Privacy Collection Notice
This notice explains how the Net Zero Economy Authority (the Authority) collects, uses and discloses personal information during Energy Industry Jobs Plan (EIJP) community of interest (COI) consultation processes under section 55 of the Net Zero Economy Authority Act 2024 (Cth) (the Act).
We collect personal information as part of COI consultation processes under section 55 of the Act. This process involves identifying employers and employees impacted by the closure of a power station, and potential employment opportunities to inform planning for energy industry transitions. Most information is high-level or de-identified, but some may identify individuals.
Your personal information is protected by law, including under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
EIJP Community of Interest Process
Participation in a COI consultation process is voluntary; however, if you choose to participate, the Authority may collect your personal information to inform our analysis and refer to non-confidential submissions where you have provided permission to do so.
We use technology from Converlens Pty Ltd (Converlens) to provide this consultation service and website. Our contractual arrangements require Converlens to comply with the Privacy Act and store data securely in Australia.
For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy or Converlens’ Privacy Policy.
The COI consultation process is an opportunity for stakeholders to have their say and assist the Authority to consider the impact, or likely impact of a gas-fired or coal-fired power station closure.
We will collect your personal information to understand your views, or the views of the organisation you represent (if any), and inform the assessment process to determine if an EIJP is needed for a power station closure. This includes:
Meeting our consultation requirements under section 55 of the Act.
Determining whether it is reasonable to apply for a COI determination under section 56 of the Act.
How we collect your personal information
We will collect your personal information:
when you make a submission to the COI process
directly from you through an email, telephone call or online submission
indirectly if another person includes your information in a submission, with your consent.
What we collect
Through the consultation paper process, we will collect a range of personal information (some of which could be sensitive information), including your:
name
contact information
organisation you represent and your role
your personal views about, or information that relates to, a particular power station closure being assessed under the EIJP.
We do not require any other personal information. If we need further personal information to clarify or verify your submission, we will seek this from you and provide a reason for requesting the information.
Unsolicited information
While we seek your opinions to inform the consultation process, we do not need your sensitive information or personal information about anyone else. Sensitive information includes (but is not limited to) personal information that includes information or an opinion about an individual’s trade union membership or associations.
If you need to provide information about any other person, you must obtain their consent to include their information in your submission and provide them with a copy of this notice.
We will deal with any unsolicited personal or sensitive information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
How we use information
Written feedback will be collated and considered alongside other information collected in the COI process to determine if an application under section 56 of the Act should be made to the Fair Work Commission.
Who we disclose personal information to
Where information is provided in confidence, this will not be shared by the Authority without your permission.
Publication on our website
We may publish non-confidential submissions on our website. Submissions may be accessed by overseas recipients who are not bound by the Australian Privacy Principles.
Other government entities
We may disclose to government entities where submissions are not provided in confidence. Your personal information may be shared with relevant Australian federal and state government departments and agencies involved in the EIJP, to allow them to consider your comments and feedback.
Fair Work Commission
We may disclose your information to the Fair Work Commission where necessary to perform our statutory functions such as those under section 56 of the Act.
Processing submissions
The Authority may choose not to publish submissions on our website at our discretion, or to withhold certain content in submissions from publication (for example, by removing defamatory material from the published version of submissions, or where appropriate, de-identifying personal or sensitive information).
If a submission is published on the Authority website, the information in it, including the name of the person lodging the submission, can be searched for on the internet, including from overseas. Any submission may be subject to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).
You may provide information anonymously or by using a pseudonym. However, if you choose to do this, we may not be able to verify or clarify the information you provide which may impact how we consider your submission as part of the consultation.
Confidential submissions
We will not publish confidential submissions. To claim confidentiality on behalf of a person or an organisation, the first page of a submission should clearly state that the content should be treated as confidential (for example, an individual’s name, so that it is not published on the internet).
At the request of stakeholders, the Authority may redact extracts of information considered to be confidential, but allowing the rest of the submission to be published on the website.
Alternatively, confidential information can be placed in an attachment to a submission, with a request to keep the attachment confidential. Confidential submissions will only be considered by staff at the Authority and will not be released publicly. In some instances, the Authority may consider it helpful to publish de-identified summaries of confidential submissions. De-identified summaries of these submissions will not be made public without permission of the submitter.
Storage of personal information
We store and manage your personal information securely in accordance with the Privacy Act and other requirements including Commonwealth information security requirements.
Access to your personal information is restricted to authorised personnel who need it to perform their duties related to the EIJP. We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to meet legal, operational, and record keeping obligations, including compliance and audit requirements.
Your rights
You have the right to:
access your personal information
request corrections to inaccurate information
withdraw your consent for certain uses of your information and
request the deletion of your information (subject to legal requirements).
More information
Please read our Privacy Policy on our website for more information on how we handle your personal information, including how you can:
access any personal information that we hold
seek correction of personal information that we hold
complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act.
If you have any concerns or questions, you can contact us at [email protected].
Declaration
By making this submission
I acknowledge that:
I have read and understood the above privacy collection notice.
I can withdraw my consent at any time by contacting the Authority at [email protected].
I agree:
To the Authority handling my personal information to inform the COI consultation and to assess whether to apply to the FWC for a COI declaration.
That if I have included anyone else’s information in my submission, I have obtained their consent and provided them with a copy of the privacy collection notice.
That information in my submission is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate, up-to-date and complete.
