Privacy

Introduction

The Victorian Arts Centre Trust is committed to preserving your privacy, and this Privacy Statement reflects our firm commitment to you. It sets out our policies in relation to the way we collect and handle personal information. We collect personal information from a variety of sources, such as when you:

• access our website, or
  
  
• voluntarily provide us with your personal information, or
  
  
• attend any of our venues (such as the State Theatre, Hamer Hall and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl).

We encourage you to check our privacy statement regularly as this Privacy Statement may change from time to time.

How we collect and use information

Collection of personal information generally
We collect personal information from or about you in a variety of circumstances. For example, when you:

• apply for membership with us
  
  
• buy a ticket for a performance at one of our venues
  
  
• request information from us
  
  
• make a donation to us.

We collect different types of information for different reasons. For example, when you apply for membership with us, or request information from us, we collect contact details from you so that we can:

• get in contact with you, or
  
  
• send you information which you request.

We collect financial information (such as credit card information) from you in order to receive payment from you for products and services that you order. We collect your birthday information (optional) so that we can send you a gift on your birthday (if you are a member).

We also collect information about your preferences and other demographic and profile data (optional), so that we can tailor the information we provide to you according to your preferences. We sometimes provide this information to our sponsors and supporters on an aggregated basis (that is, without identifying any individual).

We sometimes collect information about potential donors, sponsors or members from information that is publicly available (such as from Who's Who publication). We use this information to help us develop our donor, sponsorship and membership programs.

Ticketing information - Performances at Our Venue
We have appointed Ticketmaster as our agent to sell tickets to performances at our venues. Ticketmaster sell these tickets directly by mail and fax, through its Call Centre and Internet site and indirectly through its network of retail outlets (including our own Box Office).

Ticketmaster collects directly and indirectly on our behalf - and passes on to us - personal information so that we can provide certain ticketing services.

The personal information we do receive comprises of the details you provide, such as your name, address, telephone number, email address, payment details, together with your ticket details. This enables you to be advised of any performance postponement or cancellation. It also allows us to process ticket exchanges and refunds as well as reply to queries from your financial institution. Ticketmaster also informs us if you do not consent to your name and contact details being used for market research or to inform you of other events that may be of interest to you.

Unless you withhold your consent, we may:

use your name and contact details:

• to inform you of information about other events at our venues you may enjoy
  
  
• for our market research purpose

disclose your name and contact details to the presenter of the performance for which you have purchased tickets so they may:

• inform you of their future events you may enjoy
  
• use it for their market research purposes

At any time you may withdraw your consent to us using and disclosing your personal information in any of these ways. To do so, please inform our privacy officer in writing (see contact details at below). If however we have already passed your personal contact details to the presenter, you will need to contact them directly to inform them of your withdrawal of consent.

Ticketing information - Tickets Sold from Our Box Office

Ticketmaster has appointed us as one of its agents in the Ticketmaster retail outlet network. This means that Ticketmaster has authorised us to use its ticketing system and to act on its behalf when we sell tickets from our Box Office for performances at our venues and other venues.

Because we are standing in Ticketmaster's shoes when we do this, the Ticketmaster privacy policy determines the way that any personal information collected at the Box Office is handled.

Ticketmaster's privacy policy can be found on its website: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Website

When you visit the website of the Arts Centre, we record your visit and log information about your visit (sometimes known as click stream data). Some of the information we log includes:

• Number of sessions spent on the website
  
  
• What country the user resides in
  
  
• Usage patterns (ie what pages were accessed)
  
  
• Time and date of usage
  
  
• Operating System of the user

We use this information to help us improve visitor's on-line experience and the collection of this type of information is common on most websites.

This information is sometimes shared with our stakeholders - however this is in a summary form and does not identify individuals.

On-line Processing

The Arts Centre uses a third party provider, PayPal Australia Pty Ltd (PayPal), to process secure online purchases on our website. Only certain parts of our website contain this functionality (ie merchandise sales).

Paypal use this information solely to process individual transactions and pass on delivery details directly to us. The information is not used for any other purpose.

E-mail

When you subscribe to the Arts Centre's eNews e-mail newsletter, the Arts Centre tracks your interaction with the e-mail. Our third party contractor (Traction) logs this interaction. Some of the information we collect includes:

• How many e-mails delivered
  
  
• The number of people who opened the e-mail
  
  
• How many times each link was opened
  
  

We use this information to help us improve user's interaction with the e-mail newsletter.
Please be aware that there are inherent risks transmitting information via the Internet or e-mail.

Sensitive information

We do not collect any information about your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or membership, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade association or union membership, sexual preferences or criminal record, unless:

• you have given us specific consent to do so, or
  
  
• where we are required by law to do so, or
  
  
• it is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of a person, or
  
  
• it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal claim.

Other use and disclosure of information

Treatment as confidential information

We treat personal information that we collect from you in the same way that we treat our other confidential information.

We will not sell to anyone, the information that we collect about you.

We will not disclose to a third party, the information which we collect about you, except where it is necessary to conduct our business (ie mail house or financial institution), and then only if the third party:

• first enters into appropriate confidentiality undertakings with us, or
  
  
• has a privacy policy, which is similar to ours.

Secondary use of information

We may use or disclose personal information which we collect from you for a purpose (the "secondary purpose") which is different from the primary purpose of collection, if:

• the secondary purpose is related to the primary purpose, and
  
  
• you would reasonably expect us to so use or disclose such information.

For example, if we collect information about your attendance at a particular box office event, we may use that information to provide you with promotional materials about a similar event in the future.

However, if we do this, we will always give you an opportunity to 'opt-out' (that is, to request not to receive any such promotional materials in the future).

We can also use or disclose personal information for a secondary purpose if it is permitted under the Information Privacy Principles (of the Information Privacy Act 2000). For example:

• where you have given us specific consent to do so, or
  
  
• where we are required by law to do so, or
  
  
• it is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of a person, or
  
  
• as a necessary part of an investigation of unlawful activity.

Security of information

We will take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information that we hold from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

The inherent nature of the Internet means that the security of any transmission of information to us using the Internet cannot be guaranteed.

However, once the information reaches our control, the information is protected by our computer network's firewall. Our firewall is designed to protect information held within our computer network, by preventing unauthorised access to our computer network.

We also have systems in place within our organisation to ensure that personal information is handled in a way that is consistent with our privacy policy.

Your right to access and correct information

Integrity of information
We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information which we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date.

Your right of access
You have the right to access the personal information that we hold about you. If the information we hold about you is not accurate, complete and up to date, you can ask us to modify our records.

You can make a request to access the information we keep about you by writing to:

Marketing Intelligence Manager
Marketing and Communications
the Arts Centre
PO Box 7585
ST KILDA ROAD VIC 8004

Our right to refuse
We reserve the right to refuse your request if:

• you have not paid our prescribed fee for accessing the information, or
  
  
• we consider your request to be frivolous or vexatious, or
  
  
• to do so is likely to prejudice an investigation of possible unlawful activity, or
  
  
• to do so will be unlawful, or
  
  
• we are otherwise legally entitled to deny your request (whether under the Information Privacy Principles, or generally at law).

Reasons for refusal
If we refuse your request to either:

• access your personal information, or
  
  
• modify our records about you,

we will provide you with the reasons for our refusal.

Statement of claim
If:

• you consider that the personal information which we hold about you is not accurate, complete and up to date, and
  
  
• we refuse your request to modify our records,

we will post a statement of your claim at the place where we hold your personal information.

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to other sites. We cannot be responsible for the privacy practices of other websites and their operators.

This Privacy Statement relates only to our website at: www.theartscentre.com.au.

Consent and changes to policy

By:

• using our website, or
  
  
• voluntarily providing us with your personal information,

you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in the manner described in this Privacy Statement.

We encourage you to check our privacy statement regularly as this Privacy Statement may change from time to time.

If we decide to change this Privacy Statement, we will post the changes on this page.

Compliance and contact details

If you have any questions or comments about our Privacy Statement, or if you feel that we are not following our stated privacy policy, please write to our privacy officer:

Privacy Officer
the Arts Centre
PO Box 7585
ST KILDA ROAD VIC 8004

Last updated: 23 August 2006

Disclaimer

Please do not proceed any further into the Arts Centre web site unless you accept the following conditions:

• No liability is accepted to any person for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance upon material contained at this website.
  
  
• the Arts Centre accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of information or material accessed through the site. Performance details in the Diary of Events section of the site are subject to change without prior notice.
  
  
• By logging on, you will have deemed to have released and discharged the Arts Centre from all liability which might arise.
  
  
• By logging on, you will be assuming all risks associated with use of the site, including risk of your computer, software or data being damaged by any virus which might be transmitted or activated via the Arts Centre site or your access to it.

The Arts Centre Copyright Notice

The text and images contained on this website are protected by the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and this state, including copyright law.

Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the Arts Centre.

Requests and inquiries can be directed to:

Marketing and Communications
the Arts Centre
PO Box 7585
Melbourne VIC 8004

Telephone (03) 9281 8000
Facsimile (03) 9281 8002
janet.wells@theartscentre.com.au