Privacy policy summary

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. We collect personal information, such as your name, contact details, and legal matters, directly from you or third parties when necessary to provide our legal services, respond to inquiries, or manage our operations. Sensitive information, including racial or ethnic origins or health details, is collected only with your express consent. NAAJA uses this information to assess eligibility, deliver services, and improve our website (www.naaja.org.au). We may disclose your information to employees, third-party service providers, or as required by law. You can access or correct your information or lodge complaints by contacting our Chief Executive Officer at reception@naaja.org.au or 1800898251. For full details, download our Privacy Policy [PDF, 200KB] below.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 June 2025

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, hold, and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). For a downloadable version, Download our Privacy Policy [PDF, 200KB].

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is committed to protecting the privacy of clients and complying with the requirements under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act.

In this privacy policy, personal information has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act. Personal information includes information or an opinion, whether true or not, about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

2. Scope

This privacy policy sets out how NAAJA collects, uses, holds and discloses the personal information of its clients (which includes users of NAAJA’s services, information or website, employees and suppliers to NAAJA).

3. Consent

By visiting NAAJA’s website, using its services, or otherwise interacting with NAAJA, clients consent to the collection, retention, use, and disclosure of their personal information in accordance with this privacy policy and any other arrangements that may apply between clients and NAAJA.

If NAAJA is not able to collect, handle, use and disclose personal information about clients as set out in this privacy policy, it may not be able to provide clients with its services or with access to NAAJA’s website, applications, products or services.

4. Who does NAAJA collect personal information from?

NAAJA collects personal information from several sources in connection with the day-to-day management of the company and NAAJA’s commercial relationships, either directly from clients in person, over the phone or electronically, or from current and future clients, colleagues, and publicly available sources. Where possible, NAAJA will only collect personal information about clients directly from the clients.

5. What types of personal information and sensitive information does NAAJA collect and hold?

Personal Information

The types of personal information NAAJA may collect includes:
(a) a client’s name
(b) a client’s date of birth
(c) a client’s contact details (including email address)
(d) a client’s occupation
(e) a client’s employment related information including employment history, education, qualifications and references
(f) government identifiers, passports or other identification documents
g) details of the products and services NAAJA provides to clients or that clients have enquired about, including information regarding the client’s legal issues
(h) gender
(i) information about any related person or organisation to which a client’s enquiry relates
(j) information about a client’s reliance on government benefits and average income.

Sensitive Information

Sensitive information is personal information that includes information or an opinion about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or associations, religious or philosophical beliefs, or health information.

Subject to a client’s express consent, the types of sensitive information NAAJA may collect includes:
(a) information about a client’s religious beliefs, racial or ethnic origin (including whether the person identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander), criminal record, or membership of a professional association or trade union
(b) information about the client’s legal matters
(c) any health information including specific accessibility requirements a client may have that are relevant to NAAJA’s provision of services to the client.

Collection Scope

For the avoidance of doubt, NAAJA only collects personal information and sensitive information that is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, one or more of the functions and activities of NAAJA, unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies (e.g. as required or authorised by law).

6. How does NAAJA collect personal information?

NAAJA may collect personal information either directly from a client or from third parties. Personal information may also be collected when a client:
(a) contact NAAJA via the “contact us” page on the NAAJA website
(b) contact NAAJA via the “family assist line”
(c) provide personal information when using NAAJA’s legal support services online
(d) subscribe to NAAJA
(e) donate to NAAJA
(f) contact NAAJA via its social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn
(g) sign-up for NAAJA newsletters
(h) communicate with NAAJA through correspondence, chats, email, or when a client shares information with NAAJA over the telephone or in person
(i) provide instructions to NAAJA to represent a client.

7. Why does NAAJA collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

NAAJA may collect, hold, use and disclose a client’s personal information for the following purposes:
(a) assess a client’s eligibility for NAAJA services
(b) provide legal services to a client
(c) respond to information requests, answer enquiries and resolve complaints
(d) consider suitability of prospective employees and management of employee records
(e) provide information and communications relevant to a client’s use of NAAJA’s services, including support and administrative messages, reminders, updates, security alerts, and information requested by a client
(f) inform a client of products, services, and benefits provided by NAAJA, which NAAJA considers may be of value or interest to the client
(g) contact subscribers about NAAJA publications or events
(h) operate, administer, protect, maintain, improve, upgrade, and optimise NAAJA’s website, applications, products or services, and a client’s experience with NAAJA
(i) internal business operation reasons, including the gathering of statistics, internal reporting and planning
(j) research purposes to analyse and improve products, services, and benefits
(k) marketing and advertising activities
(l) establish whether a client requires subscription to NAAJA to access some or all of NAAJA’s services
(m) avoid conflicts of interest in NAAJA’s provision of services
(n) compliance with legal obligations
(o) any other purpose disclosed to a client at the time a client’s personal information is collected or to which clients consent, or where required by law. This may include for a secondary purpose that is related to a purpose for which NAAJA collected it, and for which a client would reasonably expect NAAJA to use or disclose a client’s personal information.

8. Who does NAAJA disclose a client’s personal information to?

NAAJA may disclose personal information for the purposes described in this privacy policy to:
(a) NAAJA’s employees, officers, agents, contractors, board members, and related bodies of NAAJA
(b) third party suppliers who help us deliver, administer and support NAAJA’s functions and activities, including those:
(c) hosting NAAJA’s servers and website
(d) conducting research, surveys and data analysis
(e) providing IT services
(f) processing data, and providing storage and back-up services
(g) providing legal, accounting, and auditing services
h) specific third parties authorised by a client to receive personal information held by NAAJA
(i) other persons, including government agencies, barristers, locum lawyers and legal services, courts, regulatory bodies, and law enforcement agencies, or as required, authorised, or permitted by law.

9. How does NAAJA store personal information?

NAAJA stores information electronically and in hardcopy.

NAAJA maintains a secure IT system, and where appropriate, NAAJA will use secure transmission facilities and ensure physical security of hardcopy records.

There are inherent risks in transmitting personal information across the internet, including the risk that personal information sent to or from a website may be intercepted, corrupted, or modified by third parties. As a result, NAAJA does not warrant the security of any personal information transmitted to us over the internet.

NAAJA employees and volunteers are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.

10. Use of cookies

NAAJA collects general information from a client’s device when clients use NAAJA’s website. This might include a client’s geo-location, IP address, device identifier, the browser, and operating system users are using, details of where that IP address has come from, the pages accessed on NAAJA’s website, and the next website visited. NAAJA use cookies to monitor visitor traffic, enable content, and gather analytic and usage data on NAAJA’s website.

A cookie is a small text file stored on a client’s browser’s software when a user accesses NAAJA’s website that allows NAAJA’s website to remember when a user returns. Cookies and tools are used to identify generic preferences and behavioural patterns of how NAAJA’s website and online resources are being used. These cookies and tools may also be used to record a client’s personal information. For instance, NAAJA may use and combine information collected using cookies and tools with information NAAJA already has about a user to create user profiles. These user profiles may be used to maintain, secure and improve NAAJA’s website, enhance a client’s experience when using NAAJA’s website, display and deliver relevant information and advertising (including direct marketing and targeted adverts on third party websites and social media sites) and understand the effectiveness of NAAJA’s marketing and advertising.

A client may change their browser settings to disable cookies or to notify them when they receive a new cookie. However, if clients choose to disable cookies they may not be able to access the full range of services on NAAJA’s website or may experience reduced functionality.

11. Does NAAJA disclose personal information outside of Australia?

NAAJA is unlikely to disclose personal information outside Australia.

If NAAJA discloses personal information outside Australia, NAAJA will take reasonable steps in the circumstances to ensure that any overseas recipient NAAJA deals with will protect a client’s personal information in a way that is substantially similar to or consistent with the way in which the relevant APPs protects such personal information, or NAAJA will notify a client and seek a client’s consent prior to disclosing a client’s personal information outside Australia.

Where a client provides consent, there is a risk the overseas recipient will not be subject to the same principles as under the APPs or Privacy Act. A client may also be unable to bring a claim against the overseas entity, and that overseas recipient may have mandatory or permitted disclosures under the laws in their jurisdiction.

12. Direct marketing

If a client does not wish to receive information about NAAJA’s services then they can opt-out by emailing or calling NAAJA via the details listed below. If a client is receiving email communications from NAAJA offering services or benefits, there will be a mechanism to opt-out contained in each of those emails.

13. Links to other websites

NAAJA’s website may contain links to other websites. NAAJA is not responsible for the privacy procedures or the content of those websites. When visiting other websites, clients should review the privacy statements or policies of those websites.

14. How can clients access and correct their personal information?

Subject to certain exceptions in the Privacy Act, a client can request access to or correct a client’s personal information held by NAAJA. NAAJA will require a client to verify their identity and to specify the personal information the client requires. Any requests for access to or correction of a client’s personal information should be made in writing via the contact details below. If NAAJA decides to charge a fee for providing for access to a client’s personal information, a client will be advised of the likely cost in advance.

15. Complaints

If a client wishes to make a complaint about how NAAJA has handled their personal information, or if a client is concerned that NAAJA may have breached this privacy policy, the chief executive officer of NAAJA should be contacted via the details below. Please clearly describe the complaint and include the name, email address, and telephone number of the person making the complaint so that NAAJA is able to respond to the complaint or query. NAAJA will acknowledge a client’s complaint and respond to the client regarding a client’s complaint within a reasonable period of time.

Contact Us

For privacy inquiries, contact our Chief Executive Officer:

61 Smith Street, Darwin NT 0800
Phone: 1800898251
Email: reception@naaja.org.au

16. Amendments

NAAJA may update this privacy policy from time to time by posting the updated privacy policy on its website or by other written notification to clients. Any changes to this privacy policy will take effect upon the earlier of the updated privacy policy being published on NAAJA’s website or notification to users.