STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES ON CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY
General
ICN is positioned to provide balanced and considered information to its clients, independent of the influence from suppliers, Government or industry in general.
It is important that ICN clients have confidence that the ICN can establish and maintain the confidentiality of information which clients entrust to ICN. Also relevant is ICN's:
- integrity in dealing with confidential and market sensitive information
- probity and ethics in managing its responsibilities to clients
- management of the privacy of personal information
Whether these are relative to the ICN roles and functions.
In establishing these principles, ICN discloses the interests of the stakeholders in the ICN operations and acknowledge the importance of demonstrated independence of these interests in order to best effect its responsibilities to its clients.
DEFINITION
ICN is abbreviated for Industry Capability Network. ICN Queensland is a trading name of Industrial Supplies Office (Queensland) Limited. This is a company limited by guarantee and accountable under Australian investment and security commission acts and regulations.
ICN clients include both private and public sector organizations from which ICN seeks opportunities for import replacement and for local industry participation, consistent with ICN's roles and objectives.
Stakeholders refers to Government, Industry Associations, Trade Unions, Industry representative bodies and support organizations, which individually uphold, encourage, finance or support the roles and objectives of ICN.
Confidential information means all information including ideas, concepts, know-how, financial data, technology or operational information disclosed or which individually may become available to ICN from a client in the course of or incidental to the provision of ICN services, and which is not otherwise in the public domain.
PRINCIPLES
ICN will conduct and deliver its services to its clients with integrity, sensitivity and confidentiality to maintain a relationship in which a client can have confidence that information provided to ICN will be used in a manner consistent with client expectations.
ICN will protect all confidential information of a client provided to ICN Queensland from disclosure to persons, organisations, or stakeholders, unless prior authorization of the client is granted.
ICN will ensure the security of confidential information in its possession, whether such information is personal knowledge, hard copy or in electronic form.
All employees and staff of ICN are bound by a Code of Conduct that enunciates an individual's responsibilities and commitments to protecting and maintaining a client's confidential information.
ICN will ensure that its relationship with Stakeholders and other offices in the network do not prejudice these principles.
ICN will enter into client-specific Confidentiality Agreements where required by clients, in recognition that such agreement reinforce these principles, and address an individual client requirement.
If any doubt arises as to the nature of confidentiality of information entrusted to ICN by a client, the ICN will seek the client's resolution to such matters as a prerequisite to any disclosure.
ICN will ensure that its stakeholders acknowledge and endorse their support of their principles.
Consistent with its objectives, ICN will seek to establish with a client the parameters for ICN's handling of confidential information as a pre-requisite for the provision of ICN services.
D. G. Taylor, General Manager - 19 November 2007
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