Privacy

Note that this website privacy statement does not apply to linked websites, however we do not link knowingly to sites that are privacy-invasive. When you link to another site, we recommend you read the privacy statement of that site to familiarise yourself with its privacy policy.

Anonymous access to our site

You can access the Pyrenees Shire Council home page and browse our website anonymously, without disclosing your personal information.

Collection and use of personal data

The Pyrenees Shire Council site does not collect or record personal information, other than information you choose to provide through our Web forms. Online surveys may collect personal information as and when they occur (note: online surveys are in the form of a secure transaction).

Pyrenees Shire Council staff use personal information collected from email and online survey sources to respond to individuals and discuss their particular enquiries.

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

Access and Correction

Requests for access to documents containing personal information and held by Pyrenees Shire Council are handled under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and can be addressed to the Freedom of Information Officer, Pyrenees Shire Council, 5 Lawrence Street, Beaufort VIC 3373.

If the Freedom of Information Act is not applicable, Pyrenees Shire Council will examine whether access can be given under IPP6, the access principle under the Information Privacy Act.

Disclosure

We will not disclose your personal information to a third party without your consent, unless we are required or authorised to do so by law or other regulation. 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 the web server's records (eg. in relation to hacking or abusive messages).

Collection and use of site visit data

We do not use cookies on our site, however some third party sites linked from Pyrenees Shire Council's website do use persistent cookies. A cookie is a block of data that is shared between a web server and a user's browser. Cookies give the server information about a user's identity and website visiting patterns and preferences. You can find more information about cookies on sites such as Cookie Central (external link).

You can avoid cookies. Many web surfers object to having files, like cookies, placed onto their hard drive without their permission. There are various things you can do to avoid cookies if you do not trust them. These include:

  • setting the browser cookie file to be Read Only. Whether you can do this or not may depend on what sort of Operating System (OS) or browser you are using. But if you can do this then the cookies will only last for as long as your browser is running.
  • set up your computer to delete the cookies file whenever you start your browser.
  • many browsers allow you to set them up so that you are notified when a cookie is to be written to your computer. However there may be instances where there are so many cookies that it becomes annoying to reject them all.
  • install a software product that will reject or manage cookies for you, these include Cookie Crusher, Cookie Pal and Cookie Cruncher. You can perform an Internet search to find them.

Security of your personal data

Pyrenees Shire Council and all employees of Pyrenees Shire Council have a statutory duty to deal with your personal information confidentially (Information Privacy Act, Section 67). This website uses secure transmission facilities when appropriate (eg. survey transaction, which is seasonal). You should be aware that there are risks in transmitting information across the Internet. If you are concerned about conveying sensitive material to Pyrenees Shire Council over the Internet, you might prefer to contact us by telephone or mail. Please Contact Us for further information.