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Privacy and security

Centrelink places great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of our mutual customer's personal information. With a number of strong security measures in place and the continued development of our Internet services, our main focus is on improving existing measures as well as keeping you informed about the latest developments.

• Protection of information statement
• Security statement
• More information

Protection of information statement

Collection of information by Centrelink

The screens you have accessed and the information contained within is electronically captured and retained to ensure compliance with the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 and Commonwealth record keeping requirements. Centrelink will keep a record of your access to this service.

Centrelink collects a range of information about visits to the Centrelink website. The following information is stored for 12 months:

• entry and exit pages
• how often the site was used
• the time of day the site was accessed
• the length of time spent on the site
• how much information was downloaded
• if the visit is from a company or an individual
• if you are browsing from Australia or outside Australia
• the general area you visited from
• what browser types are being used
• your screen resolution, java and flash versions, colour depth and language settings.

These information are collected for statistical analysis only.

Use and disclosure of information

If you provide your organisation or personal details to Centrelink when you send us a message these will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided them. Your details will not be added to a general mailing list. Unless authorised or required by law, Centrelink will not disclose this information without your consent.

In the unlikely event of an investigation, a law enforcement agency or other government agency may exercise its legal authority to inspect our Internet service provider's logs.

Cookies

Cookies are pieces of information a website can transfer to an individual's computer hard drive.

• Most Internet browsers are preset to accept cookies, but you can choose if and how a cookie will be accepted by configuring the preferences and options in your browser.
• Centrelink tracks some demographic information about website usage which may include the items listed above under collection of information.
• When you access our secure Business online services we may also use cookies to:
  • determine whether your computer has support for cookies turned on (this allows us to advise that you need to enable cookies to use a particular service)
  • help identify you during your secure session
  • time your session so you will be logged off if you are not using the service for a specified time period
  • maintain an audit trail of your secure session

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Security statement

While Centrelink endeavours to provide a secure Internet environment, users should note that there are inherent risks associated with transmission of information via the Internet. Centrelink encrypts all messages between the browser running on your computer and Centrelink's business online site.

The encryption process used by Centrelink is Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

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More information

If you have any privacy or security concerns:

• view the private i - your ultimate privacy survival guide
• visit your nearest Centrelink Customer Service Centre for advice.