Accurate market and social research depends upon the willing cooperation of the public and business community, based upon confidence that research is carried out honestly, objectively and without unwelcome intrusion or disadvantage to participants.
AMSRO members are required to subscribe to a Market and Social Research Privacy Code.
The Market and Social Research Privacy Principles (M&SRPPs) in the Privacy Code replace the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) in governing the collection, retention, use, disclosure and transfer of information about the subjects of and participants in market and social research. The M&SRPPs seek to give effect to the Privacy Act in a manner that is tailored to the research context, while providing the public and business community with the assurances needed to encourage informed and willing participation in market and social research activities. They reflect the fact that:
participation in market and social research is voluntary
market and social researchers are generally not interested in making use of the identity of research participants and
that they use, disclose and/or transfer the information collected only for research purposes.
The Code was approved by the Privacy Commissioner on 1st September 2003, and again on 6 June 2007, upon Review. This approval indicates that the Privacy Commissioner is satisfied that the Market and Social Research Privacy Principles included in the Code are at least the overall equivalent of all of the obligations set out in the National Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth).
The aims of the M&SRPPs include:
to facilitate the protection of identified information provided by, or held in relation to, the participants or subjects of market and social research;
to enable quality research to be carried out, so as to provide accurate information to government, commercial and not for profit organisations to support their decision-making processes;
to allow market and social research small business operators that are otherwise not subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) to benefit from compliance with industry best practice in relation to the handling of identified information.
The Guidelines interpret and expand on the Principles in the Code, and are designed to assist industry members to interpret and implement the Code and Principles, but do not themselves have any legal force.
AMSRO Privacy Compliance Committee
The Review in 2007 recommended the establishment of a Privacy Compliance Committee. This committee would include at least one consumer representative and meet twice annually (at least) to examine complaints and other privacy matters.
The Terms of Reference of the Committee and the 2008 Annual Report are available below.
Further information on privacy may be obtained from the website of the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner at http://www.privacy.gov.au/.
How complaints can be made
An individual who believes his or her privacy may have been interfered with by an organisation that is bound by the Market & Social Research Privacy Code has the right to make a complaint about the matter to the organisation concerned. The organisation will consider the complaint and attempt to resolve it.
If complaints cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the individual within 30 business days, either the individual or the research organisation may refer the complaint to the Privacy Commissioner.
