This Privacy Policy applies to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information by or on behalf of the South Pacific Lawyers Association (SPLA), referred to in this policy as “SPLA”, “our”, “we” or “us”). Please read it carefully.
 

1.  OUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR PRIVACY

SPLA respects the privacy of its members and other individuals. We are committed to protecting your personal information, and ensuring its privacy, accuracy and security.

We handle your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).

By using any of our services, visiting our website or giving us your personal information, you agree to your information being collected, stored, used and disclosed as set out in this Privacy Policy.
 

2.  COLLECTION

The types of personal information collected and maintained by SPLA, and the purposes for which we handle the personal information we collect, will depend on our interaction with you.

Wherever reasonable and practicable, we collect personal information from the individual to whom the information relates.
If you provide personal information about someone other than yourself, you agree that you have that person’s consent to provide the information for the purpose for which you provide it to us. You also agree that you have told the person about this Privacy Policy and where to find it.

SPLA will only collect your sensitive information if you have consented to us doing so, and where either reasonably necessary to fulfil SPLA’s objects, or where required by law.
 

2.1.  Subscription
We collect personal information about you when you subscribe to the SPLA mailing list or create a member account on the SPLA website. The types of personal information collected may include your name, contact details, position, date of admission to practice, area of specialty and jurisdiction. The personal information collected will be used to ensure that we can provide you with relevant information, through newsletters, publications and event notifications, in relation to matters affecting the legal profession in the South Pacific. 
 

2.2.  Promoting the SPLA objects

We may collect personal information about you, such as name, title, position, contact details, date of admission to practice and area of specialty, either directly from you or through our Constituent Bodies, for the purpose of:​

• promoting and discharging the objects of SPLA as set out in our Constitution;

• promoting the interests of the legal profession in the South Pacific region;

• promoting the administration of justice and the development and improvement of law;

• providing individuals with information about SPLA's activities and other matters of interest; and

• conducting surveys consistent with the above objects.

 

A reference in this Privacy Policy to SPLA's Constituent Bodies is a reference to the 17 law societies and bar associations listed in our Constitution, together with such other law societies and bar associations now or hereafter to be formed in the South Pacific region.

A copy of SPLA's Constitution, which sets out its objects, may be viewed here.
 

2.3.  Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programmes

If you sign up for a member profile on the SPLA website, we will collect basic personal information including your name, jurisdiction(s) of admission and practice and contact email for the purposes of managing access to CPD resources provided by SPLAhub partners and tailoring our CPD offering.

If you elect to request CPD materials on certain topics, we will also collect personal information to enable us to follow up this request and collect data on CPD needs and priority topics.
 

2.4.  Events management 
If you register for a SPLA event, such as a conference or workshop, we may collect personal information about you so that we can process your registration and otherwise organise and manage the event. This information may include, inter alia, name tag details, particulars of dietary requirements and credit card information.

We may also use the personal information you provide when registering for an event to provide you with other information relevant to your professional interests, such as recent developments in the law, details of other upcoming events, and conducting surveys after the event.

SPLA may also include the names and positions of those who register for an event on a delegate list. At our discretion, lists may be made available to other attendees of the event, and the sponsors of the event, in appropriate circumstances.
 

2.5.  Event attendance

We may collect photographs, audio and video recordings of individuals who attend events organised by SPLA. This personal information is collected to enable us to promote our activities and to publish recordings or transcripts of events. For example, we may include photographs or transcripts in hardcopy publications, and may make photographs and other content available on our website. If you do not consent to photographs, audio and/or visual recordings, please inform a member of the SPLA Secretariat. 
 

2.6. Contractors 
SPLA may also collect and hold information about its contractors, such as their name, contact details, ABN and bank account details. We will use this information for the purpose it was provided and for our other internal business purposes.
 

2.7. Unsolicited information

If we receive personal information about you that we have not requested, and we determine that we could not have lawfully collected that information under the APPs had we asked for it, we will destroy or de-identify the information if it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

 

3.  USE AND DISCLOSURE 
We only use your personal information for the purpose for which it was provided to us, for related purposes or as required or permitted by law. Such purposes include:

• in the ordinary course of SPLA operations. For example, supplying or acquiring services, responding to your enquiries and feedback, and providing information about our events, news, publications and services that may be of interest to you;

• performing general administration, reporting and management functions. For example, invoicing and account management, payment processing, risk management, training, quality assurance and managing suppliers;

• other purposes related to or in connection with our operations, including meeting our legal and contractual obligations to third parties and for internal corporate governance purposes.
   

3.1.  Parties to whom personal information may be disclosed
The organisations to which we would usually disclose your personal information will depend on your interaction with us. For the purpose of undertaking its representative functions, developing and sharing CPD resources, and organising events, SPLA may disclose personal information to its Constituent Bodies, contractors, service providers and members of the public as necessary.

If you consent, your personal information may also be disclosed to Constituent Bodies for the purpose of those Bodies providing membership opportunities and other offers. The personal information provided to Constituent Bodies for this purpose is limited to your name, contact details, and the jurisdiction in which you practice.

Personal information collected by one Committee, Sub-committee or Working Group on behalf of SPLA may be shared with other Committees, Sub-committees or Working Groups for purposes consistent with the original reason for collection.
 

3.2.  Overseas disclosure 

We may also disclose information about conference speakers or attendees to other conference participants located overseas. Whenever an overseas disclosure of personal information is made, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is held by the recipient in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

​

3.3.  Office bearers and committee participants  
If you are an Executive member or member of any SPLA Committee, Sub-committee or Working Group, your contact information may be published on the SPLA website or in other SPLA publications.
 

3.4.  Notifications

On occasion, SPLA and its Constituent Bodies, may distribute publications, marketing material and related communications for the purpose of informing you of matters relevant to your member account, your area of specialty or the profession generally, in accordance with SPLA’s objects. If you do not wish to receive any marketing communications from SPLA, you may contact the SPLA Secretariat as detailed below.

 

4.  COOKIES
SPLA may collect information about your visit to its website through cookies to assist SPLA to measure and improve its website. Examples of information that we may collect include: day and time of your visit, whether you visited our website previously, whether you used a search engine to find our website, and some geographical information about what country and state you are in. You can set your browser to reject cookies, or to notify you when you receive one in order to accept or reject such receipt in each instance.

 

5.  DATA QUALITY

SPLA will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the personal information it collects, uses and discloses is accurate, complete and up to date. However, SPLA relies on you to advise of any changes or corrections to the information we hold about you. If you consider that the information SPLA holds about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, or if your information has changed, please let us know as soon as possible.
 

6.  DATA SECURITY

We have reasonable security measures in place to protect personal information from misuse or loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
 

7.  ACCESS AND CORRECTION

You may request access to, or the correction of, your personal information held by the SPLA by contacting us. We may decline to provide you with access to your personal information, or to correct your personal information, where permitted under the Privacy Act.

 

No fee applies for requesting access to information we hold about you. However, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee where we do provide access. You will be notified of any such charge at the time of making a request for access to your personal information.
 

If you notify SPLA that personal information it holds is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, SPLA will take action to correct the information in accordance with the Privacy Act.
 

8.  FURTHER INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS 

If you would like further information about the way that SPLA handles personal information, or wish to make a complaint relating to our handling of your personal information or our compliance with the APPs, you may do so by contacting SPLA as detailed below.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Further information is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's website www.oaic.gov.au/.
The South Pacific Lawyers' Association Secretariat is housed within the Law Council of Australia.
 

In the first instance for further information and enquiries regarding the South Pacific Lawyers' Association, please contact:
 

Ms Charlotte Stubbs
T. (02) 6246 3788
E. charlotte.stubbs@lawcouncil.asn.au 
South Pacific Lawyers' Association
Law Council of Australia Limited

19 Torrens Street
BRADDON ACT 2612

GPO Box 1989
CANBERRA ACT 2601
DX 5719
CANBERRA