Handling misdirected correspondence 104-04070040

If contacted by an unintended individual:

• gather information,
• report the incident using the Privacy Incident Notification form

Tell the unintended individual:

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of Services Australia. Services Australia takes privacy seriously and will take immediate action to rectify the situation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by receiving the correspondence. To help identify why you received this correspondence, I will need to ask you for further information.

Has the correspondence been opened?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 3

Ask the unintended individual the following questions and record their responses:

• What is the date of the correspondence?
• How was the correspondence received? E.g. by post, email, handed to them personally, or received online
• What is the type of correspondence?
• Who sent the correspondence? E.g. Centrelink, Medicare or Child Support
• Has the intended individual listed on the correspondence previously lived at the unintended individual's address?
• Ask the unintended individual to return the correspondence to Services Australia by post or in person
• Offer to send an express post/reply paid envelope to help with the return of the correspondence, if available
• Give the address for the unintended individual's local service centre (not the central scanning centre)
• If the correspondence cannot be returned for any reason, ask the unintended individual to destroy it
• Tell the unintended individual that if they get further correspondence like the one already received to not open it and return it to the sender
• Thank the unintended individual for contacting the agency
• Finalise contact

Note: the use and/or disclosure of the intended individual's personal information by the unintended individual may breach secrecy provisions contained in the relevant legislation.

Go to Step 4.

Tell the unintended individual not to open the correspondence.

Ask them the following questions and record their responses:

• How was the correspondence received? E.g. by post, email, handed to them personally, received online
• What is the name(s) and address on the envelope or in the clear window?
• Was the unintended individual expecting correspondence from Services Australia and this has not been received?

Tell the unintended individual that if they get more correspondence like the one already received:

• do not open it
• return it to the sender

Note: the use and/or disclosure of the intended individual's personal information by the unintended individual may breach secrecy provisions contained in the relevant legislation.

Go to Step 4.

If the intended individual’s address has not been updated since the correspondence was sent, it may no longer be current, e.g. they may have lived at the unintended individual’s address.

Does the intended individual have the wrong address recorded?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, address has been updated since the correspondence was sent. Go to Step 6

Note: check that Services Australia is using accurate address information. This helps to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act 1988.

• Create a Return to Sender (RTS) work item using the Return to sender Fast Note
• In Customer First or Process Direct on the record of the intended mail recipient
• Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Generic > Updates > Return to Sender Processing
• Select Use Chosen Template/Confirm to complete the workflow
• Complete the following details as needed:
• CRN
• Name on letter
• Unique letter Id if available
• Type of form - LETTER/FORM
• Date of letter
• Address on letter that was returned
• Action taken/notes
• Once the details are recorded in the DOC, select Confirm/Continue (do not complete the DOC)
• Contact the customer to obtain their correct address details, see Table 1> Step 13 in Return to sender (RTS) mail for Centrelink
• Go to Step 6

• See Return mail indicator for Medicare claims
• Go to Step 6

• See Returned mail for Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
• Go to Step 6

• See Updating Child Support customer information
• Go to Step 6

Reissue the correspondence to the customer's current address if the correct is known.

For:

• Centrelink:
• If the address has been updated, see Table 1 > Step 18 in Return to sender (RTS) mail for Centrelink
• Medicare:
• See, Return to sender (RTS) mail for aged care services, care recipients and nominees
• Child Support:
• Letters Cuba Process Help
• Letters for Child Support customers
• Manual letters in Pluto

Complete a Privacy Incident Notification form.

Privacy Operations:

• will liaise with the responsible business area about:
• any recommendations for contact
• other corrective action
• will not contact the intended individual
• may contact the staff who submitted for more information

Where a staff member identifies that correspondence has been addressed to an incorrect person, check the outgoing mail.

Is the correspondence in the outgoing mail?

• Yes, immediately remove the mail
• No, go to Step 2

Contact the Output Management team and ask them to retrieve the mail from the central printing facility if:

• the mail was sent in the past few days, and
• it is not in the outgoing post

Provide the following information so the letter can be retrieved:

• name and address
• environment
• batch number, and/or
• history ID