Privacy at VCAT

Last updated: 30 March 2026

Overview

VCAT values the privacy of individuals’ personal information and health information.  

This policy sets out:  

• the information we collect from our users and how we collect it;  
• the purpose for which we collect this information;  
• how we use, disclose, store and protect the information we collect;
• how you can access your information;
• where to make a complaint about the mishandling of your personal or health information; and
• how we monitor usage of our website.

Applicable privacy law

We are required to handle:  

• personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (PDP Act) and the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs);  
• health information in accordance with the Health Records Act 2001 (HR Act) and the Health Privacy Principles (HPPs); and
• all of the information we hold in accordance with our obligations under the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) (Public Records Act).

Exemptions

As a tribunal, VCAT is exempt from the PDP Act and HR Act when we carry out our judicial or quasi-judicial functions. This is to ensure that we have the flexibility required to make decisions and Orders in your case.

However, notwithstanding these exemptions, VCAT will always strive to handle your personal and health information in compliance with the PDP Act and HR Act, where doing so does not conflict with or otherwise impair our operations or the exercise of our statutory functions.

Information we collect

The information we collect from you

When you are involved in a case at VCAT, VCAT will collect the information you provide to us in relation to the case. This can include personal and health information such as:

• names;
• addresses;
• phone numbers;
• information about your circumstances in relation to the case; and
• other personal information, including financial and medical information.

Some case types may involve the collection of sensitive information from the parties. Sensitive information means information or an opinion about an individual's:  

• racial or ethnic origin;  
• political opinions;  
• membership of a political association;  
• religious beliefs or affiliations;  
• philosophical beliefs;  
• membership of a professional or trade association;
• membership of a trade union;  
• sexual orientation or practices; or  
• criminal record.

We collect this information where it is necessary for the purpose of managing the case from its initiation to its conclusion. Managing a case includes the following functions:

• conducting proceedings generally (i.e. such as when our registry staff or members make Orders directing how the case should run, set dates for directions hearings, mediations, compulsory conferences or hearings, or request further information);
• communicating with the parties about the case;
• administering our Tribunal portals (myVCAT and myRDRV), including maintaining audit logs of all access to, and use of, those portals; and
• handling complaints.

If your case requires the collection of your sensitive information, this will only be done with your consent.

If you do not provide information to VCAT upon request, you may not be able to:  

• access and use myVCAT or myRDRV to participate in your case; or
• rely on that information in a VCAT or RDRV proceeding.

How we collect information about you

We may collect your personal and health information from you directly, including:  

• via audio or audio visual link;
• via email;  
• in person;  
• through myVCAT or myRDRV; or  
• at a hearing, compulsory conference or during mediation.  

We may also collect information about you from third parties, including from:

• your legal representative;
• other parties to the case; and
• reports prepared by experts to assist VCAT to hear your case.

When we collect information about you from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of:

• the collection of your information;
• the purpose of the collection;  
• how you can access the information;  
• any laws requiring the information to be collected; and  
• the impact on you if you decide to retract the information.

One of the ways we do this is by copying in all parties on email correspondence, and providing you with a copy of this Privacy Policy as required.

How your information is used 

If you give us information in relation to a case we're hearing, we're obliged by law to share it with other parties in the case. This is consistent with the purpose for which we collect information, which is to manage cases from initiation to conclusion.  

Your information, as well as documents created by VCAT such as Orders, may be shared in the following ways:  

• by VCAT staff copying in all parties involved in a case to emails, so each party can see they have received the same information;
• by secure post, if VCAT is required to effect service of documents by mail; and
• via myRDRV or myVCAT, which provides parties to a case with electronic access to all documents provided or created for that case.

If you want to give information to us in confidence you must first apply for confidentiality.

Information we will not disclose to the parties to a case

The information VCAT does not disclose between parties to a case includes:

• requests from a party for VCAT support services (including Koori support, interpreters, disability support, security requests and family violence support) and any information provided in support of these requests. However, requests for disability support services may need to be shared with other VCAT staff or VCAT members for the purpose of facilitating the request. We will ask you for permission before we share information about your request for disability support; and
• an application from a party for fee relief, including waiver, reduction or deferral of fees and information provided in support of fee relief applications.

In most cases, this information will only be disclosed to the business unit of VCAT that is responsible for providing the requested support service.

How we store and protect information

VCAT stores all of the information provided to us relating to a case. This includes all the personal and health information we collect, as well as documents, emails, letters, requests and complaints. We generally store this information in our register, and in physical or electronic files for individual cases.

In addition to the information listed above, our files can hold:

• the original application to VCAT or RDRV;
• VCAT orders;
• correspondence between the parties and VCAT or RDRV;
• expert reports, for example, medical reports; and
• documents provided to VCAT or RDRV by the parties.  

While a case is ongoing, VCAT takes all reasonable steps to keep this information secure, including storing the information on secure networks, and ensuring that case files are only accessed by authorised staff.  

After a case has finalised, we hold and dispose of this information in accordance with our obligations under the Public Records Act. Generally, we keep final orders for 15 years, and other information for five years after the case is finalised.

How to access information about a case

All hearings are open to the public, including journalists, unless VCAT makes a closed court order. This means that any member of the public can observe your hearing and hear information and evidence you give during your hearing.

All hearings are recorded, and a copy of the recording may be given to any person upon request unless there's a closed court order or suppression order in place.

All proceeding files can be inspected by anyone, subject to a fee, unless exceptions apply. These exceptions are under section 146 of the VCAT Act and include if:  

• the proceeding is subject to a closed court order or suppression order; and  
• the VCAT Act, VCAT Rules or we direct otherwise.

Parties to a case can inspect the file for that case without charge.

We can also:  

• publish decisions on public platforms (the final VCAT orders which decide a case)
• provide copies of VCAT orders to Consumer Affairs Victoria and other regulators as required by law, to enable those regulators to fulfill their statutory obligations
• repeat anything said or done at a public hearing
• allow the public and journalists to search the register and proceeding files.

If there are written reasons about a decision, you can view the decision on the Australasian Legal Information Institute website.

If any person searches the internet using a person's name recorded in the decision, they may find the decision. In guardianship cases, the names of the person the application is about and names of any of their family members are made anonymous before the decision is published.

If a case has attracted high levels of media or public interest, we publish these as 'high profile decisions' on our website.

When the public can see a party's home address

Some RDRV applications and VCAT orders allow a reader to discover a party's home address. If the place where you live is the address of a dispute, a member of the public may see your home address.

This can happen when you're involved in a dispute about:  

• a rental property;
• a home renovation or building; and
• local government rates for a particular address.

Apply to keep your information in a case confidential

You can apply to VCAT to keep your information confidential. You must apply before we make any orders.

You can apply in 3 ways:  

• ask for confidentiality in your application;
• email us and ask for your address or other information to be withheld on VCAT orders; and
• fill out the Application for directions hearings or orders form and email or post it to us.

Learn more about applying for confidentiality

Accessing your information

To access information we hold about you that does not form part of a case file, you may:

• request access to your personal information and health information under the PDP Act and HR Act. This may apply to you if you have contacted us in the past but were not party to a case. You can do this by contacting us; or
• make a Freedom of Information request to Court Services Victoria, if the information relates to your former employment at VCAT, or to services you have provided to VCAT as a contractor or volunteer. 

When we restrict access to information

Our ability to protect information is limited by the law and principles of open justice.

Depending on the circumstances, we can protect information in any type of case. It's particularly important to protect information in cases involving:  

• children;
• intellectual disability or mental illness;
• victims of crime;
• people who have experienced personal or family violence; and
• freedom of information or privacy matters.

We can restrict this information when:  

• a file is covered by law under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (VCAT Act - Schedule 1, Clause 30);
• we make an order under section 144 of the VCAT Act (orders on the register);
• we make an order under section 146 of the VCAT Act restricting access to the file; and
• there is a suppression (non-publication) order on the file you want to view.

A VCAT member will decide if you can access these files.

If you're a party involved in a case, you can ask VCAT for access to a file that's been restricted. We may not agree to your request. You can't ask to view a file covered by Freedom of Information laws.

Complaints about privacy

You may complain to VCAT if it appears that we have not acted in accordance with the IPPs or HPPs in collecting, using, disclosing or ensuring the accuracy and security of your personal and health information.

Where possible, a complaint should be made by email or post addressed to the Complaints team.

Email us

complaint@courts.vic.gov.au

Post it to us

VCAT Complaints Coordinator 
GPO Box 5408 
Melbourne VIC 3001

For more information, contact us or visit us.

We cannot handle complaints about the decision a VCAT member made in your case. For further information, please consult VCAT’s Complaints Policy.

Cookies and website monitoring

Use of cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience and improve the efficiency of our website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us:  

• recognise your preferences for future visits; and
• track how you use the website, such as pages visited and time spent on the site.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings, including disabling or deleting them. Please note that some website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

Website monitoring and analytics

We use third-party tools to monitor and improve our website, including:  

• Google Analytics, which tracks user interactions and provides insights such as traffic volumes, popular pages, and time spent on the site; and
• CrazyEgg, which creates heat maps, surveys, and session recordings to better understand user behaviour.

These tools may collect anonymised data, including:  

• device and browser information;
• geolocation data (if enabled);
• pages visited and time spent on each page;  
• search terms used; and
• actions taken on the site, such as clicks on links.

Use of analytics data

Data collected by these tools is used to analyse website usage and improve functionality and user experience. This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users unless required by law or as part of a specific security investigation.

Opting out of analytics

You can:  

• adjust your browser settings to block cookies or enable the "Do Not Track" feature; or
• use the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On to disable Google Analytics tracking.