NSW RAA Legal Statements: Copyright, disclaimer & privacy

Copyright

Copyright in the material which appears at the NSW Rural Assistance Authority website is, subject to the operation of the Copyright Act 1968, vested in the Crown in the right of the State of New South Wales.

In keeping with the NSW Government's commitment to encouraging the availability, dissemination and exchange of information (and subject to the operation of the Act), you are welcome to reproduce the material which appears at the Rural Assistance Authority site for personal, in-house or non-commercial use, without formal permission or charge.

In the event that you wish to reproduce, alter, store or transmit the material which appears at the Rural Assistance Authority site for a purpose other than personal, in-house or non-commercial use, you can apply to the Rural Assistance Authority at the following address for formal permission.

Manager Administration
NSW Rural Assistance Authority
Locked Bage 23
Orange  NSW  2800
Ph: 02 6391 3000

Please note that the copyright in the materials appearing at Internet sites which are linked to the Rural Assistance Authority sites vests in the author of those materials, or the author's licensee (subject to the operation of the Copyright Act 1968). The NSW Government cannot and does not grant any permission or authority in respect of the copyright in the materials appearing at third-party Internet sites, and strongly recommends that you refer to the copyright statements at those sites before making use of the materials.

Disclaimer

The NSW Government is committed to enhancing the public availability, dissemination and exchange of information. To that end, the Rural Assistance Authority website has been established as an entry point to enable you to quickly and easily access information on the Internet in relation to topics of relevance to New South Wales and its residents.

The Rural Assistance Authority and the NSW Government does not warrant and does not represent that information contained in Rural Assistance Authority website is complete, current, reliable and/or free from error. Rural Assistance Authority sites are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, the ultimate and complete source of information on any particular topic.

The Rural Assistance Authority site has links to other Internet sites which contain information collated and presented by government agencies, third-party organisations and individuals.

The providers of the linked sites often have their own protocols and standards in relation to their sites and the information that appears on them. We urge you to familiarise yourself with these protocols and standards since the NSW Government can not warrant and does not represent that the linked sites are complete, current, reliable and/or free from error. The NSW Government also cannot accept responsibility or liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense you might incur as a result of the use of or reliance upon the materials which appear at the linked sites. Bearing in mind the importance of freedom of expression to our democratic society, the NSW Government does not necessarily endorse or support the views, opinions, standards or information expressed at the linked sites. Similarly, you should not interpret the absence of a link from the Rural Assistance Authority sites to any particular third-party site as a criticism or comment by the NSW Government on the provider or content of that site.

The links which appear at the Rural Assistance Authority sites have been set up as an information source only and with the NSW Government's desire to promote multiculturalism, tolerance and diversity in our society in mind. As such, you should appreciate that despite the efforts of the NSW Government to review and assess the suitability of the linked sites, some material which appears on these sites may cause offence or upset to some visitors. The NSW Government regrets any such offence or upset caused.

Privacy

This website is maintained by the New South Wales Government's Rural Assistance Authority. This Privacy Policy applies to all the publicly accessible pages on the Rural Assistance Authority site as listed above. The Rural Assistance Authority does not have any responsibility for the privacy policies or practices of third party sites linked to the Rural Assistance Authority sites. If you have any questions about the Rural Assistance Authority site, or the application of this Privacy Policy or a request for access to information held please contact:

Manager Administration
NSW Rural Assistance Authority
Locked Bage 23
Orange  NSW  2800
Ph: 02 6391 3000

Users of the Rural Assistance Authority site are entitled to expect that any information as a result of that use will be treated within the terms of the New South Wales Government's privacy responsibilities and obligations. The New South Wales Government's privacy practices are regulated by the New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. For more information contact the Office of the NSW Privacy Commissioner.

What information do we collect?

When you look at the pages on the Rural Assistance Authority site, we automatically record information that identifies, for each page accessed:

• the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the machine which has accessed it;
• your top-level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc.);
• the address of your server;
• the date and time of your visit to the site;
• the pages accessed and documents downloaded;
• the previous site visited; and
• the type of browser and operating system you have used.

Cookies are not used from the Rural Assistance Authority sites to collect information.

How do we use the information collected?

The information collected during each visit is aggregated with similar logged information and published in reports in order for the Rural Assistance Authority to identify patterns of usage of the sites. This will assist us in improving the Rural Assistance Authority sites and the services offered on them.

Rural Assistance Authority will not disclose or publish information that identifies individual machines, or potentially identifies sub-groupings of addresses, without consent or otherwise in accordance with the New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

What exceptions are there to this rule?

NSW Rural Assistance Authority will collect, use and disclose more extensive information than stated above in the following circumstances:

• unauthorised attempts to access files which are not published Rural Assistance Authority pages;
• unauthorised tampering or interference with files published on the Rural Assistance Authority site;
• unauthorised attempts to index the contents of the Rural Assistance Authority sites by other sites;
• attempts to intercept messages of other users of the Rural Assistance Authority site;
• communications which are defamatory, abusive, vilify individuals or groups or which give rise to a suspicion that an offence is being committed; and
• attempts to otherwise compromise the security of the web server, breach the laws of the State of New South Wales or Commonwealth of Australia, or interfere with the use of the Rural Assistance Authority site by other users.

NSW Rural Assistance Authority reserves the right to make disclosures to relevant authorities where the use of the Rural Assistance Authority sites raises a suspicion that an offence is being, or has been, committed. In the event of an investigation, the Rural Assistance Authority will provide access to data to any law enforcement agency that may exercise a warrant to inspect our logs.

The Rural Assistance Authority may initiate proceedings in relation to any loss or damage suffered as a result of unauthorised use of information or any of the above circumstances.

Disclosure may also occur where it is lawfully authorised or required under any Act, other law or statutory agency or foreign body.

Is the information stored securely?

Yes. Information collected is stored in an appropriately secure format and held by Rural Assistance Authority for archival purposes. When the information is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected it is deleted.

What will we do with information provided in Feedback?

NSW Rural Assistance Authority may provide feedback facilities on their sites to allow users to provide input into the future development of the sites and to comment on the provision of service by the Department. The provision of personal details on feedback is optional.

Users may provide personal details for the purpose of receiving a reply to their feedback. This information will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided. We will not add your email address or name to any mailing list.

NSW Rural Assistance Authority may publish aggregated information about feedback on the site, to the extent that it does not identify or cannot be used to identify individual users.

What about email?

Email addresses are recorded when an email message is sent to NSW Rural Assistance Authority. These email addresses are stored electronically in accordance with standards and authorities under the New South Wales State Records Act 1998. An email address is only used for the purpose for which it is provided and is not added to any mailing list or disclosed to other organisations unless you request that this to be done.

Will this policy be updated over time?

Due to the developing nature of privacy principles for online communication, this policy may be modified or expanded in light of new developments or issues that may arise from time to time. The amended policy will be posted to this site and will operate from the time it is posted.

Warning - Liability from unauthorised use

The Rural Assistance Authority may initiate proceedings in relation to any loss or damage suffered as a result of unauthorised use of information of equipment including any of the circumstances described in the section headed ‘What exceptions are there to this rule?’