This includes survey information provided either by you, a member of your household, a business you are connected with or through an administrative data source.
The types of personal information we hold includes:
- basic demographics (e.g. age, marital status)
- personal characteristics (e.g. country of birth, languages spoken, income and financial information)
- personal identifiers (e.g. name, date of birth, address, sex, government identifiers like a Medicare number).
We also collect sensitive information on:
- criminal record
- health information (e.g. physical and mental health, disability and biometric).
- membership of a professional or trade association
- philosophical beliefs
- racial or ethnic origin
- religious beliefs or affiliations
- sexual orientation or practices
- trade union membership.
We separate identifiable information, such as your name and address, from other information. We do this as soon as possible. The identifiable information is then stored securely and separately from the other data. This ensures data analysts cannot view your name or address with your other responses (e.g. age and sex). We may keep information that could identify you if we told you we would do this when we collected it.
We may use it for data integration, follow up studies or to confirm your responses.
We usually treat information provided by sole traders and partners as business information
User research and testing
The ABS conducts voluntary research with members of the public. This helps us improve our surveys, Census materials, products, communication, and the way we share information. This includes usability tests, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. To conduct this research, we may collect:
- basic demographics and personal characteristics (e.g. age, sex, marital status, occupation, education level)
- contact details (e.g. name, phone number, email address)
- sensitive information where relevant to the materials being tested (e.g. health, income)
- video recordings and audio recordings of you during the test (with your consent)
- written transcripts of feedback provided during testing or research sessions.
This information is only used for research purposes. We separate names and addresses from other information. These are stored securely and separately from each other. This means data analysts cannot view your name or address with your other responses (e.g. age, sex, occupation).