We respect and protect the privacy of our users. This privacy policy tells you how we collect and use information.
The term “Personal Information” in this privacy policy means any information from which your identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained. We do not collect Personal Information about you when you visit this online service – energyrating.gov.au (the site) unless expressly provided by you, as set out below.
You can use this service without telling us who you are or revealing other Personal Information. If you send us a contact or feedback form you do not need to identify yourself or use your real name.
Scope
This statement applies to this site only. It tells you how we collect information from you and how we use it.
The site is managed by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department).
This statement discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices which are set out in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
The use of the term ‘personal information’ in this privacy notice means any information from which your identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained.
It does not extend to the light bulb saver application.
Personal information
If you contact us, using the online form or by email, we will collect the email address you nominate and any other identifying information you provide, such as a name and/or phone number. This information will be used to respond to your enquiry or message, and may also be used to contact you about your experiences relating to the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 (GEMS Act), the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Program, or the service we provided in response to your enquiry or message, such as conducting surveys related to user experience.
Please do not give us other personal or sensitive information.
Other than circumstances such as unlawful activity or serious threats to health and safety, or other circumstances authorised by law, we do not share Personal Information with other government agencies. If you ask us about an issue that needs to be dealt with by another agency, we will provide you with the necessary details to make contact yourself. You may opt out of further contact from us at any time.
Some pages of this site allow users to subscribe to our newsletter (the Efficiency Standard). To subscribe to this service, users need to provide a valid email address. These email addresses will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided them, being the provision of the newsletter. We currently use MailChimp to distribute our newsletter.
Disclosure to overseas recipients
We may need to provide your personal information to an overseas recipient as part of our work.
This includes:
- MailChimp – As above, MailChimp is used to distribute the Efficiency Standard newsletter. Any personal information that you submit through the newsletter subscription page will be shared with MailChimp for the purposes of distributing the newsletter. MailChimp is based in the United States of America (USA) and the information collected about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by MailChimp on servers located outside Australia. For further information about how MailChimp collects and uses personal information, please refer to MailChimp’s Privacy Policy.
- Google Analytics – This site uses Google Analytics, a service which transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States of America (USA). Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. For further information, consult Google's Privacy & Terms and Safeguarding your data
Note: You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie/s, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google (for Google Analytics).
By accessing this site or providing details to sign up for the newsletter, you consent to the processing of data about you by the above services in the manner described in their respective privacy policies and for the purposes set out above.
We note overseas service providers are unlikely to be bound by the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Should they handle your information inconsistently with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) you may not be able to seek redress under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
In some cases, we may have to disclose limited personal information to recipients overseas under legislation or international information sharing agreements. This may occur, for example, in relation to a law enforcement matter such as a criminal investigation.
However, where there is no requirement for us to disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we will either seek your consent or amend the information to ensure your personal information is not identifiable.
Access to your Personal Information
You may request access to Personal Information about you that we hold and you may ask us to correct your Personal Information if you find that it is not accurate, up-to-date or complete. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, we will need evidence of your identity before we can grant you access to information about you or change it.
You may make a complaint about our handling of your Personal Information.
These services are free of charge using one of our contact us methods. We undertake to respond within 30 days. If the request or complaint will take longer to resolve, we will provide you with a date by which we expect to respond.
How we protect your Personal Information
This online service is hosted in Australia in secure government accredited facilities. To help protect the privacy of data and personal information we collect and hold, we maintain physical, technical and administrative safeguards. We update and test our security technology on an ongoing basis.
We train our employees about the importance of confidentiality and maintaining the privacy and security of your information. Access to your Personal Information is restricted to employees who need it to provide benefits or services to you.
Website analytics
To improve your experience on our site, we may use ‘cookies’. Cookies are an industry standard and most major web sites use them. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
Our website may contain links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. When you go to other websites, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.
As set out above, our website uses Google Analytics.
Privacy Notice
The following statement applies to the Energy Rating Product Registration System, and information collected through the site, by way of emails to the Energy Rating team, or collected during compliance activities (including market surveillance and check testing activities undertaken by GEMS inspectors).
The Department will collect, use, store and disclose the personal information you provide in a manner consistent with the Department’s obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Department’s Privacy Policy.
Any personal information that you provide through the site or separately to the Energy Rating or Compliance team has been collected by the Department for the purpose of executing its functions under the GEMS Act including its functions to establish and maintain the GEMS Register and to develop, research and provide information and advice in relation to GEMS determinations and products that are, or could be, covered by GEMS determinations.
Any personal information that you provide will be used to contact you regarding your product registration or enquiry, and may also be used to contact you about your experiences relating to the GEMS Act, site and product registration process, such as conducting surveys related to user experience, compliance activities, or GEMS determinations. Your personal information may also be used to contact you regarding potential changes to the GEMS Act, GEMS Determinations or E3 program that are relevant to your registration, enquiry or experience.
Any personal information that you provide within, or in addition to, your application for product model registration has been collected by the Department for the purpose of executing its product registration and enforcement functions under the GEMS Act.
Your personal information will be used to process, assess and administer your product model registration, and ensure its subsequent compliance with the GEMS Act. Without this information the registration of a product may be delayed or unsuccessful.
In order to perform its functions under the GEMS Act, the Department may disclose personal information to contractors performing services to the Department, state and territory governments, or to overseas recipients such as other governments and industry regulators. Prior to doing so, the Department will remove individual’s names and contact information.
The Department’s Privacy Policy contains details about how individuals may access and make corrections to personal information that the Department holds about them, how to make a complaint about a breach of an Australian Privacy Principle, and how the Department will deal with that complaint.
Our obligations
The Web Guide is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles.
We also follow the Guidelines for Federal and ACT government websites issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Contact us
If at any time you believe we have not adhered to the principles referred to in this privacy notice or have any other comments contact us.