Disclaimer

Privacy Disclaimer

Mackay Regional Council is committed to helping you protect your privacy.

The information provided by you to Connecting Mackay will be held by the council is intended for the sole use of the authenticated user for the purpose of enhancing customer interaction with Connecting Mackay and in the provision of information and e-services.

Authorised council staff and contractors may access this information, upon your request or to assist you in using the service.

Except as otherwise stated, the personal information you choose to provide will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided and will not be disclosed to other persons or organisations without your prior consent or in the exception where it is required by law.

Protecting your privacy

Queensland has privacy legislation which applies to the Queensland public sector and local government – the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act). The IP Act contains privacy principles which set out how these agencies must handle personal information. Personal information means any information about an identifiable person.

Council is committed to protecting your privacy. Council’s Information Privacy Policy outlines how we collect and manage your personal information. The privacy policy does not affect our commitment to your confidentiality. Your registration with Connecting Mackay indicates that you accept our privacy policy and approve the collection, use and disclosure by council, of your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy. We encourage you to read our Information Privacy Policy.

The software platform this website runs on and associated technology operations are provided by Bang the Table Pty Ltd. Click this link for the Privacy Policy governing their service.

Use and disclosure

Council will only use personal information collected via Connecting Mackay for the purpose for which it was given to use and/or for related, internal management purposes.

Council will not disclose your personal information to other government agencies, organisations or anyone else unless one of the following applies:

• you consented to the disclosure
• you would have a reasonable expectation that your personal information would be disclosed
• it is required or authorised by law
• it will prevent or lessen a serious threat to somebody's life or health
• the disclosure is reasonable and necessary for a law enforcement activity.

What personal information does Connecting Mackay collect

Profile Information

Council will collect information from you when you register to use this site. This includes your name, email address and additional demographic information as provided by you on the registration form.

If you are under the age of 16 you will be required to obtain parental consent to register to this site.

Please note that you are able to browse any publicly accessible sections of this website completely anonymously without signing up.

Engagement Information

The content you create as part of your interactions with this website includes; responses to surveys, comments on discussion forums, or any of the other engagement opportunities available here.

Usage Information

We do not track your usage of the site, including what pages you have visited or documents you have downloaded

How we use the information we collect?

We collect this information in order to:

• analyse and interpret it to help meet our objectives and obligations
• communicate information to you about engagement opportunities, events and other initiatives
• respond to direct enquiries and otherwise engage with stakeholders and consultants.

External links

Our website may contain links to other websites. Those links are provided for convenience and may not remain current or be maintained. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and we suggest you review the privacy policies of those websites before using them.

Requesting access or correcting your personal information

Subject to applicable legislation and policies, you may have some or all of the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• to access your personal data and to rectify any inaccuracies within that personal data
• to request for the erasure of your personal data residing with us
• to request your personal data in portable, machine-readable format
• to withdraw your consent to our processing of their personal data.

If you wish to contact council with a request relating to personal information we hold about you, please contact us using the contact details set out below and include your name and contact details. We may need to verify your identity before providing you with your personal information.

In some cases, we may be unable to provide you with access to all your personal information and where this occurs, we will explain why. We will deal with all requests for access to personal information within a reasonable timeframe.

Security

We take strong precautions to protect the personal information we hold concerning you from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and against other misuse.

However, please be aware we do not provide a mechanism for securing the transmission of information across the Internet.

Disclaimer

The content of Connecting Mackay’s website is provided for information purposes only. Although council makes every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information on this site, council makes no claim as to the accuracy or authenticity of such content. Furthermore, council does not accept any liability whatsoever for any information or advice provided on this website or incorporated into it by reference. Council does not accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage incurred (including consequential loss or damage) however caused which may arise either directly or indirectly as a result of the use of the information or arising out of the provision of the information on this website, or as a result of reliance placed upon the content of this website.

Contact us

For further information about our privacy policy and related information practices, or to access or correct your personal information, or make a complaint, please contact us on engagement@mackay.qld.gov.au

Forum Etiquette & Moderation

About Moderation

This website is moderated by an expert global moderation team from Bang the Table.(External link)

Bang the Table’s moderators provide multilingual moderation support to ensure participants, site administrators, and third-parties are safe from malicious, inflammatory and illegal materials.

Bang the Table’s role in moderation of this site is to ensure that contributions are reviewed and assessed in an impartial manner according to the rules outlined below.

This policy covers the following;

• Username Rules

• Username Sanctions

• Moderation Rules

• Moderation Sanctions

• Etiquette

• Frequently Asked Questions

Username Rules

Usernames - which are submitted by participants during the registration process as a way to identify themselves in public facing activities, are approved in accordance with the username rules set out below;

1. Usernames should not be defamatory, obscene or include language which could be deemed offensive. This includes the creative use of characters and symbols to hide explicit content.

2. Users must not masquerade as other members of the public, elected officials, moderators, site administrators or workers from the consulting organisation. If you are found to be impersonating someone else you may face sanctions.

3. Usernames must not be a URL or web address.

4. Using your username for activism purposes is fine as long as it doesn’t breach any of the above. Ie. savethereef or trains-not-traffic

Username Sanctions

If you breach any of the above username rules upon registering for this site the following will occur;

1. Username change - our moderation team reviews every username submitted to this site via registration. If they deem your username to be in breach of the above rules they will change your username and inform you this has occurred. You can later change your username to something within the rules via your participant profile.

2. Temporary Suspension - a participant who repeatedly and flagrantly changes their username in breach of the above rules may be suspended from access to the website for a period of up to one week. The period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the breach. The user will be reported to the consulting organization.

3. Permanent Blocking - a participant who continues to violate the username rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the website permanently blocked.

Moderation Rules

All public facing contributions - that is, contributions that can be seen by other website users are moderated in accordance with the moderation rules set out below.

1. Never post personal information about another participant. This includes identifying any individual by their real name if they have not already done so, or providing personal contact information.

2. Never identify a staff member of the consulting organisation by name.

3. Don't defame anyone or any organisation. A comment is defamatory if it lowers or harms the reputation of a person or organisation. If you wish to insult anyone, this is not the place to do it. If you wish to accuse anyone of wrongdoing or incompetence, this is not the place to do it.

4. Don't post anything that could be considered intolerant of a person's race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion or age.

5. Don't be obscene and don't use foul language. Lots of people from different backgrounds participate on this website. We want them to be able to continue to do so from home, work, school, university or wherever they may be. Disguising swear words by deliberately misspelling them doesn't make them any less offensive.

6. Don't personally insult or harass other participants. Always focus on the logic of the argument rather than the individuals involved in the argument. Participants are entitled to choose not to enter into debate with you.

7. Don't post or link to any inappropriate, offensive or illegal material. Don't post any advertisements.

8. Don’t promote self-harm, suicide, violence or criminal activity of any kind.

9. The use of emoji or images to convey inappropriate meaning consistent with the rules outlined above will also be moderated.

10. Ensure comments seek to address the topic or focus of the engagement activity at hand. Users which intentionally distract from or ignore the discussion topic may have their comments treated as off-topic and removed.

11. Please don't raise concerns about the moderation on the site as it disrupts the flow of any discussion. Please direct any queries regarding moderation directly to the moderation team at support@engagementhq.com.

Sanctions

Breaches of the moderation rules will be dealt with as follows:

4. Removal of comment - any comment that, in the view of the moderator, breaches the rules will be removed.

5. Temporary Suspension - a participant who repeatedly and flagrantly flouts the moderation rules may be suspended from access to the website for a period of up to one week. The period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the breach.

6. Permanent Blocking - a participant who continues to violate the moderation rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the website permanently blocked.

7. Automatic Blocking - a participant who posts or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will be immediately blocked from the site.

Etiquette

The following are not enforceable rules, rather they are suggestions about etiquette to help keep the website respectful and constructive.

1. It's a good idea to read through the information on the site and the other participant comments before getting involved in the discussion yourself.

2. Always respect the views of other participants even if they don't agree with you.

3. Be constructive. It's okay to disagree with other forum participants, in fact we encourage debate, just keep the dialogue positive.

4. Always keep things civil. We recognize that this can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are passionate about an issue, but it is important to keep the discussion focused on the issues rather than letting it deteriorate into personal insults.

5. Once you've left your comment keep an eye on the project to see what other people have to say.

6. If you feel that someone has insulted you, report their comment to the moderator by clicking the “Alert Moderator” button. Don't perpetuate the dispute. The moderator will take a look at the offending comment and decide whether it should be removed.

7. Stay on topic. The projects on this website have been created for a specific purpose. Please stay within the boundaries of the subject matter.

8. Turn off the "CAPS LOCK". Writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING and can cause offence.

9. Choose one place to post each of your unique comments. Don't cut and paste the same comment into lots of different places on the website. These may be considered duplicates and could be removed.

10. Don't be a "troll". Trolls intentionally incite annoyance or offense. They do not participate constructively in the discussion and do not add any value to the debate.

11. Don't bully, harass or threaten other participants. If another participant proffers an opinion that you don't agree with, you have no right to demand that they support their position with a detailed argument. They do not have to respond to your questions. It is up to each individual to participate as much or as little as they wish.

12. Please respect the moderators. Their job is to keep the forum safe and constructive so that everybody gets to have their fair say. It is not always an easy job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my comment is removed?

If you post something to this website, which is removed by our moderators, you will receive a notification via email informing you of the decision. You will be informed as to which of the moderation rules you are in breach of and asked to review and resubmit your contribution.

What if I disagree with a moderation decision?

If you disagree with a moderation decision you are able to get in touch with support by contacting support@engagementhq.com. While the final moderation decision lies with our moderators, you may indicate to us why you think your contribution should be accepted. In some instances you will be referred to the owner of the website for a final decision.

Can a website owner remove my comment just because they don’t like it?

All comments moderated by our moderators are done so in accordance with the moderation rules outlined above. The owner of this website however, reserves the right to request a contribution be moderated if they feel it is in breach of these moderation rules. In this instance, you will receive a notification via email.

Can I report a comment anonymously?

If you feel a username, comment or contribution on the site is in breach of the rules outlined on this page, you are within your right to alert our moderators. Simply locate the “alert moderator” link near the comment you believe needs to be escalated to our moderation team. Alerting a moderator will not reveal your identity to the person who posted the comment and you will remain anonymous.

How will I know if I have been blocked from the site?

If you are repeatedly in breach of our moderation rules you may incur sanctions as outlined above. In the instance that you are blocked from the site, you will receive an email notification informing you of your sanctions and the conditions of those sanctions.

Is moderation independent of the website owner?

Yes. Moderation is independent of the owner of the website. There are only two places where on-site moderation occurs. The owner of this website can choose to moderate stories as well as questions asked by participants and answer if they so choose.

How does moderation deal with comments which suggest a person is at risk of harming themselves or others?

Our moderators are trained to identify comments, which contain references to self-harm and or threats of violence and crime. Comments which mention or promote this behaviour will be removed and escalated for further review and passed on to our clients for further action. Any further action will be at the discretion of our clients, including referrals to law enforcement, primary health or first responder services. Bang the Table strongly advises its client to have sufficient processes in place to deal with these situations and highly encourages the use of verified participation for engagement activities. If you notice comments of this nature, please alert our moderators and the website owner immediately. Our team can be contacted at support@engagementhq.com.

What personally identifiable information about me can the moderators access?

Bang the Table’s moderators do not have access to the user information stored by the owner of this site. Moderators are only able to view a user's publicly visible username and their text or image based contributions for the express purposes of moderating those elements. Your participation on this site is guided by the website owners Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Accessibility

This website has been built by the team at Bang the Table Pty Ltd(External link) on behalf of Mackay Regional Council.

At Bang the Table we're keen to give everyone a voice, regardless of their ability or technical knowhow. We have incorporated expert advice to make sure that EngagementHQ(External link) , the software platform this website is built on, meets or, wherever possible exceeds WCAG 2.0, the current global web accessibility standard(External link).

We also provide guidance to each of our clients to ensure their site's content also meets these standards.

Accessibility Tips

In addition to the steps we have taken to make the software accessible to everyone; many people are likely to get the most accessible experience of using this site by customising their computer to suit their individual needs. For example: to get the site read to them, to change its colour scheme, or increase the size of its fonts.

If that sounds like it would be useful to you, we recommend you visit the excellent BBC My Web, My Way(External link) site. It is a comprehensive resource with videos of how these customisations might suit you and covers topics such as personalising the web settings for people with:

• impaired or no vision
• impaired or no hearing
• language difficulties
• difficulties using a mouse

Let us know if you have difficulties using this site

Whilst we have spent a lot of time making sure our software is accessible, we are not perfect! If you find anything on the site difficult to use please let us know by emailing support@engagementhq.com(External link) .

To help us get to the bottom of your difficulty, it would help us if you provide the information advised in ' Contacting Organisations about Inaccessible Websites(External link) ' in your request (especially as outlined in the section 'Describe the Problem(External link)' ).

At a minimum, please try to include the following information in your email to us:

• The URL for the page you are having problems accessing.
• Details about what you were trying to do, and why it was difficult or impossible to do it.
• Details about your computer and software. If you don't know, maybe a friend, relative, or colleague can help you. If not, you can skip this part. Include:
  • the operating system you are using, and the version; for example, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux Ubuntu 9.10
  • the browser software you use to view the Web, and the version; for example, Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6), Firefox 3.5, Chrome 3.0.195.38, Opera 10, Safari 4.0.4, etc.
• If it is related to the problem you are experiencing, also include:
  • any settings you have customized; for example, I set the Font Size to Largest in my browser
  • any assistive technology that you use; for example, screen reader, screen magnification software, voice recognition software for input

All constructive feedback regarding the accessibility or usability of this website is very welcome and will be carefully considered.

Thank you

Technical Support

This website is supported through a range of browsers. These are:

• Internet Explorer (IE) 11
• Microsoft Edge 17 and above
• Chrome 70 and above
• Firefox 66 and above
• Safari 12 and above

If your browser is not on the list above and you are experiencing issues navigating the site, we recommend you update your browser to its latest version.

If upgrading your browser does not help or you are running into other issues, please email us at support@engagementhq.com

Cookie Policy

This policy specifically explains how we and our partners deploy cookies and the options you have to control them.

Our use of cookies

We use cookies on our websites so that they help us provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and allow us to improve our site.

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small text file that is stored on your computer or other device, when a website is loaded on your browser. A cookie is widely used to "remember" you and your preferences. Cookies cannot access any information on your computer and most web browsers automatically accept cookies. To learn more about cookies visit allaboutcookies.org(External link) (External website).

Information collected and our purpose for using cookies

We may use cookies to record anonymous, non-personal information about your visits to this website in order to measure engagement interest.

We may also collect non-personal information about your visit to our website, based on your browsing (click stream) activities. This information includes pages browsed, projects viewed, tools used and other analytical data. We use these details to improve how our website functions and to understand how users interact with them.

We make use of different third party applications and services to enhance the experience of website visitors. These include social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (through the use of sharing buttons), or embedded content from Youtube and Vimeo. As a result, cookies may be set by these third parties, and used by them to track your online activity. We have no direct control over the information that is collected by these cookies.

We use the following cookies

Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for enabling the core functionality of the site. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

Analytical Cookies: Analytical cookies help us to analyse user behaviour, mainly to see if the users are able to find and act on things that they are looking for. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it.
Tools used: Google Analytics

Social Media Cookies: We use social media cookies which allows you to share certain pages of our website on social media. This includes Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin cookies.

Contact Us

For further information about our policy and related information practices, or to make a complaint, please contact us on support@engagementhq.com