Overview
Service NSW was established under the Service NSW (One-stop Access to Government Services) Act 2013 (the Service Act).
We exercise some functions in our own right but otherwise we act as the ‘single front door’ for customers to access government services, delivered in partnership with our partner agencies.
A partner agency is any Commonwealth, state or local government agency or other organisation that Service NSW may partner with to deliver a service.
In this Statement, when we use 'we', 'us' or 'our', we are referring to Service NSW. When we use you or your we are referring to the reader as an individual.
About this Statement
This Statement provides an overview of how we handle your personal information in line with our obligations under the Service Act, Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.
You should also refer to the privacy collection notice for specific products or service that we deliver, if applicable. For example, there are separate privacy notices when you use your MyServiceNSW Account, apply for vouchers or grants or use your Digital Drivers Licence.
These notices may be provided by us or our partner agency and will explain how your personal information is handled for those products or services.
Changes to this Statement
We may review and update this Privacy Statement to take account of new laws, technology and changes to our operations.
Privacy Management Plan
Our Privacy Management Plan provides more detail on how we meet our privacy obligations and upholds and respects the privacy of our customers, employees and others about whom we hold personal information.
Data Breach Policy
Our Data Breach Policy sets out how we respond to and manage eligible data breaches in line with the NSW Mandatory Notification of Data Breaches Scheme (MNDB Scheme).
Public Notice Register
All public notices of eligible data breaches will be published and linked to in a Register on the Service NSW website. No public notices have been issued at this time.
Personal information
What 'personal information' is
Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion.
References to personal information in this Statement may also include health information. Health information is a type of personal information that is about your health or disability.
Why we collect personal information
We collect and handle your personal information when it relates to us fulfilling one of our functions or activities.
We may need to collect your personal information to
- assist you with your transactions, and
- provide further information about those transactions.
This may include information about related transactions or services from government or partner agencies.
We also may collect and handle personal information about you where you are a current, former or potential employee to perform employee-related functions. The Department of Customer Service (DCS) may handle this information on our behalf where it exercises employee functions under delegation. Read more about how the Department of Customer Service handles your personal information.
How we collect personal information and handle it
We collect personal information directly from you or someone you authorise on your behalf unless there is an authorised basis to collect this information from another source.
Generally we will collect customer personal information through:
- our Service Centres
- our Contact Centres, or
- information you provide to us during online transactions or interactions with us.
This information may be handled differently depending on your interaction with us. For example:
- For some partner agencies, we collect personal information to process customer transactions through the partner agency’s systems. For example, we perform customer service functions on behalf of Transport for NSW by accessing and using its systems.
- For some client agencies, we hold and manage the primary customer records. We collect personal information to update and maintain those records. For example, we hold and manage the Seniors Card customer database.
- We maintain a record of call recordings, call transcripts, chat transcripts, and other enquiries, feedback or complaints handled by our Contact Centre or sent to us through other channels. DCS supports our business operations by providing software services and storing these records on our behalf.
How we use or disclose your personal information
Your personal information will normally be used or disclosed for the primary purpose that it was collected for or a directly related secondary purpose. This may also involve another government or related partner agency.
If we disclose your personal information to another agency it will also be bound by privacy law.
Your personal information may be used or disclosed to help prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to life or health, or where we are otherwise authorised or required to do so by law.
Most of the personal information Service NSW collects will be used or disclosed to assist you to complete your customer service transaction. This may include:
- using your contact details to send you additional information about your transactions
- responding to your enquiry or complaint and to otherwise engage with you.
In certain circumstances we may also use and disclose personal information to manage incidents or threats to the safety of our customers or staff. Please refer to the 'Managing safety and security' section for more information.
We also maintain and use information collected about you for our internal administrative purposes, including for the purpose of managing our interactions with you.
Notifications and messages
You can choose not to receive some communications or messages from us. This includes general communications material or information sent by us or by our partner agencies. These communications will contain information relating to Service NSW, though may contain other relevant information from government agencies or our partners.
There are some notifications or messages that you cannot opt-out of. For example, when it relates to a transaction you have performed with us or when it is relevant to your privacy or the security of your personal information.
We may also send you information to help prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to life or health, or where we are otherwise authorised or required to do so by law.
The MyServiceNSW Account collection notice provides more information about how you can control some of these communication preferences.
We will ask for your consent for most other secondary uses or disclosures. For example, in some cases we can also make updating and providing your information easier, by sharing your information with different NSW Government agencies if you consent.
Protecting personal information
We take reasonable security measures to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure or other misuse. For example, we use:
- multi-factor authentication to authenticate employees before they can access our systems
- physical measures, such as building and equipment security
- digital technology, such as data encryption and firewalls, to minimise unauthorised access to information.
We ensure that personal information is not kept longer than necessary, and disposed of appropriately, in accordance with the law.
Our website privacy notice provides more information on how to contact us if you have identified any issues or potential vulnerabilities that might pose a risk to the information we hold.
Managing safety and security
When you visit our premises or call Service NSW we may collect your personal information to record, investigate and manage incidents or threats if the incident or threat relates to you. This can include relevant recordings of phone calls and video surveillance (CCTV) images of you. Other personal information you provide during your interaction with us may also be used for the same purpose.
Our locations record continuous CCTV footage which includes images of any individual that may be in our premises. A separate notice is provided in areas where CCTV is in operation.
If you make a threat or behave unreasonably you may be prevented from entering our premises in the future or have another restriction imposed in line with our unreasonable customer behaviour policy.
How to access or correct your personal information
Quite often the area of Service NSW that you originally interacted with will be able to help you access or correct your personal information.
There are other ways you can access or correct your personal information held by Service NSW. For example:
- log into your MyServiceNSW Account (for your profile information)
- go to your local Service Centre
- contact Service NSW by phone on 13 77 88 or email info@service.nsw.gov.au.
Some information we collect may be held by a partner agency, for example some information related to contained in the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages. In these circumstances we may refer your request to the relevant partner agency, or you may contact them directly.
Privacy enquiries and complaints
If you wish to make an enquiry or complaint relating to the handling of your personal information, contact us using the details below. This includes if you are having difficulty accessing or correcting your information.
We may collect additional personal information to investigate and resolve your enquiry or complaint or disclose your enquiry or complaint to a partner agency where it relates to that agency.
Privacy Officer
Service NSW
2-24 Rawson Place Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 13 77 88
Email: privacy@service.nsw.gov.au
Website and analytics
Our website and analytics privacy notice outlines our website security, what is tracked on the website, how we use advertising analytics, and what happens with the data that is collected via cookies and remarketing pixels.
Advertising analytics – Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) Pixels
Our website uses the Conversion Tracking Facebook Pixel, the X Pixel or LinkedIn’s Insight Tags to allow us to follow a user’s actions if redirected by clicking on one of our Facebook, X or LinkedIn ads. This assists us in recording the effectiveness of Facebook, X or LinkedIn ads for reporting, analysis and market research purposes.
The data collected through the Facebook Pixel, X Pixel or LinkedIn Tag and provided to us is aggregated and remains anonymous, meaning that we cannot see the personal information of the individual user. However, the collected data is also saved and processed by Facebook and/or LinkedIn and/or X and used in accordance with their respective Data Use Policy (Facebook and/or LinkedIn and/or X).
You can change your Facebook Ad Preferences, LinkedIn Ads Settings or X Ad Preferences if you wish to revoke your permission for these services.
Managing or deleting your data
- Deactivate or delete your Facebook account
- Delete your data on LinkedIn
- Delete your Instagram account
- Deactivate or delete your X account
Read more about advertising analytics on our website.
Privacy collection notices
Browse privacy collection notices for our transactions and services.