Last updated: July 2026

RDA Murray works with communities, businesses and governments across the Murray region. That work depends on information people share with us, and on the trust that sits behind it. This statement explains, in plain language, what we collect, why, and what we do with it. It reflects the RDA Murray Data and Privacy Policy and our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles.

What we collect, and why

We only collect information that serves a defined purpose. In practice, that means:

When you attend our events. We collect your name, contact details and, where you provide them, dietary or accessibility requirements through our ticketing platform. Dietary and accessibility information is used only for that event and destroyed once the event is over.

When you take part in consultations, surveys or forums. We collect your responses through online forms and live polling tools. Wherever we can, we offer you the option to respond anonymously. Responses are reported in aggregated or de-identified form. We do not attribute your views to you without your express agreement.

When you subscribe or stay in touch. We keep your name and contact details in our contact management system so we can send you the communications you signed up for. We may also contact you directly with newsletters and information about RDA Murray events and services. If you’d rather not receive direct marketing from us, you can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting our Privacy Officer using the details below. We’ll action your request promptly. We won’t use contact details collected for one purpose to send you unrelated material without asking first. If you gave us your details for something else such as registering for an event, or making an enquiry, we’ll only add you to our newsletter list if you’ve ticked the box asking us to.

When you visit our website. We use website analytics to understand how people use our site, for example, pages visited, time spent, general location and device type. We configure our analytics with the strongest available privacy settings, including IP anonymisation, and we do not use tracking for advertising or profiling.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files a website places on your device to remember information about your visit, such as your browser type or the pages you’ve viewed. Our website uses cookies for analytics: they help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. We do not use cookies to build advertising profiles or to track you across other websites.

Some content embedded in our site like maps, videos, or event ticketing may set its own cookies, which are governed by the relevant provider’s privacy policy.

Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but you can block or delete them at any time through your browser settings. Parts of the website may not work as smoothly without them, but our content remains accessible.

RDA Murray processes personal data for a variety of purposes. We collect this personal data directly from you, for example, if you or your organisation engage us to provide consulting services, if you visit rdamurray.org.au (our website), if you submit contact details to receive marketing communications from us, or submit a job application. We also obtain your personal data via publicly available sources, such as LinkedIn. This privacy notice is intended to cover all of the above-mentioned scenarios.

What we don’t do

We do not sell personal information. We do not share it with third parties for their marketing. We do not collect information simply because it might be useful one day. Where we report to government under our funding obligations, we share only what those obligations require.

First Nations data

Our region encompasses the Country of many First Nations peoples, and our work often involves engagement with First Nations organisations. We hold a clear position: data about First Nations peoples and communities is not ours, it is held in trust. We follow the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and the AIATSIS Code of Ethics. In practice this means we seek community-level agreement, not just individual consent; communities can withdraw consent and ask for data to be returned or deleted; and we do not publish insights drawn from community engagement without giving the relevant community the opportunity to review them first.

Small communities and privacy

In a region like ours, even “anonymous” data can sometimes identify people — a combination of town, industry and role can be enough. Before we publish regional intelligence products, we review them for this risk, with particular care in small communities.

The tools we use

Like most organisations, we use third-party platforms to run events, surveys, communications and analytics. Every platform we use is assessed and recorded in a register maintained by our Privacy Officer, and we configure each one to collect the minimum necessary. Some of these platforms store data outside Australia; where that is the case, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is handled consistently with Australian privacy law.

Artificial intelligence

We use artificial intelligence tools in defined ways, for example to help draft and summarise documents, or to assist with analysis. Their use is governed by our AI Usage Policy, which sets clear limits:

• sensitive or confidential information is only used with tools approved for that purpose, within our secure organisational environment;
• First Nations data is not entered into any AI tool without community-level consent;
• a person is always accountable for our work, so that nothing we publish or advise on is left to an AI tool without human review; and
• staff must not use personal AI accounts for RDA Murray work.

We do not use AI to make decisions about individuals.

How we protect your information

Access to personal information is limited to staff who need it for their work. We use multi-factor authentication, encrypted devices and secure storage, and we keep personal information only as long as it is needed. After that, it is securely destroyed or de-identified. If a data breach ever occurs that is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the law requires.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us at any time:

• to see the personal information we hold about you;
• to correct it if it’s wrong; or
• to raise a concern about how we’ve handled it.

Contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected]. We will acknowledge your request within 5 business days and respond within 30 days. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

You can also engage with much of our work without identifying yourself. Most of our surveys and consultations, if not all, offer an anonymous option, and you can browse our website without providing personal information.

Our data governance

Behind this statement sits a Data and Privacy Policy adopted by the RDA Murray Board, and an AI Usage Policy that operates under it. These set out how our staff handle data day to day, including our data classifications, the platforms we’re permitted to use, our data breach response, and how long we keep information. Both are reviewed annually, with a report to the Board. If you’d like to know more about how we govern data, contact our Privacy Officer.

Changes to this statement

We review this statement at least annually and update it when our practices change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. Where a change materially affects how we handle personal information, we’ll say so clearly on this page, and we won’t apply it retrospectively to information we already hold without your consent.