This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Social media policy'.



ATTACHMENT A 
 
Dear Australian Bureau of Statistics, 
 
I request the following documents: 
 
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers departmental use and/or 
private use by employees in an individual capacity. 
2. Any guidance material which is available for employees to make informed decisions 
about their social media use. 
 
Yours faithfully, 
 
James Smith 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Please use this email address for all replies to this request: 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx 
 
Is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests 
to Australian Bureau of Statistics? If so, please contact us using this form: 
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_request/new?body=abs 
 
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any 
reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to 
Know works can be found at: 
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/officers 
 
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to 
us from your organisation's FOI page. 
 
 

 
 
ATTACHMENT B 
 
SCHEDULE OF DOCUMENTS 
 
Item 
Description 
Decision 
Justification for redacting content 
no. 
(relevant section of the FOI Act) 

Acceptable Use Policy 
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 
 

Administrative and Transactional Data 
Disclosure 
S22 
Policy  
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Business Continuity Policy  
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Facilitator’s Guide for Induction  
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Guidelines for publishing to ABS Social 
Disclosure 
S22 
Media 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 
 
 


Guidelines to reduce the risk of scamming  Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Information Security Guidelines 
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Internet and email policy 
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 

Online Collaborative Workspaces 
Disclosure 
S22 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 
10 
Participating in Online Collaborative 
Disclosure 
S22 
Workspaces  
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 
11 
Managing Online Collaborative 
Disclosure 
S22 
Workspaces 
granted 
This document contains information that would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant to 
the request. I have determined that the following are irrelevant to your FOI request: 
• 
Administrative/record keeping information. 
• 
Guidance to ABS staff for actions not involving the use of social media. 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 

 
 
ATTACHMENT C 
 
1. 
APPLICATION FOR INTERNAL REVIEW OF DECISION 
If you disagree with our decision you have the right to apply for an internal review under section 54 of the FOI Act. 
Application for a review of the decision must be made within 30 days of receipt of this letter. 
No particular form is required but it would assist the decision-maker were you to set out in the application the grounds 
on which you consider that the decision should be reviewed. 
Application for a review of the decision should be addressed to: 
ABS FOI Contact Officer 
Policy, Legislation and Assurance Section 
Australian Bureau of Statistics 
Locked Bag 10 
BELCONNEN ACT 2617 
OR 
2. 
APPLICATION TO AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER (INFORMATION COMMISSIONER) FOR REVIEW 
OF DECISION 
Section 54L of the Act gives you the right to seek a review of the decision from the Information Commissioner.  An 
application for review must be made within 60 days of receiving the decision.   
Applications for review must be in writing and must: 
•  give details of how notices must be sent to you; and 
•  include a copy of the notice of decision.   
You should send your application for review to: 
The Information Commissioner 
Office of the Information Commissioner 
GPO Box 5218 
SYDNEY  NSW  2001 
AND/OR 
3. 
COMPLAINTS TO THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER 
Section 70 of the Act provides that a person may complain to the Information Commissioner about action taken by an 
agency in the exercise of powers or the performance of functions under the Act. 
A complaint to the Information Commissioner must be in writing and identify the agency the complaint is about.  It 
should be directed to the following address: 
The Information Commissioner 
Office of the Information Commissioner 
GPO Box 5218 
SYDNEY  NSW  2001 
The Information Commissioner may decline to investigate the complaint in a number of circumstances, including that 
you did not exercise your right to ask the agency, the Information Commissioner, a court or tribunal to review the 
decision. 
   
 
 

ATTACHMENT D 
 

Policy and Legislation : Subsection 16-07-03
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v2013/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
13 May 2013
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 16. Security
Section No. & Title:
07. Security Policy Guidelines
Subsection No. & Title:
03. Acceptable Use Policy
This  Policy  replaces 'Guidelines  for  non  work  related  use  of  the  ABS
information technology environment.'
Introduction
1.
This policy sets out the principles and requirements for the appropriate and
inappropriate use of the ABS Information Technology Environment (the IT
Environment). It does not and can not
categorise all possible appropriate
and inappropriate uses of the IT Environment . If staff or managers are unable to
determine whether any particular usage is appropriate, they should seek
advice from the Director of Security and/or People Management and Support Section.
2.
All ABS staff who access the IT Environment must read and comply with this
policy and supervisors must draw it to the attention of staff under their supervision .
3.
This policy is designed to minimise the potential exposure to the ABS from
damage which may result from unauthorised use of ABS resources , including the
loss of sensitive or confidential data,
theft of intellectual property, damage to the
ABS public image, or corruption of critical ABS systems.

10.
Examples of unacceptable use of the IT Environment include (but are
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not limited to):

Any posting of inappropriate comments on a social media site .
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Policy and Legislation : Section 10-11
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v2014/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
24 Jul 2014
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 10. Developing and Conducting
Statistical Collections
Section No. & Title:
11. Administrative and Transactional
Data Policy

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38
Generally, the ABS should not collect data about individuals from the social media. There
are a range of issues with the collection of personal information from social networking
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sites, including the perception of the general public about this type of activity and the
difficulty in providing adequate protections under the Census and Statistics Act 1905.
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.
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Policy and Legislation : Section 08-19
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v 2013/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
10 Mar 2015
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 08. Organisation and Planning
Section No. & Title:
19. Business Continuity

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SUPPORTING POLICY INFORMATION (FAQs)
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21. Yes. The ABS is aware that during and emergency or crisis you will want to communicate with
your family and friends and may use social media. Please note that all participation in social
media must be in line with current policy (see ABS Manual of Personnel Management
08.03.02 Participating in online collaborative workspaces
for more information.)
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FACILITATORSGUIDEFORTHESIGNINGOFTHE
 



  OFFICIALSECRECYANDLEGALOBLIGATIONSACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Overview
Facilitatorinformation:
Thefollowingisaguidetoassistyouinfacilitatingandwitnessingthesigning
of

theOfficialSecrecyandLegalObligations
Acknowledgement.Thisguideincludesreferencestoeachdocument,andprovidesactionsandascript
foryoutoworkthroughwiththenew‐starter.














 
 
 


 

 
 
 








GUIDEPART2–OFFICIALSECRECYANDLEGALOBLIGATIONS


 

 
 

 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 
 






 

 

 

 
 




 



 

 

 




TheCriminalCodeAct1995

TheCriminalCodeActmakesitacriminaloffenceforaCommonwealthofficertouseofficial
informationtodishonestlyobtainabenefit,eitherforthemoranotherperson.AswiththeC&SAct
andtheCrimesAct,thisobligationisforlifeandcontinueswhenanemployeehaslefttheAPS.

UnderthisAct,anyprofitfromtheinappropriatereleaseofCommonwealthinformationmayleadto
criminalchargesrelatingtothefollowing:
  Insidertrading,whichisanoffenceundertheCorporationsAct2001;
  Receivingabribe,orintendingtobribeapublicofficial;
  Abuseofpublicofficetodishonestlyobtainabenefit;
  Dealingintheproceedsofcrime;
  Conspiringwithanotherpersonwiththeintentionofobtainingagain;and

  DishonestlyappropriatingorreceivingpropertybelongingtotheCommonwealth.

Punishmentforsuchbreachesrangefrom12monthsto10yearsimprisonment.

Examples:
  Disclosureofinformation:LeakingorprovidinginformationexternaltotheABSsuchas,
providing/leakinginformationtothemedia,otherbusinessoryourownsocialmedia
sites.Examplesofinformationincludemeetingminutes,agendas,projectdocumentation,
NewsPoints,emails,financialinformation,recordings,presentations,images,newsletters
etc.
 

 
 
.













 

 



 











Knowledge Document: Publishing - Guidelines for posting to ABS Social Media - Ser. . Page 1 of 4
Information Document               Status: Published
Publishing - Guidelines for posting to ABS Social
Media
Summary:
These are the current guidelines for posting to ABS Social
Media.
Detail:
These are the current guidelines for posting to ABS Social
Media:
ABS Facebook,
ABS Twitter, and
ABS Google+.
Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are public spaces on the
Internet and interactions are publicly viewable and
searchable over time.  Authors must act professionally in
these spaces and all content must be reviewed by Corporate
Communications before being posted.
Approvals
Authors should discuss with Corporate
Communications any requests for Social media
content relating to scheduled statistical products
Posts should be created in Web Content Approvals
(WCA) to ensure an audit trail and to facilitate the
formal approval process.
Use of Logo and Appropriateness of Images
Use of the logo and appropriateness of images
selected to accompany the text.  These are
Corporate Communications' to manage as they
reflect on the ABS brand.











Social Media posts/graphics not to include brand
names or names of people, unless previously
agreed.
Contents
Contents to be inclusive, appropriately
acknowledges and respects the diversity of the
audience.
Statistical coherence
Infographics should be branded with the data
source using terms that people are more likely to
use to find them.
Data must be the same in tweets and Facebook
posts and must be consistent with the underlying
publication.
The message in any infographic should be coherent
in and of itself (ie when separated from the
accompanying text).
Accessibility
Social Media content must conform to accessibility
guidelines.
Links to ABS content and Hashtagging
All twitter posts should include a bit.ly link.
Tweets and Facebook posts related to ABS
statistical content must include a bitly link.
Twitter Posts to use hashtags where appropriate.







 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Policy and Legislation : Subsection 16-07-17
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v 2010/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
28 Jun 2011
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 16. Security
Section No. & Title:
07. Security Policy Guidelines
Subsection No. & Title:
17. Guidelines to reduce the risk of
scamming
Guidelines to reduce the risk of scamming

1.
The Information Security Policy states that sensitive/classified information must not
be shared with anyone who is not authorised to have the information. This applies to
requests from both inside and outside the ABS.
2.
Scamming attempts to get around this and there are many ways that an attacker can
take advantage of a business or individuals using scamming methods. These can include -

Emailon-line social networking and friendship sites - These can be used to
exploit people's trust and spread certain types of attacks to gain access to
sensitive information;
4.
The requester may be attempting to acquire release of information that will reveal
passwords, model, details, brand or quality of ABS resources, anything sensitive, internal
extensions of ABS staff and/or personal details about ABS staff.
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5.
How to avoid being scammed

If one or more of the circumstances described above is detected, then the
identity of the requestor MUST be verified before continuing  the conversation
or replying to the email, fax or on-line;

If the identity of the requestor CANNOT  be verified , contact your supervisor
for direction;

If your supervisor cannot be contacted, it is recommended you immediately
stop the conversation or email with the requestor and report the episode to
your supervisor, as soon as practicable;

If the identity of the requestor can not be verified, you may record the contact
details of the requestor and forward these details on to either your supervisor
or the ABS person they were enquiring about;

All suspected instances of  requests for information from unauthorised
individuals must be reported to Security via the Security Incident Reporting
system;

Requests for contact information (for example phone numbers) of ABS staff
from members of the public must not be given out. You must either transfer
the person, direct them to speak to the switchboard who will transfer the call
or alternatively take their details and pass these onto the relevant ABS
person.
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Policy and Legislation : Subsection 16-07-15
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v 2013/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
09 Dec 2014
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 16. Security
Section No. & Title:
07. Security Policy Guidelines
Subsection No. & Title:
15. Information Security Guidelines
Information Security Guidelines
Information Security Policy at a glance
1. Certain official information is critical to the performance of ABS functions and its
misuse could harm the Australian Government, the operations of the ABS, the
community or an individual. This information is sensitive and/or classified and its
confidentiality, integrity and availability must be protected.

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.

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r
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11.
ABS staff must not post FOUO or SENSITIVE or other ABS sensitive
information to external websites without prior approval from the Director of Security
or their delegate. This includes (but is not limited to) web forums, blogs, social
networking sites and all other externally hosted websites.
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i
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What happens if the policy is not followed
34.
Failure to follow ABS security polices may result in a security breach and subsequent
referral to People Management and Support for possible investigation under the ABS
Guidelines for Managing Breaches
of the Code of Conduct.
35.
Security Section do not determine sanctions. These are decided by the delegate
People Management and Support and could include:

dismissal and/or legal action against employees, or

contract termination and/or legal action against contractors and non ongoing
staff.
36.
All security breaches and security incidents must be reported immediately to Security
NB and a security incident report completed in the Security Incident Reporting System
(SIRS) .
Back to contents
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Policy and Legislation : Subsection 16-07-06
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v2013/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
26 Feb 2014
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 16. Security
Section No. & Title:
07. Security Policy Guidelines
Subsection No. & Title:
06. Internet and Email Policy

11.
ABS staff must not post FOUO or SENSITIVE or other ABS sensitive
information to external websites without prior approval from the Director of
Security or their delegate. This includes (but is not limited to) web forums,
blogs, social networking sites and all other externally hosted websites.
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Publishing: Standards and Guidelines : Section 13-08
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü K. Publishing and Dissemination
v 2008/03
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü PubStd - 02. Publishing:
Last Updated:
Standards and Guidelines
26 Mar 2014
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 13. Web content
Section No. & Title:
08. Online collaborative workspaces

I
PURPOSE
Online collaborative workspaces:

facilitate stakeholder consultation instigated by a discussion paper

ensure stakeholder understanding of ABS initiatives

facilitate other forms of collaboration between ABS staff and external experts or users

serve public relations, marketing and/or promotional (PRMP) purposes, encouraging
wide community engagement with an ABS initiative.
Back to top
POLICY
ABS and ABS-hosted online collaborative workspaces (OCWs) are created and maintained
subject to Managing online collaborative workspaces policy, and staff behaviour is guided by
the ABS Manual of Personnel Management policy Participating in online collaborative
workspaces.
Back to top
REQUESTING THE CREATION OF AN OCW
Requests for the creation of an OCW are submitted to the relevant Director using an OCW
application form.
Back to top
DISCLAIMER
All ABS and ABS-hosted OCWs will link to the following disclaimer from each OCW page
and from the registration page.
DISCLAIMER
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, material within this forum does not necessarily reflect the
views of the Commonwealth, nor does it commit the Commonwealth to a particular course of
action.
The Commonwealth accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any material
contained herein and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to
its use.
Links to other websites, which may be inserted for convenience, do not constitute endorsement
of material at those sites, or any associated organisation, product or service.
The listing of a person or organisation in this forum in no way implies any form of endorsement
by the Commonwealth of the products or services provided by that person or organisation.
While this workspace will be monitored for the presence of material contravening the Terms and
conditions of use, with the intention of removing such material, it takes no responsibility for the
postings of non-ABS contributors.
Back to top
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
The following statement must be prominently displayed in each OCW.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
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The following rules apply to the use of this forum. Users are required to agree to comply with
these terms and conditions. To ensure compliance, activities are logged and reviewed by
system administrators.
Inappropriate Use
Users must not make inappropriate use of this workspace. Inappropriate use includes:
 the introduction of any
 information or material not related to the purpose of this facility
 material infringing the
Copyright Act 1968
 material of an offensive nature by normal community standards
 material which may defame, harass, distress or inconvenience any other person, or
 material which brings this service or the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) into
disrepute
 providing access to the service to any person who is not registered.
Action, which may include withdrawal of access, will be taken in regard to inappropriate use of
this facility.
Privacy
Information in this forum directly or indirectly identifying individuals or organisations is subject to
the protections of the ABS Privacy Policy.
Back to top
REGISTERING CONTRIBUTORS
Invitations to register
Where an OCW is established to promote broad community input into a defined project (that
is, one not serving only public relations purpose), links to invitation and registration pages
can be provided from other relevant products such as Theme pages, Newsletters,
Information or Discussion papers or any other appropriate Publications.
In cases where an OCW supports collaboration within a defined and limited community of
experts or users, access is by invitation only. In such instances, managers will direct their
invitees to the relevant, 'hidden' registration page. Such hidden pages will state clearly that
registration is by invitation only. This will make clear their purpose if discovered by other
means (such as through a search).
No registration is required for OCWs serving only PRMP purposes.
Back to top
Manager responsibilities
Managers must scrutinise all applications for registration. Where a client's details are
obviously incorrect, (for example, Suburb: Bankstown, Country: Hawaii), or is otherwise
unsatisfactory, clarification should be sought from the applicant. If this clarification is not
forthcoming, the application must be rejected.
Back to top
Password maintenance
New passwords are assigned in the registration process. Changing them does not require
submission of a new registration request. However, it remains the responsibility of the
manager to carefully check details for these requests to minimise the possibility of third party
misuse.
Back to top
ASSISTING CONTRIBUTORS
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Wherever possible, managers should refer users to existing help documentation. However,
where the assistance required is not covered in standard help documents, it should be
posted in the OCW, rather than delivered through direct email to the individual. This allows
all contributors to profit from the advice.
Back to top
INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL
For OCWs with public readership, the manager may opt for moderation of content to remove
inappropriate material before publication.
In unmoderated OCWs, the manager may delete any document from the workspace,
including incoming email, which:

is unrelated to the workspace purpose

infringes the Copyright Act 1968

is deemed offensive by normal community standards

may defame, harass, distress or inconvenience any other person

brings the Australian Bureau of Statistics into disrepute, or

provides access to the workspace to any person who is not registered.
When deleting inappropriate content, consult Security Escalation Incident Procedures.
Back to top
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ABS Manual of Personnel Management : Subsection 08-03-02
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü E. Human Resources
v 2008/01
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü MPM - 01. ABS Manual of
Last Updated:
Personnel Management
04 Feb 2013
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 08. Conduct and Behaviour
Section No. & Title:
03. Employee responsibilities and
behaviour
Subsection No. & Title:
02. Participating in online
collaborative workspaces
PARTICIPATING IN ONLINE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACES
The ABS encourages staff participation in online collaborative workspaces (OCWs – see
definition of terms in Guidelines below) to support its corporate objectives as outlined in
Managing online collaborative workspaces. It also recognises that staff will participate in private
(that is, non-ABS) facilities of a similar nature.
It is important in both of these contexts to note that, where you are identified as an ABS
officer, your behaviour will reflect on the ABS.
This policy and associated guidelines apply to activities in all OCWs, whether or not they are
provided by the ABS. This policy is binding on all employees.
Policy
1
It is ABS policy that staff participating in online collaborations:
a. when identified as an ABS officer, must conform to the APS code of conduct
b. must not make statements on behalf of the ABS without appropriate delegation
and approval (see Managing online collaborative workspaces)
c. when acting in the course of ABS employment, must also conform to APS values

d. should adhere to the following guidelines.
2
Failure to comply with this policy may lead to the instigation of a conduct investigation
under the ABS guidelines for Managing breaches of the Code of Conduct.
Definition of terms
online collaborative workspace (OCW) An OCW is an electronic workspace for
sharing information in either a public or
private environment and includes: blogs;
wikis; discussion forums; social networking
sites such as Facebook and MySpace;
workgroup databases; etc.
blog A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is
a collection of web pages, usually
maintained by an individual, with regular
entries of commentary, descriptions of
events, or other material.
wiki A wiki is a collection of web pages designed
to enable anyone who accesses it to
contribute or modify content, using a
simplified markup language. Wikis are often
used to create collaborative websites and to
power community websites. The
collaborative encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is one
of the best-known wikis.
ABS-hosted non-ABS OCW An ABS-hosted non-ABS OCW is one that is
hosted on behalf of another body on
websites managed by the ABS, including:
 the main ABS website – includes the
Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL)
and ABS forums
 Australian Statistics Advisory Council
(ASAC) website which the ABS
maintains on behalf of ASAC
 Ottawa Group site which the ABS
maintains on their behalf.
Guidelines
Disclaimer
3
Although each ABS OCW and ABS-hosted non-ABS OCW will prominently display
this Disclaimer, if confusion is at all possible – that is, you have been, or may reasonably
expect to become, identified as an ABS officer and you are not officially posting as such but
are commenting on ABS core business (statistics) – clearly indicate that your postings don't
necessarily represent ABS positions. This applies to all OCWs, whether they are ABS-hosted
or not.
4
For further guidance, consider these examples:
a. if you are hosting a blog related to, or touching on, ABS core business and you
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are known in the statistics community, you will need to include a disclaimer
stating that your views don't necessarily reflect those of the ABS
b. if you are hosting a blog on scrapbooking, a disclaimer would not be necessary
c. if you are hosting a blog on genealogy and discuss ABS retention of census
forms, you would need to include a disclaimer if you are identified as an ABS
employee
d. if you are contributing to an ABS-hosted discussion forum, are not representing
the ABS and are identified as an ABS employee, each posting would need to
include a disclaimer.
Copyright
5
When identified as an ABS officer, properly acknowledge the work of others, and
provide links to their work wherever possible and appropriate.
Privacy
6
When identified as an ABS officer, respect the privacy of others.
7
Be aware that exposing certain of your own details (for example: email, postal or
residential addresses; phone numbers; credit card or bank account details) may open you to
spam and other forms of unsolicited attention.
Respect
8
When identified as an ABS officer, show respect for all other participants in online
collaborations. Should you disagree with them, phrase your arguments sensitively, ensuring
they are supported by evidence. Do not insult or denigrate anyone or any organisation,
whether they are participating in the collaboration or not. Follow ABS Guidelines for the use
of non-discriminatory language.
Corrections
9
When officially posting as an ABS officer, openly and promptly correct any errors you
might have made in your postings. So readers are able to be fully aware of your corrections:
a. provide a separate statement that an error has been made, indicating the
posting/information in error
b. give the correct information
c. annotate the posting in error and give the correct information if appropriate.
10
However, do not go back and edit the original posting as this may mislead.
Communication
11
When officially representing the ABS, communications within online discussion
facilities should be guided by ABS corporate communications policy.
Using ABS IT environment
12
When participating in an OCW using the ABS computing environment and not
officially representing the ABS, staff must also adhere to the Guidelines for non work related
use of the ABS information technology environment.
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Policy and Legislation : Section 11-06
Header
Final
Manual Category
Ü B. Policy and Legislation
v 2013/03
Manual ID - No & Title:
Ü Policy - Policy and Legislation
Last Updated:
02 Oct 2013
Chapter No. & Title:
Ü 11. Information Management
Section No. & Title:
06. Managing Online Collaborative
Workspaces
NOTE: Care must be taken when using this policy, information contained the policy may be out dated.
For further information & advice please contact the policy custodian.
MANAGING ONLINE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACES
PURPOSE
1
The ABS creates, maintains and operates a range of external online collaborative workspaces
(blogs, wikis, discussion fora, et cetera) to support the objectives of the ABS Corporate Plan.
Such workspaces may be established to:
a. facilitate stakeholder consultation instigated by a discussion paper
b. ensure stakeholder understanding of ABS initiatives
c. facilitate other forms of collaboration between ABS staff and external experts or users

d. serve public relations, marketing and/or promotional (PRMP) purposes, encouraging
wide community engagement with an ABS initiative.
2
Online collaborative workspaces (OCWs) support these activities by providing a secure
environment with appropriate functionality and access control. They enable the effective and
efficient management of content surrounding projects or business initiatives directly related
to the ABS work program. Such facilities are ABS-branded services.
3
They do not supplant Explanatory material as a means of helping users understand and use
ABS information.
4
The ABS also supports similar, non-ABS facilities devoted to issues indirectly related to the ABS
work program. Examples include a facility supporting international discussions on input data
techniques and a forum supporting discussion of general statistical issues, both hosted on ABS
servers.
5
Participation in all ABS and ABS-hosted OCWs, other than those serving only PRMP purposes,
will be restricted to approved and registered contributors.
POLICY
6
It is ABS policy:
a.
to create, maintain and operate OCWs to support its corporate objectives
b.
to host non-ABS OCWs where they serve purposes appropriately related to the ABS
work program
c.
that the operation of its OCWs, and those which it hosts, must not risk this
organisation's reputation.
7
Online collaborative workspaces are subject to the provisions of ABS websites policy.
DELEGATION & APPROVAL
8
Requests for the creation of new OCWs are subject to Security Section approval.
9
The release of a new OCW to the ABS web environment must be approved by the ABS
webmaster (FAS ICDSD), at the request of a the relevant Director or above.
10
OCW managers or the line management Director may approve a request for registration to
restricted access OCWs (see sample invitition and registration pages) from ABS staff, and from
external stakeholders.
11
Approval for the delegation to officially represent the ABS in an OCW must be granted by the
relevant Assistant Statistician (AS). Generally, such delegation will be granted only to the OCW
managers.
12
All statements representing an ABS official position in a OCW (by the manager/delegate) are
subject to the provisions of Release approvals policy.
RULES
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Content management
13
Each ABS-managed OCW must be assigned a minimum of two managers who will:
a. actively and responsibly ensure all ABS staff behave in such facilities as instructed in
Participating in online collaborative workspaces policy
b. ensure no statements inappropriately purport to represent an ABS official position, and
officially counter or remove such statements as required
c. monitor postings and remove any offensive material or content endangering the ABS
reputation, regardless of its authorship
d. withdraw or terminate a registered contributor's access if they breach our Terms  and
conditions of use
e. withdraw provision of the discussion workspace itself if breaches of this policy are
considered sufficiently widespread
f. withdraw provision of the collaborative workspace where it no longer serves a valid
purpose (subject to the Records management and Lifecycle rules below).
14
Where the manager opts for a moderated OCW, inappropriate material must be removed
before publication.
Registration
15
Contribution to ABS and ABS-hosted facilities, other than those exclusively devoted to PRMP
purposes, will be restricted to authorised users. Access will be granted to relevant ABS staff
and external applicants only with manager approval.
Records management
16
The content of ABS OCWs must be managed in accordance with Data retention and
recordkeeping policies, typically those relating to General business records. The content of
ABS-hosted OCWs may also be treated in this manner, although in some circumstances the
content may be transferred to another body on cessation of the forum.
Lifecycle
17
Provision of each OCW will be withdrawn when the line management Director is satisfied that
it is no longer required (for example, for external stakeholder reference purposes) and/or no
longer serves a valid ABS purpose.
Platforms
18
ABS and ABS-hosted OCWs will use software platforms:
a. best meeting contributor needs
b. permitting efficient and appropriate recordkeeping.
STANDARDS
19
For further detail on the operation of OCWs, see Online collaborative workspace standards.
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