Privacy Policy

Water Research Australia Limited (WaterRA), ACN 127 974 261, is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information. We collect information from you (members and non-members) so that we can provide you with our products and services, manage our relationship with you and communicate with you effectively. We have robust systems and procedures in place to protect your privacy whenever we collect, store, use or disclose your personal information.

WaterRA is subject to Australian federal and state legislation relating to the privacy of personal information collected by WaterRA. The following sets out how WaterRA will handle personal information, and applies to all WaterRA operated programs, including the Australian Water School.

For the purpose of this policy, the term ‘member’ includes WaterRA member organisations, representatives of member organisations, staff of member organisations, and any affiliated organisations or individuals.

What kind of personal information do we collect?

Personal information, including sensitive information, that WaterRA collects and holds includes, but is not limited to:

How do we collect personal information from you?

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you, for example, when we contact you, when you contact us, when you visit us or when we visit your premises, when you or your organisation sign up to become a member or subscriber, when you participate in a research project, when you register or attend an event/online training course through WaterRA or the Australian Water School, complete a survey or enter a competition
• through the use of cookies, pixels, server logs, proxy logs and other website optimisation technology on our websites www.waterra.com.au and www.australianwaterschool.com.au
• from third parties whom you have authorised to provide us with information
• from third parties who provide services to us or organisations of which we are a member
• from publicly available sources, such as public web pages and published databases
• via routine monitoring of our information technology, digital platforms (either third party or owned) and telephone networks
• from audio and video recordings in public locations and other spaces

We do not collect or retain sensitive information:

• unless it is supplied by you, and
• you consent to its collection; and
• the information is reasonably necessary for our business or activities

By supplying us with sensitive information, you consent to our use of that information in any of the ways and for any of the purposes described in this policy.

If you want to know more, or have any questions about how we collect personal information, please contact us at info@waterra.com.au

How do we hold and secure personal information?

We store your personal information in hard copy format and digitally, on site and with third-party providers. All hard copy material is secured using locked filing cabinets or office security. We protect your privacy by restricting access to your personal information to those staff, contractors or authorised office bearers who need it, either to process information or to provide you with membership services. WaterRA is responsible for handling personal information in accordance with legislation. All digital material is secured using file access controls.

We have agreements with our service providers, including digital data storage providers, to ensure the protection of personal information they store. These providers may be located in Australia or overseas. 

We only keep your personal information for as long as it is required and for the purpose for which it was collected or as otherwise required by law. If we no longer need to hold your personal information for any reason, we will take reasonable steps to de-identify or destroy that information. These steps may vary depending on the nature of the information, the way it was collected and how it was stored.

If you want to know more, or have any questions about how we hold and collect personal information please contact us at info@waterra.com.au

How do we use your personal information?

We will use your personal information to provide you with a particular product or service and to contact you about matters pertaining to WaterRA membership, WaterRA news, events and initiatives, and your registration on waterra.com.au. This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• processing payments
• providing membership services such as newsletters and other publications, project forums, project information, WaterRA and industry news and other member benefits
• inviting you to partake in WaterRA events (in person or online). Including: conferences, technical seminars, annual general meetings, members’ meetings, professional development activities and networking activities
• distributing materials to WaterRA board and committee members
• assessing funding applications, for example, through a membership committee, board or panel
• voting on candidates elected to office-bearing positions and judging committees for awards and honours
• facilitating a project team or group
• processing nominations for a scholarship or award

We may use your personal information for purposes related or ancillary to the main reason we collect it, such as:

• internal accounting and administration
• regulatory reporting and compliance
• helping us to identify and inform you about other products and/or services that may be of benefit to you

Our use of personal information may extend beyond these uses, but will be restricted to purposes that we consider relevant to our functions and activities.

 If you want to know more, or have any questions about how we use personal information please contact us at info@waterra.com.au

Disclosure of your personal information

WaterRA may disclose personal information held about you including to third parties we work with, such as our external service providers, or to agencies we collaborate with.  If we do disclosure personal information to a third party, it will only be for the purposes outlined in this policy.

We may disclose your personal information in other circumstances required or permitted by law, such as to law enforcement or government agencies.

Please be assured we will not disclose any personal information for any purpose other than those described here without your consent, except where the use or disclosure is required or authorised by or under legislation. WaterRA will make its best attempt to protect any personal information it holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. WaterRA does not sell, in whole or part, the personal information it collects and does not disclose it to other entities, except as provided above.

If you want to know more, or have any questions about how we disclose personal information please contact us at info@waterra.com.au

Accuracy of your personal information

If we have accurate personal information about you, it enables us to provide you with the best possible service. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up to date whenever we collect or use it.

If you find that the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please contact us immediately at info@waterra.com.au. Alternatively, Members may correct this through the secure ‘View Account’ link on the website.

Access to your personal information

Members may access personal information through the secure ‘View Account’ link on the website. Alternatively, you can access your personal infromation by contacting us at info@waterra.com.au.

Privacy Complaint Process

If you are concerned with the way WaterRA has handled your personal information, please contact us at info@waterra.com.au, marking your query ‘Privacy Complaint’ in the subject line.  We take privacy seriously and will investigate complaints promptly.

Legislation

This policy is underpinned by the following legislation:

• Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth)
• Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012
• Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017