CensusAtSchool PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY
CensusAtSchool is an education project that is being facilitated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to improve the statistical literacy of Australian students and teachers, and also to raise awareness of the Australian Census of Population and Housing.
The CensusAtSchool project is not compulsory and is being provided solely for education purposes. The major feature of the CensusAtSchool is the collection of data relating to the everyday lives of students under the direction of their teachers. It is important to note that the project is Internet-based with students responding to non invasive questions of interest about themselves such as their height, favourite types of music, and what they ate for breakfast. The questions will be completed anonymously and it will not be possible for individual students to be identified from their responses. On completion of the questionnaire, students are provided with the option of deciding whether or not to send their responses to the database.
Anonymous response data is released back to students and teachers providing real, relevant data for classroom use and providing an instructive and enjoyable way in which to improve student statistical literacy. This is accessed through a random sampler where students will need to agree to a set of conditions of use prior to obtaining a sample.
The ABS feels a strong sense of involvement in all aspects of CensusAtSchool. Respecting privacy and safeguarding confidentiality are fundamental to the way in which the ABS conducts its business. Therefore, ABS sees it as important to emphasise safeguards that have been introduced by CensusAtSchool to ensure the anonymity of questionnaire participants. The following measures have been taken to protect the privacy and confidentiality of students:
- the non-compulsory nature of the questionnaire
- the non invasive nature of the questions
- introduction of safeguards enabling students to decide whether they will or will not send their responses to the database
- the non-collection of student names
- the employment of data encryption methodologies in the CensusAtSchool website to transfer data
- protection of data storage through the ABS standard security protocol
- the collection, custody and use of CensusAtSchool data consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act
- Student Access Numbers (SANs) are not part of the data set and hence cannot be provided to students with any sample they obtain
- school principals agreeing that the data will only be used for the education purpose of teaching and learning. A statement to this effect is included on the School Registration form that the Principal signs
- data only to be available to students through the Random Sampler, with a maximum of 200
records
- the addition of a rule to the sampler that says "if the sample requested is more than 10% of the population,
a sample cannot be given
- students are to agree to a 'conditions of use' statement as part of the access to the random sampler. The conditions of use will state that the student agrees to solely use the data for the purpose of their learning.
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This page first published 5 March 2008, last updated 25 July 2008 | 
