Effective Date: May 2025
The Department of Health (department) collects, uses, and may disclose personal information about its workplace participants (as defined below) who use the Mosquito Surveillance App (the "App") and/or the Atlas of Medical Entomology website (the "Website"). The department acknowledges the sensitivity of personal information provided to it. Therefore, the department is committed to protecting the privacy of this personal information in accordance with the law.
The department is bound by privacy and other laws, including:
Using and disclosing information about workplace participants in the context of the App and Website is a legitimate part of facilitating mosquito surveillance and entomological mapping activities. However, it is important to note that information may only be dealt with in accordance with the law.
Information on general website privacy can be found on the department's Website privacy statement page, and more information can also be accessed on our general Privacy page. This policy specifically covers the App and the Website.
This policy applies to all personal information collected, stored, used, and disclosed about individuals using the Mosquito Surveillance App and/or the Atlas of Medical Entomology website. These users are department staff and other authorized personnel, including:
These individuals are collectively referred to throughout this document as "workplace participants." This policy does not apply to the collection of health records or patient information, which are covered under separate departmental policies.
Personal information is defined in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 as:
For the purpose of the App and Website, this primarily includes identification, contact, and location details of workplace participants.
The department collects personal information necessary for the functions and activities associated with the App and Website. Specifically, this includes information required for mosquito surveillance efforts and the maintenance of the Atlas of Medical Entomology. The department collects personal information only by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way.
If it is reasonable and practicable to do so, the department collects personal information about an individual only from that individual (e.g., when they use the App or Website). When collecting information directly from a workplace participant, the department will take reasonable steps to ensure the individual is aware of:
The department typically collects information for the App and Website directly from the workplace participant using these systems.
Unless the use or disclosure of personal information is for the primary purpose of collection (i.e., mosquito surveillance and entomological mapping), or it is for a secondary purpose and one of the permissible exceptions under Information Privacy Principle 2.1 applies, the department ordinarily removes identifying details from the information before any broader analysis or reporting, where appropriate.
The types of personal information the department collects via the App and Website include (but are not limited to):
The App and Website do not collect health information or sensitive information (as defined more broadly in other departmental policies related to patient or public health data) from workplace participants. Any information defined as "sensitive" under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (such as precise location data which could, in some contexts, be considered sensitive) is collected with the workplace participant's understanding as it is essential for the functioning of the App and Website for their work duties.
The department uses and discloses personal information collected via the App and Website for:
The department may use or disclose personal information from the App and Website when:
Information collected via the App and Website may be shared within relevant department business units if those units comply with the Information Privacy Principles. Such information may also be shared by the department with contracted service providers who assist in maintaining or developing the App and Website, under strict contractual privacy obligations.
The department collects, uses, holds, and discloses personal information from the App and Website for matters including, but not limited to:
Wherever it is lawful and practicable, a workplace participant must be given the option of remaining anonymous when interacting with the department. However, for the purposes of the App and Website, anonymity is generally not practicable as user identification and location data are core to their functionality for surveillance and mapping.
The department will not assign unique identifiers to workplace participants for the App and Website unless the assignment is necessary to enable it to carry out its functions efficiently (e.g., user IDs) or is otherwise required by law.
To better inform mosquito surveillance strategies and entomological understanding, the department may link data collected via the App and Website. Where this occurs, the department may combine datasets, which can then be used for policy development, statistical research, and evaluating current and future surveillance and control services. Statistical data and trends identified from this may be provided to other relevant government bodies and agencies to promote public health and environmental management related to mosquito-borne diseases. Any personal information used in linked datasets will have been lawfully collected by the department, and the subsequent use of that data to create a linked dataset, and disclosure of that linked dataset, will only occur where this is in compliance with law. Often data linkage will involve de-identifying data beforehand to ensure that it is not traceable to an individual workplace participant where appropriate for the purpose, and this de-identification will only be done where it is in compliance with law.
The department has security measures designed to protect personal information collected via the App and Website from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. The department must take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information if it is no longer needed for any purpose in line with the Public Records Act 1973. The department takes reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information it collects, uses, and discloses via the App and Website is accurate, complete, and up to date.
A workplace participant may ask for access to their personal information collected via the App or Website, or request a correction to their information by contacting:
When contacted, the department will let the workplace participant know whether it holds their information via these systems and any further steps that that individual should take to obtain access.
A workplace participant may make a complaint about a potential privacy incident (breach) concerning information collected via the App or Website by emailing the department's Privacy and Legal Compliance team in Legal Services at privacy@health.vic.gov.au. The team can also provide advice in relation to information sharing and privacy matters for department staff. The department undertakes to resolve privacy complaints and breaches in a timely and fair manner.
A workplace participant may also make a privacy complaint to:
OVIC provides independent oversight of the Victorian public sector's collection, use and disclosure of public sector information. Its functions include resolving privacy complaints through a conciliation process.
The department adheres to the requirements of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 when transferring personal information collected via the App and Website outside of Victoria. The only circumstances in which personal information from the App or Website may be transferred or stored outside of Victoria is when the transfer or storage meets one (or more) of the following criteria:
It is every workplace participant's responsibility to familiarise themselves with the Information Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and to ensure that they comply with them when using the App and Website. Workplace participants must also use these systems in accordance with departmental codes of conduct and any specific usage guidelines provided for the App or Website.
These Acts are available on the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website via http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au by searching under 'Victorian Law today.'