Centrelink annual report 1999 – 2000 Contact officer



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Appendix vi

Advertising and Direct Mail


This appendix outlines expenditure on payment to the value of $1500 or more made to advertising agencies, direct mail organisations and media advertising organisations, in accordance with Section 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

Any payments of $1500 and over made to market research organisations and polling organisations are listed under Appendix v, Consultancy Services, page 201, in addition to reporting of other consultancies.

Table 28: Advertising and Direct Mail Expenditure

PAYEE

AMOUNT

PURPOSE

AIS Media

$50 290

Advertising for Family Allowance for 16 to 24 year olds

AIS Media

$8 887

Ethnic press advertising for Welcome to Centrelink

AIS Media

$14 950

Advertising for Pension Bonus Scheme

AIS Media

$7 290

Advertising for Rural Call Centre Maryborough

AIS Media

$2 351

Advertising for Multimedia Payphones

AIS Media

$1 957

Advertising for ABSTUDY

AIS Media

$2 863

Advertising for Victorian Seniors Health Card

AIS Media

$11 129

Advertising for Unzipped magazine

AIS Media

$9 815

Advertising for Rental Assistance

Payments of $1500 and over to media advertising organisations—master advertising agencies that have placed Centrelink advertising in the media. This covers both campaign and non-campaign advertising.

PAYEE

AMOUNT

PURPOSE

National Indigenous

Radio Service



$90 000

Radio programs targetting Indigenous people

Radio for the Print Handicapped

$40 411

General information for the print handicapped

Special Broadcasting Service

$253 990

Provision of multicultural broadcasting services

Independent & General

$76 520

Dissemination of Centrelink information to the ethnic community

Payments of $1500 and over to advertising agencies and other agencies that have developed advertising campaigns.Payments of $1500 and over to direct mail organizations.

PAYEE

AMOUNT

PURPOSE

PMP Communications

$875 098

Preparation and mailout of agency material

PMP Communications

(as sub-contractor to POL Corporation)



$2 282 163

Preparation and mailout of Age Pension News

Toll Logistics

$456 956

Preparation and mailout of agency material

Chandler Direct Mail

$13 595

Preparation and mailout of agency material

National Mailing and Marketing

$43 330

Preparation and mailout of agency material

Canberra Mailing

$38 277

Preparation and mailout of agency material

Salmat Mailing Services

$70 890

Preparation and mailout of agency material

J S McMillan

$23 706

Preparation and mailout of agency material

Bounty Services

$3 677

Preparation and mailout of agency material

Appendix vii

Privacy

Liaison with Privacy Commissioner


Centrelink has informal administrative arrangements in place with the Privacy Commissioner’s Office which enable Centrelink to deal with complaints as efficiently as possible. These arrangements resulted in the Privacy Commissioner’s Office deciding not to investigate six cases after making preliminary inquiries under section 42 of the Privacy Act 1988. In addition, other cases were handled more effectively.

Complaints Referred by the Privacy Commissioner


The Privacy Commissioner formally referred nine cases to Centrelink during 1999–2000 and after receiving reports from Centrelink has finalised six cases under paragraphs 41(1)(a) or 41(2)(a) of the Privacy Act 1988. Paragraph 41(1)(a) involves a finding that there has been no interference with privacy while a dismissal of a complaint under paragraph 41(2)(a) is based on a finding that Centrelink adequately dealt with the complaint.

Reports and Determinations by the Privacy Commissioner


The Privacy Commissioner may issue a report or declaration under sections 30 and 52 of the Privacy Act 1988 regarding Centrelink. These statutory reports and determinations enable the Privacy Commissioner to report directly to a Minister and to make a decision either to dismiss or to substantiate a complaint. During 1999–2000, the Privacy Commissioner did not issue any reports or determinations under the above sections.

Under section 73 of the Privacy Act 1988, an agency may apply in accordance with the regulations for a public interest determination under section 72 by the Privacy Commissioner about an act or practice that breaches an Information Privacy Principle. Centrelink has not applied under section 73 to the PrivacyCommissioner for any such determination.


Privacy Incident Statistics


Centrelink’s policy is to investigate all privacy incidents which include mailout errors, alleged privacy breaches from the public and staff, auditing of computer accesses to detect unauthorised accesses and any privacy incidents at Customer Service Centres and Call Centres. In 1999–2000 Centrelink completed 1394 privacy incident investigations. These investigations resulted in only 33 per cent of incidents being substantiated as a breach of privacy or confidentiality.

Table 29: Investigation Outcomes 1999–2000






FINALISED

SUBSTANTIATED

SUBSTANTIATED-FAULT OF EXTERNAL AGENCY

SUBSTANTIATED-WITHDRAWN

Number

1 394

471

8

915

%

100

33.8

0.6

65.6

Included in the privacy incidents investigated are cases of information fraud. The criterion used to identify these cases includes the elements of benefit or financial gain. Thesecases are prosecuted under the criminal sanctions imposed by provisions of the Social Security Act 1991, the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, Student Assistance Act 1973 and the Crimes Act 1914 in relation to the unauthorised access to use or release of customer information. Criminal acts under these provisions would generally come within the definition of fraud as defined by the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Board in the ‘Best Practice for Fraud Control—Fraud Control Policy of the Commonwealth’.

Information fraud may also occur with the unauthorised release of staff information or other agency documents of a confidential or commercial-in-confidence nature where the above elements are present.

There is a considerable difference between the number of complaints made and the number which actually are proven to have substance. The use of Automatic Data Processing logging information was used to assist in proving or disproving an allegation in 779 of the 1394 cases finalised in 1999–2000.

Automatic Data Processing logging involves Centrelink retaining records of accesses by Centrelink officers to the computer data bases. The use of Automatic Data Processing logging information in the detection of breaches has provided investigation staff with a very accurate and positive investigative tool. Centrelink is able to provide substantial evidence to determine the guilt or innocence of a staff member who has allegedly breached a customer’s privacy. It also has the ability to substantiate to a customer whether the customer’s privacy has been breached through an unauthorised or improper access to customer records on payment systems.

Table 30: Types of Incidents Reported and number substantiated 1999–2000

TYPES OF INCIDENT REPORTED 1999-2000

NUMBER REPORTED

FINALISED INCIDENTS SUBSTANTIATED

Information Privacy Principles 1–3 Privacy Act 1988

12

1

Information Privacy Principles 4–8 Privacy Act 1988

45

32

Information Privacy Principles 9–11 Privacy Act 1988

48

12

Unauthorised Access—Browsing

522

114

Unauthorised Disclosure—Browsing

395

39

Unauthorised Use

16

8

Mail House Error

55

49

Misdirected Mail—Officer Error

211

194

Soliciting Disclosure

10

2

Untrue Representations

12

2

Survey Related Incident

9

2

Other

81

16

Total Incidents Reported

1416

471

Of the 1394 investigations finalised during 1999–2000, criminal charges were laid in two cases resulting in the officers being placed on Good Behaviour Bonds. Disciplinary action was undertaken against 102 members of staff, resulting in these officers being either dismissed, fined, counselled or having a warning letter issued to them. In other cases such as misdirected mail, feedback was provided and procedures addressed to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

(See also Chapter 10, Corporate Governance, page 133.)




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