Privacy and Personal Information

Research involving the use of personal information (information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable) must comply with applicable privacy legislation.

Information Privacy Act 2009 (Queensland) - In the state of Queensland, the right to privacy with regard to the use of personal information is enshrined by the Information Privacy Act 2009. With regard to research projects, JCU's Right to Information and Privacy webpages state that 'It is the responsibility of the researcher and the relevant Division/College to ensure compliance with the information privacy principles in the IP [Information Privacy] Act. The personal information should be securely held and access to it should be limited to members of the research team, the funding body, if appropriate, and staff providing assistance to or supervising the research team. Researchers should seek the informed written consent of individuals who will provide personal information for research purposes and keep a record of that consent.

Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) - The federal Privacy Act does not directly apply its own force to universities and research institutions created under state legislation - they are governed by State privacy laws. Universities are however, contractually bound to follow the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) contained in the Act under funding agreements from Commonwealth agencies including the NHMRC and ARC.