Privacy policy

When you view pages on the Save Power site and use services and facilities available to registered users, our computers automatically collect information.

Information collected may be single-purpose for immediate use (to enable our server to establish and respond to your computers request for data) or archival for longer-term use (to enable site usage and page viewing trends and patterns to be analysed and reported over time).

Information tracked and collected in this manner cannot be traced to an individual person. Save Power will not disclose or publish information that identifies individual machines, or potentially identifies sub-groupings of addresses, without consent or otherwise, in accordance with the New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

Tracking and statistics

When you look at the pages on the Save Power site, our computers automatically record information that identifies, for each page accessed:

• IP (Internet Protocol) address of the machine which has accessed it
• top-level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc.)
• address of your server
• date and time of your visit to the site
• pages and files accessed and documents downloaded
• previous site visited, and where a search engine, any search terms used to locate our site
• any website errors encountered
• type of browser and operating system you have used.

How do we use the information collected?

The information collected is aggregated and analysed to enable us to understand visitor needs and interests, and also opportunities for improving the website and services offered on it.

This information cannot be traced to an individual person and is used to assist with diagnosis, support, and administrative reporting and management of the website service.

We may publish aggregated information about site usage and patterns, to the extent that it does not identify or cannot be used, to identify individual users.

Cookies, tags and session identifiers

We use cookies, tags and session identifiers to provide you with a richer and more personal visitor experience.

A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your computer by a specific web server and domain. Cookies are uniquely assigned and personalised to and for you. They can only be read by the web server in the same domain that issued the cookie to you and cannot be used to run programs or read files on your computer, nor deliver viruses.

Cookies save you time and enable us to deliver a personalised experience. They allow us to monitor single user access, track, reward and restore your progress, and verify your Save Power online membership status. For example: each time you visit the website and use the optional facilities available to registered members, a session identifier is stored in a cookie to reduce the frequency of requests for your to verify your membership status. Without cookies the website would have no memory of you or your actions on the Save Power website.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. It is also completely optional to become a Save Power registered member. However, if you choose to decline a cookie from the Save Power website (through using a 3rd party security tool or your browser settings), you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features or membership services available on the website.

How do we use the information collected?

Cookies and session identifiers are not individually aggregated, logged or used for any reporting or analysis functions. They are used directly by the computer (your computer and our webserver) to monitor and maintain communication, and verify your identity during information requests and data exchanges.

Non-personal information received and supplied during this communication exchange will be collected as normal, aggregated and reported to enable visitor and page viewing trends and site usage to be analysed and understood. See Tracking and statistics section above.

We may publish aggregated information about site usage and patterns, to the extent that it does not identify or cannot be used, to identify individual users.

Use of information

Personal information you submit to our site is used only for the purpose for which it is submitted (e.g responding to your request for information or access to a webservice) or for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose, unless we disclose other uses in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection.

Copies of correspondence sent from and to the website, that may contain personal information, are actioned as appropriate, then stored as archives for record-keeping and back-up purposes only.

Disclosure of information

Apart from where you have consented or disclosure is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was submitted, personal information may be disclosed in special situations where we have reason to believe that doing so is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against anyone damaging, injuring, or interfering (intentionally or unintentionally) with our rights or property, users, or anyone else who could be harmed by such activities.

Save Power will collect, use and disclose more extensive information in the following circumstances:

• unauthorised attempts to access files which are not published Save Power pages or files
• unauthorised tampering, damage or interference with files, data or materials on the Save Power website
• unauthorised attempts to index or mirror the contents of the Save Power site by other sites or services
• attempts to intercept messages or data exchanged by and between users, and the Save Power site;
• communications which are defamatory, abusive, vilify individuals or groups or which give rise to a suspicion that an offence is being committed
• attempts to otherwise compromise the security of the web server or its data, breach the laws of the State of New South Wales or Commonwealth of Australia, or interfere with the use or enjoyment of the Save Power site by other users.

We reserve the right, under these circumstances, to make disclosures to relevant authorities, including law enforcement agencies, where the use of the site raises a suspicion that an offence is being, or has been, committed.

We may also engage third parties to provide you with goods or services on our behalf. In that circumstance, we may disclose your personal information to those third parties in order to meet your request for goods or services.

We strive to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of personal information submitted to our site, and review and update our security measures to incorporate industry best practice and current technologies. Unfortunately, no data transmission or communication exchange over the Internet can be guaranteed to be totally secure. However, we will take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information you may transmit to us through your use of the site.

Once we receive your transmission, the information is stored in an appropriately secure format or is deleted, where the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies.

Access to the raw data is restricted to a limited number of officers in the Office of Environment and Heritage and select contractors, who are responsible for the delivery and promotion of associated programs, and the provision of technology and information support services. All are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held or received by us.

Feedback and contact facilities are available to enable you to provide input into the future development of the site, request more information or follow-up, make suggestions, or give comment on the provision of service delivered by the Save Power website.

Use of the online form or email facility is optional. When contacting us through the online form or email we collect personal contact details including your name, email address and telephone number, for the purpose of responding to your enquiry.

This information will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided. We will not add your email address or name to any mailing list unless expressly directed by you.

We may publish aggregated information about feedback provided on the site, to the extent that it does not identify or cannot be used to identify individual users.

Save Power and the NSW Government does not have any responsibility for the privacy policies or practices of third party sites linked to or referenced from the Save Power website.

We also do not make any representations about third party web sites that may be linked to or from Save Power.

Before disclosing your personal information on any other website, we advise you to examine the terms and conditions of using that Web site and its privacy policy or statement.

If you have any questions about the Save Power site, or the application of this Privacy Policy, or have a request for access to information held, please contact the Office of Environment and Heritage privacy officer.

Send requests for information to:

If we become aware of any ongoing concerns or problems with our web sites, we will take these issues seriously and work to address these concerns. If you have any further queries relating to our Privacy Policy or you have a problem or complaint, please contact us.

For more information about privacy issues in Australia and protecting your privacy, visit the Australian Federal Privacy Commissioner's website at www.privacy.gov.au