We collect information in a range of ways, including when you:

·       visit our website

·       contact us through our online forms or email us

·       use social media to communicate with us or to view information we post (such as videos and social media posts), and

·       subscribe to our newsletters. 

Data analytics and service improvement

We use Google Analytics to measure website use and improve your experience of our website and our communications. For example, we use this information to:

·       find out when our systems aren’t working as expected

·       understand user needs and what’s hard to use on our online services and applications

·       learn where we can streamline services

·       cater for different types of browsers and devices you use

·       develop relevant support information to help you interact with us, and

·       improve our ability to assist stakeholders when they contact us for help.

Google Analytics transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States of America (USA). Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We use reports provided by Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and webpage usage.

When you use our website, Google handles your information in the manner described in Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google. Our website may also contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. When you go to other websites from here, we advise you to read their privacy policies.

We may also use other third party analytics tools (such as Hootsuite) along with Google Analytics for the purpose of improving our communications with you and the public. 

The types of information we may collect from third party analytic tools includes: 

·       Internet Protocol (IP) address

·       browser and operating system, for example whether you use Internet Explorer or Chrome, Windows or iOS

·       date and time of website visit

·       pages visited, mouse clicks and documents downloaded from our websites

·       device type, model, screen size and orientation

·       language and geographic location (city/country) preferences (if enabled)

·       demographics and interests, for example age bracket and gender, along with interests expressed through online behaviour

·       fields you’ve entered information into (such as search terms)

·       how long it took to do certain tasks

·       how you move through pages and the referring domain and outlink (if applicable).

To improve your experience on our site, we may also use 'cookies'.  Cookies are pieces of information that a website can transfer to an individual's computer hard drive or hand held device for record keeping. Cookies can make websites easier to use by storing information about your preferences on a particular website. The information is used by us to help improve our website by understanding how it is used and effective communication methods for diverse audiences. We do not attempt to identify individual users in any way.

Third party sites that we use to communicate with the public about our work (e.g. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) may also send their own cookies to your computer. We do not control the setting of third-party cookies.  You can check the third-party websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them (see Social media below).

When you email us or contact us using our online forms we collect your personal information for the purpose of dealing with your enquiry or complaint. If you choose not to provide us with your personal information we may not be able to respond to your enquiry or complaint.

We may disclose your personal information to another government agency or organisation if that agency or organisation is better placed to assist you or respond to your enquiry.

We use digital platforms (including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube and LinkedIn) to communicate with the public about our work. When you communicate with us using these services we may collect your personal information for the purpose of engaging with and understanding community views. 

Digital platforms handle your personal information for their own purposes and may conduct analytics in accordance with their own privacy policies. You can access these policies at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Hootsuite and YouTube)