Privacy and Covid-19
In order to manage the pandemic while respecting privacy, our Clubs should aim to limit the collection, use and disclosure of personal information to what is necessary to prevent and manage COVID-19, and take reasonable steps to keep personal information secure.
Key points
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Personal information should be used or disclosed on a ‘need-to-know’ basis
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Only the minimum amount of personal information reasonably necessary to prevent or manage COVID-19 should be collected, used or disclosed
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Consider taking steps now to notify Club Members or volunteers of how their personal information will be handled in responding to any potential or confirmed case of COVID-19 at your Club
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Ensure reasonable steps are in place to keep personal information secure, including where Club Members or volunteers are working remotely.
Frequently asked questions
Can we collect information from our Club Members or Club visitors in relation to COVID-19?
Yes, however you should collect as little information as is reasonably necessary for preventing or managing COVID-19. That includes information that the Department of Health says is needed to identify risk and implement appropriate controls to prevent or manage COVID-19, for example:
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whether the individual or a close contact has been exposed to a known case of COVID-19
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whether the individual has recently travelled overseas and to which countries.
Can we tell our fellow Committee Members if a colleague or visitor has or may have contracted COVID-19?
Yes, you may inform your fellow Committee Members that a colleague or visitor has or may have contracted COVID-19 but you should only use or disclose personal information that is reasonably necessary in order to prevent or manage COVID-19 in your Club.
For example, depending on the circumstances, it may not be necessary to reveal the name of an individual in order to prevent or manage COVID-19, or the disclosure of the name of the individual may be restricted to a limited number of people on a ‘need-to-know basis’.
Whether disclosure is necessary should be informed by advice from the Department of Health.
Privacy of the COVIDSafe App?
The COVIDSafe Privacy Policy for details on how personal information collected in the app is handled.
A Privacy Impact Assessment was commissioned to ensure that privacy risks have been addressed. See the Privacy Impact Assessment Report and our Agency Response.
The Health Minister has issued a Determination under the Biosecurity Act to protect people’s privacy and restrict access to information from the app. State and territory health authorities can access the information for contact tracing only. The only other access will be by the COVIDSafe Administrator to ensure the proper functioning, integrity and security of COVIDSafe, including to delete your registration information at your request. It will be a criminal offence to use any app data in any other way.
The COVIDSafe app cannot be used to enforce quarantine or isolation restrictions, or any other laws.
