Privacy and Personal Information Policy

PURPOSE

This policy aims to ensure that Academic Minds Institute (AMI) meets its legal and ethical requirements regarding the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal information it holds regarding its students, prospective students, staff, other clients and interactions with external organisations.

PRINCIPLES

AMI is committed to ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and security of all information. In collecting personal information AMI will comply with the requirements set out in the Privacy Act 1988 and the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2001. A student’s personal information will be used by AMI in a variety of ways throughout their time at AMI . Typically, students’ personal information will be used to:

  • process applications;
  • manage study plans;
  • manage course timetabling;
  • record course grades and outcomes;
  • monitor academic progression including academic standing and exclusion;
  • deliver student services including health and counselling services;
  • manage complaints and student misconduct allegations;
  • verify qualifications;
  • process graduations;
  • process scholarships, prizes and sponsorships;
  • operate student organisations managed by AMI or by affiliated third parties, or other activities offered by AMI ;
  • provide students with services they have requested from AMI or may be interested in receiving including further study options and becoming associate alumni;
  • provide data to government departments to fulfil mandatory reporting requirements;
  • undertake reviews, questionnaires and surveys of the student population and of those who graduate or leave AMI ; and
  • run student representative elections.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY

  • President is responsible to ensure that the policy is regularly reviewed and updated across all departments in the Institute.
  • Registrar or delegated authority is responsible to ensure that accurate information is recorded on the student management system.
  • Current and prospective students are responsible to ensure that they provide accurate information during the time of enrolment and during their tenure at the Institute.

Scope

Whole Institute

Key Stakeholder

All staff, students, prospective students

Procedures

Listed below are the details of how AMI will collect and store information:

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

  • In the course of its business, AMI will collect information from students, potential students, and other clients either electronically or in hard copy format; including information that personally identifies individual people.
  • AMI will record various communications between the organisation and students, prospective students, other clients and associated organisations.
  • AMI will only collect personal information by fair and lawful means that is necessary for the functions of the Institute.

USE OF INFORMATION

The information supplied by individuals will only be used to provide information about study opportunities, to enable efficient administration, and to maintain proper student and client records. If an individual chooses not to provide certain information, then we may be unable to provide some services or provide appropriate information.

DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information about students studying with AMI may be shared with the Australian government and designated authorities, such as Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA), in line with their Policy 2022. This information includes personal and contact details, course enrolment details and changes, and circumstances related to funding (if applicable).

AMI will not disclose an individual’s personal information to another person or organisation unless:

  • the individual concerned is reasonably likely to have been aware, or made aware, that information of that kind is usually passed to that person or organisation;
  • the individual concerned has given written consent;
  • AMI believes on reasonable grounds that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of the individual concerned or of another person;
  • the disclosure is required or authorised by or under law;
  • the disclosure is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of the public revenue.

Any person or organisation to whom personal information is disclosed as described in this policy is not permitted to use or disclose the information for a purpose other than the purpose for which the information was supplied to them. Where personal information is disclosed for the purposes of enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the purpose of the protection of the public revenue, AMI shall include in the record containing that information, a note of the disclosure.

SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

AMI will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information collected is:

  • relevant to the purpose for which it was collected;
  • up to date;
  • complete;
  • accurately recorded.

AMI will store securely all records containing personal information and take all reasonable security measures to protect personal information collected from unauthorised access, misuse or disclosure.

RIGHT TO ACCESS RECORDS

Individuals have the right to access or obtain a copy of the personal information that AMI holds about them. Requests to access or obtain a copy of personal information must be made in writing and sent to: admin@academicmindsinstitute.com

There is no charge for a student to access personal information that AMI holds about them; Individuals will be advised of how they may access or obtain a copy of their personal information and the applicable fees within 10 working days of receiving their written request.

AMENDMENT TO RECORDS

If an individual considers the personal information that AMI holds about them to be incorrect, incomplete, out of date or misleading, they can request that the information be amended.

Where a record is found to be inaccurate, a correction will be made. Where a student requests that a record be amended because it is inaccurate, but the record is found to be accurate, the details of the request for amendment will be noted on the record.

PUBLICATION

To ensure that students have given their informed consent for their personal information to be disclosed to certain third parties as outlined in this policy, AMI will ensure all students are informed of this policy and procedure and how to access them prior to enrolment.