Membership of ARPANSA Advisory Committees

Overview 

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. Our purpose is to protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (Cth) (ARPANS Act) establishes ARPANSA and three statutory advisory bodies:

• The Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council (Council)
• The Radiation Health Committee (RHC)
• The Nuclear Safety Committee (NSC)

collectively referred to as ‘advisory bodies’. 

The authority to establish these advisory bodies is provided in Part 4 of the ARPANS Act and members are appointed in accordance with the requirements in the ARPANS Act and Part 3 of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations 2018 (ARPANS Regulations). Assessment of individual suitability is made via an appointment process which reviews nominees. This process and subsequent membership necessitate the disclosure of nominees’ personal information to ARPANSA. 

ARPANSA collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). ARPANSA may collect, use, store and disclose personal information, including sensitive information, for the purposes of reviewing nominees for appointment as members to the advisory bodies and if an individual is appointed, managing their position and functions of the advisory bodies.

This Privacy Collection Notice specifically relates to appointments to and membership of ARPANSA’s advisory bodies. 

Who is collecting your personal information?

Although the advisory bodies are separate statutory entities, ARPANSA manages the appointment process and administrative requirements of the advisory bodies through a Secretariat function. For further information specific to the relevant advisory body, please contact the Secretariat via email at the below addresses:

How is this information collected?

This information will be collected directly from you or a nominated representative as part of the appointment process. Appointments and administrative arrangements for the advisory bodies are usually conducted via email. 

Purpose of collection

We collect your personal information for the purposes of:

• seeking nominees, interviewing and selecting suitably qualified members that meet the requirements provided in Part 4 of the ARPANS Act and Part 3 of the ARPANS Regulations; 
• managing your membership including paying remuneration if you are appointed as a member to an advisory body; and 
• enabling your attendance and involvement in advisory body activities. 

These functions or activities include, but are not limited to: 

• reviewing nominee applications including cover letters and curriculum vitae (CV) 
• the appointment processes (for example, scribing, outcome notification, assessment) 
• organising and interviewing shortlisted candidates 
• initiating national police checks 
• initiating security and employment suitability clearance assessments 
• payroll processing 
• administration of superannuation 
• administration of taxation 
• administration of workplace health and safety 
• performance management assessment
• organising meetings for the advisory bodies including in-person and virtually
• taking promotional photographs or videos to be used on ARPANSA’s website or in promotional/business material 
• organising food orders including noting dietary requirements 
• organising travel
• providing other relevant information
• uploading minutes of meetings or relevant letters/papers to ARPANSA’s website. 

Depending on your role on an advisory body, the types of personal information we may collect for managing the appointment process and the functioning of advisory bodies are:

• full name, signature, date of birth, email address, telephone number and residential address 
• applicant, referee and emergency contact details
• applications for membership and supporting documentation 
• place and date of birth, to initiate Employment Suitability and Security Clearance (where required) 
• gender data, to inform our success in attracting talent equally
• diversity information for benchmarking our performance on building a diverse workforce
• selection committee reports
• details of financial and other personal interests supplied by members and their immediate family members for managing perceived or potential conflicts of interest
• proof of Australian citizenship
• certified copies of academic qualifications
• medical certificates or health related information supplied by the individual or their medical practitioner
• taxation details including tax file number
• banking information needed to pay salary or sitting fees
• superannuation contributions
• information about a member's training and development
• information about a member's performance
• dietary requirements
• professional opinions in relation to topics discussed at advisory body meetings 
• your photograph, voice, visual appearance or similar for media purposes (for example, for ARPANSA promotional/business documents) or to appear in a virtual meeting. 

What would happen if ARPANSA did not collect this information?

Given the nature of the recruitment process and membership on an advisory body, we are unable to provide the option of remaining anonymous or using a pseudonym. 

If ARPANSA does not collect your personal information, you will be unable to apply for a position on one of ARPANSA’s advisory bodies. ARPANSA requires your personal information to process your nomination for appointment and if you are successful, to manage your membership on the advisory body.

Who will ARPANSA disclose your personal information to?

We collect personal information from applicants and advisory body members. We may also collect personal information from third parties such as supervisors, other staff, recruitment agents, personnel providers and previous employers when it is relevant to the appointment process and membership on an advisory body. 

In the event of successful appointment, your personal information will be shared with persons responsible for supporting administration of your activities in the role, including appointment administration, meeting organisation, travel booking and financial remuneration.

We may need to use your personal information in ARPANSA and disclose to third parties for managing your appointment. For example, we may provide your personal information to the following parties:

• Australian Taxation Office 
• Services Australia 
• Superannuation funds 
• Other Australian Government agencies 
• Your nominated emergency contact, representatives, authorised agent or referees
• ARPANSA’s banking provider 
• ARPANSA’s travel provider
• ARPANSA’s Minister 
• Agents, contractors or service providers engaged by ARPANSA to support its functions and activities such as:
  • Information technology 
  • Security and insider risk
  • Legal
  • Industrial relations 
  • Audit and insurance. 

Will your personal information be disclosed overseas?

If successful, your name and current primary profession will be made publicly available on our website at https://www.arpansa.gov.au/about-us/advisory-council-and-committees as a listed member of the relevant advisory body. ARPANSA may use your photograph, image, voice and/or opinions in either minutes of the meetings, letters to the CEO or in promotional/business documents published on ARPANSA’s website. 

Where personal information is published online, it will be accessible to individuals and entities within Australia and overseas countries. ARPANSA may be unable to control how others use or disclose the personal information and you may not be able to complain or seek redress for how others in overseas countries use and disclose your personal information. By consenting, if you take part in the appointment process and are appointed as a member of one of the advisory bodies, you acknowledge that the personal information may be accessible by individuals or entities overseas and that APP 8.1 in Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act, relating to overseas disclosure, will not apply. This means that ARPANSA is not required to take reasonable steps to ensure that an individual or entity located overseas handles that personal information in compliance with the APPs. If you consent, ARPANSA is not accountable under the Privacy Act and you will not be able to seek redress under the Privacy Act. 

If you do not consent to have your photograph taken to be used in promotional/business documents, please advise the Secretariat accordingly. 

How may I access, amend, or register a complaint about my personal information?

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to ask for access to personal information we hold about you. You are also able to ask that we correct that personal information. If we are unable to correct the personal information as requested, you can ask that we annotate the record with a statement that the information is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. 

We will respond to your request for access or correction within 30 days. 

If we refuse to give you access to your personal information because there is a law that allows or requires us not to, or if we refuse to correct your personal information because it would be unreasonable for us to do so, we will tell you in writing setting out the reasons. 

For further information on:

• how we protect and manage personal information consistent with our obligations under the Privacy Act
• how you may complain if you believe that we have handled your personal information in a way that breaches our obligations in the Privacy Act 
• how we will deal with such a complaint

please visit our privacy policy on our website: https://www.arpansa.gov.au/about-us/our-policies/privacy-policy.

You can contact ARPANSA’s Privacy Officers by:

• Mailing Address:
  PO Box 655
  Miranda NSW 1490, Australia
• Email address: privacy@arpansa.gov.au
• Telephone: (02) 9541 8311

Acknowledgement and Consent 

By applying for a role on one of ARPANSA’s advisory bodies, you: 

• acknowledge that you have read the information outlined in this Privacy Collection Notice and understand it
• give consent for ARPANSA to use your personal information (including sensitive information) as outlined in this Privacy Collection Notice
• acknowledge that your personal information may be disclosed on ARPANSA’s website, social media accounts and in publicly available electronic media platforms, which may be viewed and accessed by anyone in Australia and overseas
• give consent for your personal information to be used in ARPANSA publications, products, digital/video/audio recordings and public relations activities for the purpose(s) described in this Privacy Collection Notice
• acknowledge that the Commonwealth of Australia will own copyright in all material produced by Australian Government staff and contracted service providers with your information
• understand that Australian Government agencies are required to authorise use of copyrighted public sector information under creative commons licence wherever possible. This means published material, including your photograph can be used by organisations and individuals providing the Commonwealth is acknowledged as the source of the material
• acknowledge that you may withdraw your consent at any time, by contacting privacy@arpansa.gov.au.