Privacy Policy

1. General

The Upstream Collective (TUC) recognises that the privacy of your personal information is important to you. At TUC, we take our privacy obligations seriously and are committed to ensuring that we handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act).

This policy sets out how TUC collects, uses, discloses and secures your personal information. It also sets out your rights to access and correct it. This policy covers all of our activities, including the operation of our websites and our social media accounts on any platform, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok (TUC Social Media).

2. Collection of your personal information

We collect personal information relating to our participants for our organisational purposes, and major functions, which are detailed generally on our websites.

TUC may collect personal information including (but not limited to) the following: your title, name, address, gender, email address, telephone numbers, birthdate, occupation, qualifications, skills, transaction and payment details, and other information reasonably necessary for us to provide our services to you or which is otherwise reasonably necessary for us to carry out our functions and activities.

TUC may collect sensitive information, including information that you choose to share with us regarding your disability, racial or ethnic origin, or sexual preferences. If TUC holds any sensitive information about you, that information will only be used and disclosed by TUC for the purpose for which it was provided by you, or otherwise in accordance with the Privacy Act.

TUC generally collects personal information that you choose to share directly from you when you communicate with us. For example, when we receive an email from you, we may collect and retain your personal information. With your consent, we may also collect photographs or videos of you, for example when you attend or present at one of our events. There may also be circumstances where we collect information about you from third parties or via other methods., for example, where we have been provided with this information by a friend, relative or carer.

TUC may make a record of information relating to your visit to our websites. Such information includes your server address, domain name, IP address, the date and time of your visit, pages accessed, and documents downloaded. If you do not wish information to be collected and recorded by means of a cookie, you may reconfigure your web browser to not accept cookies.

If you send an email to our team, we will record your email address. We will use your email address for the purpose for which it was provided, and for any other purpose for which you would reasonably expect us to use it. We will not include your email address on any mailing list without your prior consent. We will not use your email address for any other purpose without your express consent.

If we require you to provide personal information when you complete an electronic form on our websites, we will collect that information to assist us in responding to your request.

TUC will not collect personal information in a way that would be unlawful or where such information is unnecessary or unrelated to our functions, activities or business.

Our website and TUC Social Media may contain links to other websites and social media pages. TUC is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any of those websites or social media pages.

3. Cookies and analytics

Our websites use analytics tools such Google Analytics.

Google Analytics is a service which transmits website traffic data to Google servers, including those in the United States. 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 our website traffic and webpage usage. This then helps us to improve user’s experience of our websites. By using our websites, you consent to the processing of data about you for the purposes set out above. 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 (external link).

4. Use and disclosure of your personal information

We use the personal information we collect for business purposes (including as described on our websites), to fulfil our legal and ethical obligations and to keep our participants informed of our activities and the services that we provide. Our business purposes are generally to provide services to our participants, to administer our relationships with our participants, their family and friends, and with disability sector professionals, and others, and to operate our websites and the TUC Social Media.

TUC will only use or disclose your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected, for another related purpose for which you would reasonably expect us to use it, or for any other purpose with your consent (whether express or implied). For example, we may use your personal information to analyse data obtained on our websites to determine our websites’ effectiveness and to modify it to improve its functionality and the service it provides to members.

TUC may from time to time send you marketing material that we consider may be useful to you, including information about our organisation. If you do not wish to receive this information, you can let us know and we will not send it to you.

Depending on the purpose of collection, your personal information may be disclosed to:

• external service providers (on a confidential basis and in circumstances where those service providers may only use your information for the purpose of TUC activities), such as service providers for our websites, member email newsletter distribution, cloud data

• storage and payment processors;

• specialist advisers to TUC who have been engaged to provide us with legal, accounting, administrative, financial, insurance, research, marketing or other services; and

• any other person authorised and specified by you.

In addition, TUC may use or disclose your personal information:

• where required or authorised by or under an Australian law (including the Privacy Act) or an order of a court or tribunal;

• in accordance with the Privacy Act, including where we hold a reasonable belief that the use or disclosure is required for certain enforcement or health and safety purposes, or that use, or disclosure is necessary in relation to certain suspected unlawful activity or misconduct; or

• if reasonably necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal or equitable claim or for the purposes of confidential alternative dispute resolution.

• If you attend TUC events such as forums or workshops, where you have given your consent, TUC may publish photographs or videos of you on its websites, TUC Social Media, newsletters or for other marketing and promotional purposes. TUC will endeavour not use your image without your consent.

• TUC may at other times notify you about our disclosure practices in respect of specific services that we provide in relation to our activities.

If you do not provide some requested personal information, we may be delayed or prevented from finalising our transaction with you or satisfying your request or enquiry.

5. Storage and security of your personal information

TUC may hold your personal information in a number of different formats, including software programs (located both onsite and offsite, including in the cloud), databases, filing systems and in backup storage. Personal information held by TUC may be stored in email accounts that are accessible through mobile devices.

TUC takes all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, unauthorised access, modification, disclosure or misuse.

6. Access to your personal information

At any time, you may request access to personal information about you that TUC holds by contacting us via email or phone. TUC will process your request within 10 working days. We will generally give you access to your personal information, and if we do not, we will take reasonable steps to meet your needs (for example by letting you know generally the kind of information we hold about you).

7. Correction of your personal information

You can notify TUC if there are any changes to your personal information via phone or email. You may ask TUC at any time to correct personal information we hold about you by contacting us.

8. Complaints

Please notify us by phone or email if you have any complaints relating to TUC’s handling of your personal information. TUC will investigate all complaints and respond to you within a reasonable time and in accordance with its legal obligations.

9. Changes to this policy

This policy was last updated on 20 April 2025.

TUC may amend this policy from time to time, by publishing a revised policy on our websites. Any changes will be effective as of the date they are published.

10. Contact details and further information

If you have any questions in relation to privacy or wish to access or correct your personal information, please contact us directly by email at admin@theupstreamcollective.com.au. 

For further information about privacy issues, see the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au.