CAIRNS BUSINESS COLLEGE LTD
CAIRNS LANGUAGE CENTRE PTY LTD

Privacy Policy

The Cairns Business College Ltd and the Cairns Language Centre Pty Ltd (CBC and CLC) are bound by the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 to handle personal information in accordance with the10 National Privacy Principles. These principles cover the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information. They also give people a right to seek access to the personal information that organisations hold about them.

Other Commonwealth and State legislation with which CBC and CLC must comply also determine to some extent what information we collect and how it is handled.

We collect personal information from individual students, homestay families, share accommodation owners, representatives of students and educational agents (clients). Information is collected in order to establish and administer student enrolments and accommodation assistance. This usually includes name, contact details, bank account or credit card details, family information and records of attendance and assessment results.

We compile and distribute data relevant to the private education and training sector and student demographics. This does not include any information that identifies any particular client.

CBC and CLC do not collect personal information from members of the public except when this is necessary in order to respond to general inquiries and requests for referrals. We do not collect any identifying information about visitors to our website unless they send us an e-mail, in which case we collect the e-mail address as well as the content of the message.

Our Internet Service Provider makes a record of each visit to our website and collects the following information about each visitor for statistical and server security purposes: the numerical internet address of the visitor's computer; the pages visited, and the date and time each page was accessed. CBC and CLC receive only summary reports that do not reveal the identity of any person.

CBC and CLC may disclose some personal information, under strict conditions of confidentiality, to contractors providing professional services to us; such as sub-contracting trainers, auditors, accountants and lawyers. In these cases, the information is disclosed only to establish and administer client entitlements, or with the client's consent. We may also be required by law to provide some personal information to government agencies. We never buy or sell personal information about anybody.

CBC and CLC have security systems in place to protect all the information we handle from misuse and unauthorised disclosure or modification, and we do not retain data for which we have no further use.

Clients and anyone else about whom CBC and CLC holds personal information may seek access to that information and correct it if necessary, subject to some exceptions allowed by the Commonwealth Privacy Act. Requests for access must be in writing. We may request proof of identification and proof of a change of name. We may also charge a fee.

Grievances Policy

Should there be any occasion when an issue, complaint or problem arises, please confront the issue as quickly as possible, rather than continue unhappily. The following steps are available:

1. Discuss or resolve the difficulty with the student or staff member(s) in question, for example:
   
   If the issue concerns class work or a course the problem should be discussed with your teacher
   
   If the issue concerns accommodation it should be discussed with the Homestay Co-ordinator
   
   If the issue concerns fees it should be discussed with administration
   
   If the issue concerns changes to some aspect of CLC life it should be discussed with a teacher
   
   If the issue concerns a financial dispute see the Cairns Language Centre refund policy which is determined in accordance with the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (the "National Code"), the Education for Overseas Students Act 2007 (ESOS ACT 2007), and Education Services for Overseas Student Regulations 2007 (ESOS Regulations 2007).
   
   Either person may nominate a support person to accompany them at any stage of the process.
    
2. If a resolution cannot be reached, discuss the difficulty with the Director of Studies, a senior member of staff nominated by the Director of Studies, or in the absence of the Director of Studies, a person nominated by the Principal. An interpreter may be used to help resolve the issue. A mediator with knowledge of the student's culture or a mediator or support person may be brought in to help with the resolution process. The mediator will be brought in at the student's expense. Independent mediators are available upon request or ring Dispute Resolution Branch, Department of Justice and Attorney General on 1800 017 288.
    
3. If the difficulty has still not been resolved either person from step 2 may make a written request for resolution of the matter to the Director of Studies or a senior member of staff nominated by the Director of Studies. The matter is now considered a grievance. Written requests will only be accepted if steps 1 and 2 have been completed.
    
4. The Director of Studies may then attempt to resolve the grievance through further negotiation or mediation, or may advise the complainant in writing that the grievance is considered to be frivolous and/or vexatious, and that no enquiry is to be made.
    
5. If the grievance has not been resolved nor the complaint dismissed the Director of Studies will convene a College Grievance Committee, which would be established on an ad hoc basis and would usually consist of 2-3 people for each case.
    
6. The outcome of the College Grievance Committee's deliberations will be communicated in writing to both parties involved in the grievance. This communication should normally include an offer from the Director of Studies or a senior member of staff nominated by the Director of Studies to debrief or otherwise provide further assistance to either party. All written communications should be signed by the parties and photocopies will be kept in order to provide evidence of the receipt of the document.
   
    
7. The Director of Studies or a senior member of staff nominated by the Director of Studies may monitor, or be directed by the College Grievance Committee to monitor, the resolution of the dispute for a maximum period of one month, and may wish to make further recommendations (in writing) should the settlement not resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of both parties.
    
8. A grievance case would be considered closed upon receipt by the Director of Studies of a written withdrawal of the grievance by the complainant or of a written agreement between both parties.
    
9. Decisions by the College Grievance Committee, the Director of Studies or the senior member of staff nominated by the Director of Studies may be appealed in writing to the Principal.
    
10. The Principal shall then investigate the matter, and may establish a Grievance Appeal Panel to consider the matter, which would be established on an ad hoc basis and would usually consist of 2-3 people for each case. If a student visa student is concerned about the actions of this School/College they may approach the State Authority for CRICOS Registration. In Queensland this is the Department of Education. The Director-General of the Department of Education has the power to suspend or cancel the school's/College’s registration if a breach of the requirements of registration provision is proved.
     
11. The decision shall be communicated in writing to both parties.
     
12. The decision of the Principal or the Grievance Appeal Panel shall be considered final. These procedures do not limit a student's rights to follow other legal remedies. After the process has been completed if a Student Visa student is concerned about the action of Cairns Language Centre please contact in writing Qld Department of Education, Senior Education Officer, Office of Non-State Education PO Box 15033, BRISBANE, City East, QLD, 4002.

If you have any questions about our policies, or if you want to see, correct, or find out about personal information we hold about you, please contact us on (07) 4054 8690 or at study@clcaustralia.com. For details about the Commonwealth Privacy Act, please contact the federal Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or visit the website - http://www.privacy.gov.au.