Privacy Policy

1. Our approach to privacy

RAJWA takes the privacy of our members seriously. Many RAJWA members hold sensitive positions as Justices of the Peace, some have police protection, and many live in small rural communities where being identifiable can carry real risk. Protecting member privacy is a first-class priority for this website, not an afterthought.

This policy explains what personal information we collect through rajwa.org.au, how we use it, and how we protect it.

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy covers visitors to our public website, people applying for RAJWA membership, and current RAJWA members using the members area.

3. What we collect

If you're a member of the public, browsing the public pages doesn't require an account and we collect very little about you beyond standard website usage information.

If you apply for membership, we collect the information on the application form: your name, contact details, JP commission details, and your signature (a digital signature is accepted).

If you're a member, we hold:

• your name, contact details, and login credentials for the members area;
• your JP commission date, for the Honour Roll and JP Commission database. Your date of birth is kept in our records for administrative purposes but is never displayed publicly or to other members;
• information you submit through the statistics form or the merchandise order form;
• your entry in the Honour Roll (name, commission year, and years of service).

4. Where this information comes from

Most of it comes directly from you, through your application, your account registration, or the forms on this site. The JP Commission database and Honour Roll are also compiled from RAJWA's own membership and service records, which the Registrar maintains and updates against the WA Government Gazette.

5. How we use it

We use your information to:

• assess and process membership applications;
• provide and manage your member login and access to the members area;
• maintain the Honour Roll and JP Commission database for members to search;
• send you journals, newsletters, and announcements;
• process statistics form submissions, which help RAJWA report on JP workload to government and advocate on behalf of JPs;
• fulfil merchandise orders;
• meet RAJWA's own record-keeping obligations, including maintaining the register of members required under the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 (WA) and RAJWA's Rules of Association.

6. Why some content is members-only

Journals and newsletters are restricted to logged-in members. This isn't about excluding the public unnecessarily. RAJWA publications have previously been quoted out of context in a parliamentary inquiry submission, and the Council decided that member-only access was needed to protect members' interests and prevent misuse of RAJWA's published content.

7. Who we share it with

We don't sell or rent your personal information. We don't publish identifying member information (names linked to contact details, dates of birth, or home addresses) anywhere on the public website.

We share information only with:

• RAJWA's Council and Registrar, for governance and membership administration;
• Automator AU, our website developer and host, who process data solely to build, host, and maintain this website on RAJWA's behalf, and are bound to keep it secure;
• government agencies, where we're required to by law.

8. Where your information is stored

Website data, including member records, journals, and form submissions, is stored on Australian-hosted infrastructure. Backups run daily and are replicated to Australian regional cloud storage, so your information stays within Australia.

9. Accessing or correcting your information

You can ask the Registrar to see or correct the personal information RAJWA holds about you at any time, by emailing rajwa@rajwa.org.au.

Separately, RAJWA's Rules of Association give members a right to inspect the register of members and other Association records more generally (not just your own information). That request is handled by contacting the Registrar directly, and a statutory declaration of purpose may be required for copies or extracts.

10. How long we keep it

We keep membership records for at least one year after your membership ends, and RAJWA's books generally for at least seven years, in line with our Rules of Association. Honour Roll entries may be kept for longer, as RAJWA recognises the service of all past members regardless of current membership status.

11. Cookies

[To confirm with Gillian: does the new site use any analytics or tracking cookies (for example, Google Analytics)? If yes, this section will list what's used and why. If the site only uses essential cookies for keeping members logged in, that will be stated instead.]

12. Membership is for adults

RAJWA membership requires you to be a Justice of the Peace and over 18. This website isn't directed at children and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we've handled your personal information, please contact the Registrar first at rajwa@rajwa.org.au so we can try to resolve it directly. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time by posting a new version on this page.

15. Contact us

Questions about this policy can be sent to the Registrar at rajwa@rajwa.org.au.