is used, held and disclosed consistently with the Privacy Act and any other applicable laws.

 

Direct marketing 

We may use or disclose your personal information (excluding sensitive information) for direct marketing purposes. 

We will only use or disclose your sensitive information for the purposes of direct marketing if you have consented to the information being used or disclosed for the purposes of direct marketing.

We may conduct direct marketing by sending you marketing messages for general marketing purposes, including choosing and delivering tailored content or advertising to you.

If at any time you decide you:

• do not want to receive any more direct marketing material from us;
• do not want us to use or disclose the information for direct marketing in the future; and/or 
• want to know where we obtained the information,

you may:

• contact the Privacy Officer in accordance with the details included at the end of this policy; or
• opt-out of receiving any more marketing material via any opt-out mechanism contained in our marketing correspondence.

All our marketing correspondence will display a clearly visible and user-friendly opt-out mechanism. We may imply consent to receive direct marketing material if you do not use the opt-out mechanism. 

If you request to no longer receive direct marketing material we will process your request within a reasonable period after the request is made.

Quality of personal information

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete, up-to-date and relevant to our functions or activities.

If you believe that your personal information is not accurate, complete or up to date, please contact the Privacy Officer in accordance with the details included at the end of this policy.

What happens when we no longer need your personal information

If we no longer need your personal information for any purpose, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently deidentify the information, unless:

• the information is contained in a Commonwealth record; or 
• we are required by law, or a court/tribunal order, to retain the information.

Access to personal information 

You may at any time request access to personal information we hold about you. We will give you access to that information, unless an exception in the Privacy Act applies. 

You can request access to your personal information by contacting our Privacy Officer in accordance with the details included at the end of this policy.

We will respond to a request for access within a reasonable time (usually 30 days), and give you access in the manner you request, if it is reasonable and practicable to do so. 

We may need to verify your identity before we give you access to your personal information. 

Depending on the nature of the request, we may charge you a small fee to access that information. 

If we refuse to give you access, we will:

• take reasonable steps to give you access in a manner that meets our needs as well as yours; and
• provide you with the reasons for our decisions as required by the Privacy Act.

Correcting personal information 

If you think that any personal information we hold about you is incorrect, inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, you may request us to correct the information by contacting the Privacy Officer in accordance with details at the end of this policy. 

We will take reasonable steps to correct that information.

We will respond to a correction request within a reasonable time (usually 30 days). 

We may need to verify your identity before we correct your personal information. 

If we correct your personal information that we have previously disclosed to another entity, and you ask us to tell the other entity about the correction, we will take reasonable steps to tell the other entity about the correction, unless it is impractical or unlawful to do so. 

If we refuse to correct the personal information, then we will provide you with the reasons for our decision as required by the Privacy Act.

Anonymity

You have the option to remain anonymous, or to use a pseudonym when dealing with us where it is lawful and practical to do so. 

 

Complaints 

If you:

• have any issues about the way we handle your personal information; 
• become aware of a potential breach of privacy; or 
• wish to make a complaint, 
• please contact our Privacy Officer.

Complaints can be made in writing or verbally to:

Privacy Officer

Telephone: +61 03 6249 6555

Mail: 195 Main Road, Austins Ferry, Tasmania, Australia 7011

Email: privacyofficer@stvirgils.tas.edu.au

 

If you are not happy with the outcome of the Privacy Officer’s investigation or we have not replied to you within a reasonable time, then you can raise your concern with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). 

Complaints can be made to OAIC in the following ways: 

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Telephone: 1300 363 992

Email: enquiries@oaic.com.au

Mail: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001

Online: www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint 

 

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This Policy was last updated in April 2026