Privacy and personal information
Right to Know Week 2024
Right to Know Week (RTK) NSW 2024 focuses on educating NSW agencies and the public about the GIPA Act and raising awareness about rights and obligations for accessing NSW government information.
In NSW, members of the public can seek information directly from many public sector agencies such as NSW government departments, councils, universities, state-owned corporations and ministerial offices. Some of this information is proactively available on websites or other publications, while other information needs to be requested.
Find out more about Right to Know Week on the IPC's website here.
Cessnock City Council has an obligation to protect the privacy of its customers. Council's Privacy Statement summarises how Council commits to meeting its obligation.
What happens when you call Council?
When you contact Council’s Customer Relations team by phone your call may be recorded. To find out how the information you provide over the phone is collected, used and/or disclosed, including the recordings of those phone calls, refer to our Privacy Statement.
Identifying, accessing and amending your personal information
How do I change my name on Council records?
If you are a property owner within the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA), you will need to change your name with the NSW Land Registry Services who will advise us to update our records accordingly.
If you do not own property in the Cessnock LGA please complete the Request to Amend Personal Information form. We will need your previous name in full and your new name in full in order to update our records accurately. Please include a scanned copy of your supporting legal document, such as a wedding certificate.
How do I change my email or phone number on Council records?
You can advise Council of a change to your contact phone number or email address by completing this form.
How do I change my postal address for property I own (where my rates notice goes)?
To change the postal address of a rates notice you must be the owner of the property and have consent from all other owners of the same property. Written advice will also be accepted from authorised parties, for example Power of Attorney (copy must be supplied) or Real Estate Managing Agents.
Please complete the update of your details here.
How do I change my residential address (where I live) on Council records?
Moving house? You can let Council know by completing this form.
How do I request Council confirm whether it holds my personal information?
Send an email to council@cessnock.nsw.gov.au or write to us at 62-78 Vincent Street Cessnock NSW 2325, Australia or PO Box 152, Cessnock NSW 2325. You can enquire about the nature of the information Council may hold about you, the main purpose for which Council collected that information and your right of access.
How do I access my personal information Council has?
To access your personal information held by Council, which may include information about your identity or health, please complete the Access Personal Information form.
Report a data breach
To find out how to notify Council of a data breach, click here.
How do I lodge a request for internal review – privacy complaint
You have the right to seek an internal review under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) (PPIP Act) if you have been ‘aggrieved by the conduct of a public sector agency’. This means that you have been negatively affected by something Council has done or not done in relation to the privacy of your personal information.
Conduct can include Council not processing your application under the PIPP Act or Health Records Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) (HRIP Act) properly, or you believe Council has breached the PPIP Act or HRIP Act relating to your personal and/or health information.
Council, however, welcomes the opportunity to discuss any privacy issues you may have. You are encouraged to try to resolve privacy issues with Council informally before lodging an internal review. You can raise your concerns by contacting the Privacy Contact Officer, making a complaint directly to the Privacy Commissioner, or using Council's complaint handling process.
Requirements when applying for an internal review
An application for internal review must:
- be in writing, and
- be addressed to Council, and
- include a return address in Australia (which will be used to notify you at the completion of the review), and
- be made within 6 months of becoming aware of the conduct you want reviewed.
It is not a requirement under the PPIP Act or the HRIP Act that you complete the application form for internal review. This form is designed to assist us in correctly identifying the nature of the conduct you are complaining about and determine whether a breach has occurred.
If we are unsure whether you have intended to submit an internal review, we will confirm with you whether the issue you have raised is a request for an internal review.
If you need assistance in filling out this form or more information on privacy, please visit Council's Administration Building.
If you choose not to complete this form, you must still make a written request for an internal review and describe the conduct in sufficient detail to allow us to determine if there has been a breach.
You can write to us at:
Privacy Contact Officer
Cessnock City Council
62-78 Vincent Street
Cessnock NSW 2325
OR
PO BOX 152
Cessnock NSW 2325
OR
council@cessnock.nsw.gov.au
Refer to clauses 7 and 8 of Council’s Privacy Management Plan for further details on your rights to internal and external reviews.