Privacy Policy

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) values and is committed to protecting your privacy.

SMCT collects and handles personal information in accordance with the Cemeteries & Crematoria Act 2003, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (“PDP Act”) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

In administering this Policy, SMCT also has regard to guidance issued by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC), including guidance relating to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated processing and emerging technologies in the Victorian public sector.

This website privacy statement only applies to the information collected from you specifically as a result of your visit to our website, https://www.smct.org.au/ because there are specific uses we use your information for in connection with the website. For information about our broader collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, please refer to our general privacy policy.

We may update this website privacy statement and our privacy policy from time to time. Any changes to this privacy statement and the privacy policy will be published on this website.

This privacy statement does not apply to any external websites that are linked on the SMCT website or which you may access through the SMCT website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites operated by third party organisations including those websites you need to access for purposes associated with your use of our website or services, for example, on-line event booking which is done through a third party organisation on our behalf. When you visit or are directed to other websites through the SMCT website, we

We may collect personal information that you choose to give us, or which may be required to access a service.

The types of personal information we collect will depend on how we engage with individuals. Examples of personal information we may collect include:

• Names, titles, contact and address details.
• Information in identification documents (eg. Passport or drivers licence).
• Tax file numbers and other identification numbers.
• Date of birth and gender.
• Bank account details.
• Educational qualifications, employment history.
• Visa or work permit status.
• Payment details.
• Personal information about you, your spouse, dependents, next of kin which you upload to our website.

Whenever we ask you to provide personal information for other purposes, we will provide you with notice specific to that collection.

We will only disclose your personal information for the reason it was collected, or for a related purpose that you might reasonably expect us to use it for.

For further information on how we handle your personal information, please refer to our general privacy policy.

We use third party applications to deliver email campaigns to subscribers, collect leads for newsletter subscriptions or downloadable content, and analyse website usage. Any personal information (including personal information of third parties) you provide via any social media feature may be shared with other users of that social media feature, over which we may have limited or no control. The SMCT website may include functionality to enable information sharing via these third-party applications, for example the Facebook “like” button.

Any information collected by third party applications are governed by the privacy policies of the third-party organisations providing the applications. SMCT has no control over, or responsibility for, those third-party organisations or their use of information. When you agree to a third-party application’s terms of service and privacy policy, you may be agreeing to your information being transferred outside Victoria including overseas.

Cookies are small files that are transferred to your web browser when you visit a website. These files contain certain pieces of information that help you navigate the website efficiently. Cookies are used to save information about your interaction with a website – for example, your login details, preferences, and how and when you use a website. They cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer.

Our website uses session cookies which are stored in temporary memory and are not retained after you close the browser session. Google Analytics may also set or collect first-party cookies to collect information on website usage statistics.

Under the PDP Act, we have a responsibility to protect your personal information. 

SMCT takes reasonable steps to ensure personal information is protected from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Information may be held in either electronic or hard copy form. 

Risks relating to the collection, storage, security and use of personal information will be assessed and managed in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

Where artificial intelligence (AI) or automated systems are used in connection with SMCT functions, appropriate governance, risk management and human oversight controls will be applied to ensure compliance with privacy legislation and principles.

Further, any personal information that we collect and use for identifying user trends (for example, IP address) is aggregated and anonymised when generating reports.

You may request access to, or correction of, documents that contain your personal information which are in our possession. For information on how to make a request for access or correction, please contact us via the details below.

In some cases, requests for access or correction will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).