Privacy Statement

The Shire of Denmark, including its operational functions of the Denmark Library, Denmark Recreation Centre, and Parry Beach Campground, is bound by the Privacy and Responsible Information Act 2024 (“the PRIS Act”) and the Information Privacy Principles (“IPPs”) set out in the PRIS Act. 

This statement contains information about how we collect, store, use, protect, and disclose your personal information. 

We are committed to safeguarding your data and your personal information that we hold against misuse, loss, modification, and unauthorised access or disclosure in accordance with the PRIS Act and the IPPs and, where required, also in compliance with the information access rights set out in the Freedom of Information Act 1992 (“the FOI Act”). 

For information about the broader collection and use of personal information by the Shire of Denmark, please refer to our Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Policy. 

This website privacy statement does not apply to external websites we may link to.  

General 

The PRIS Act and the IPPs govern the way in which we collect; store; use; protect; disclose; and process and/or transfer your personal information which you provide to us. That legislation also identifies our obligations and responsibilities in protecting your individual personal information by prescribed methods of lawful and appropriate handling. 

Collection and use of personal data 

You can access and browse the Shire of Denmark website anonymously without disclosing your personal information. 

The Shire of Denmark website only collects or records personal information you choose to provide through our Report it and Customer Enquiry forms, subscription to the Denmark Direct newsletter and SMS alert registration, or any other community initiatives or services offered through our website.  

Where possible, you have the option of not identifying yourself when entering a transaction with the Shire of Denmark. However, there may be instances where this is not feasible. For example, there is no requirement for an individual to identify themselves if they want to report an incident or submit a service request to the Shire (e.g. requesting maintenance to Shire owned-asset or infrastructure.) However, if an individual contacts the Shire with a specific request for service which affects them as an individual, we may be unable to provide the service without knowing the person’s identity or contact information. 

Shire of Denmark officers use personal information to respond to individuals and discuss their enquiries. Feedback and survey results may also be shared with actioning areas within the organisation to evaluate and improve the customer service experience.  

Email addresses and any other contact details you provide will not be added to mailing lists without your consent. 

 

Disclosure of personal information 

The Shire of Denmark will take all necessary measures to prevent unauthorised access to, or disclosure of, your personal information. 

External organisations to which personal information is disclosed include the Shire of Denmark's contracted service providers who perform various services for and on behalf of the Shire of Denmark. These service providers are bound by the Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024 (WA). Information provided to service providers is limited to contact details provided by you whilst contacting us which are necessary for the service provider to undertake their functions. 

The Shire of Denmark will not disclose your personal information to other individuals or external institutions and authorities without your permission, except if required or authorised by law. For example, in the event of an investigation into suspected unlawful or improper activity, a law enforcement agency or government agency may exercise its legal authority to inspect government records held by the Shire of Denmark. 

Collection and use of site visit data 

This website uses Google Analytics to help analyse how users use the site. The tool uses "cookies," which are text files placed on your computer, to collect standard Internet log information and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including IP address) is transmitted to Google. This information is then used to evaluate visitors' use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity for the Shire of Denmark. 

The cookies used on this site do not collect any personal information. We will never (and will not allow any third party to) use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of visitors to our site. We will not link, or seek to link, an IP address with the identity of a computer user. We will not associate any data gathered from this site with any Personally Identifiable Information from any source, unless you explicitly submit that information via a fill-in form on our website. 

To the extent that this data could make you identifiable, we will not attempt to identify individuals from the data unless required by law or to investigate improper activity in relation to this website. 

This site does not gather personal information about users without their knowledge. 

We will not sell, distribute or use that information for any other purpose. 

We will not use information about you without your permission. 

Security of site data 

We take all reasonably practical measures – using information technology security measures and physical security measures – in order to protect the security of the personal information we hold and store. 

Personal information we hold is managed securely in our business information systems. Our information technology systems are safeguarded against unauthorised access. We ensure that personal information we hold and store is accessed only by staff who have the necessary delegated authority or work requirement to access that information. 

We take these security measures in order to ensure that the personal information that is in our possession and/or control is protected from 

• internal and external misuse 

• unauthorised or illegal access 

• unauthorised modification, or 

• unauthorised disclosure. 

This website uses secure transmission facilities when appropriate. You should be aware that there are risks in transmitting information across the internet. If you are concerned about conveying sensitive material to the Shire of Denmark via the internet, you might prefer to contact us by telephone or mail. 

Access and correction 

Under the PRIS Act and the FOI Act, you have the legal right to request access, correct and/or amend your personal information. You may also request access to, and the correction of, your personal information to which Information Privacy Principle 6 applies, under the PRIS Act. 

To request access or correction to your personal information held by the Shire, please contact the Shire Privacy Officer: 

Email: info@denmark.wa.gov.au  

In writing to: Shire of Denmark Privacy Officer, PO Box 183 Denmark WA 6333 

For more information about FOI, please visit our Freedom of Information page. 

Privacy concerns and complaints 

If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled or wish to lodge a complaint, please contact us using our Customer Enquiry form or email us at info@denmark.wa.gov.au. 

Improving data collection to improve our customer service 

To provide our customers with a smooth, streamlined service, the Shire of Denmark does not separate certain customer data sets within the organisation. This has implications on how we collect and use your personal information. 

The Shire of Denmark compiles and maintains a secure central customer record for each customer, which will eventually be used across all of the Shire’s services.  

This means that a separate customer contact record does not need to be created each time you interact with different service areas across the Shire. This enables different departments within the Shire to access shared information in order to provide you with a better service. 

For example, when you update your contact details with our Customer Service staff, this information will be shared across the different teams which provide you with Shire services in order to better communicate with you. 

Our Recreation Centre memberships and Library memberships are not currently held in this central database. Over the coming years, the Shire intends to consolidate customer details such as name, phone number, email, and customer history from all service areas. This will enable Shire officers to respond to your service requests more effectively. 

Your central customer record: 

• is securely held by the Shire of Denmark for the purpose of responding to your service requests or any other directly related purpose 

• may be disclosed to the Shire’s contracted service providers (name and contact details only) in instances where it is necessary for the contractor to carry out a specific job or task on the Shire’s behalf. Our contracted service providers may use your contact details to get in touch with you in relation to your service request 

• will be progressively linked to any new service requests or enquiries you submit regarding any of the Shire’s services (such as waste collection, pet registrations, planning and building matters, library services, and gym memberships)  

• is not disclosed to any other external party without your consent, unless authorised or required by law 

• is only retained for as long as it is required. 

You can opt-out of having a centralised customer record. Please fill out a Customer Enquiry form or email us at info@denmark.wa.gov.au. 

You can also elect to remain anonymous for some service requests and reports of issues. However, if no personal information is provided, we may not be able to action some service requests. 

The Shire of Denmark is committed to protecting your privacy. For more information, please refer to our Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Policy.