The Department of Home Affairs' (the Department) is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in Schedule 1 to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). The APPs regulate the management of personal information. This includes how:
- we collect, use, store and disclose personal information
- you may access your personal information
- you may seek to correct your personal information.
This notice explains why we (the department) are collecting your personal information and how we will manage it. More information about our personal information handling practices is available from the department's privacy policy.
Why we collect your personal information
We are collecting your personal information to:
- assess and determine your eligibility for a Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) claim
- confirm your identity
- conduct a review of your TRS claim, if you request it.
We may also use personal information about you that we hold in other departmental systems for these purposes.
If your personal information is not collected, we may be unable to process and/or pay your TRS claim.
How we collect your personal information
We will generally collect information directly from you. We will ask for information in the following circumstances:
- when processing your TRS claim
- if you are requesting a review of your TRS claim
- if you have a payment enquiry
- if you need to provide a payment method for your refund.
Who we disclose your personal information to
We may disclose personal information that we collect about you to:
- the Australian Taxation Office
- any retailer that provides you a tax invoice that is part of a TRS claim
- a contracted service provider who is facilitating refunds on behalf of the department
- any domestic law enforcement agency.
Disclosure of personal information to overseas recipients
We are likely to disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient. This will be a contracted service provider who is facilitating refunds on behalf of the department. That overseas recipient is currently located in Austria and Slovakia.
How you can access or correct your personal information
You can make a request for access and correction of your personal information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) and the Privacy Act. Our privacy policy explains how you can request:
- access to the personal information that we hold about you
- to have this information corrected.
Concerns and complaints
The department is committed to protecting the personal information with which it is entrusted in accordance with the Privacy Act. If you believe that the department has handled your personal information in a way that breaches our obligations in the APPs, you can make a complaint. Our privacy policy explains how you can make a complaint and how we will deal with your complaint.
How you can contact us
View the departments contact details.
Alternatively, you can provide feedback by:
The Manager Global Feedback Unit
GPO Box 241
Melbourne VIC 3001 Australia.
