COOLAMON SHIRE COUNCIL
ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL) & INTERNET POLICY
1. OBJECTIVE
To provide procedures that must be followed for the use of Council’s electronic mail (email) and Internet usage, and establish procedures for the creation, retention, management and disposal of email.
2. ELIGIBILITY
This Policy applies to all employees of the Coolamon Shire Council.
3. GENERAL
Council’s electronic mail (email) system provides a convenient and effective means of communication between departments, sections, workgroups, and individual staff in Council. The additional capability of using the Internet for external Email extends this convenience to any other group or organisation with an Internet mail address.
Employees are expected to use Email as a regular part of their duties and should respond to Email on a timely basis.
Email messages and their attachments are corporate records if they serve to document Council’s business and activities and need to be retained as evidence of those actions.
Corporate records also include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Working papers detailing development of reports and documents
· Final versions of reports
· Policy documents and statements
· Formal minutes of Council Committees
· Formal communications between Council Officers
· Formal communications between Council Officers and external agencies, organisations or individuals.
3. LEGAL ISSUES
For legal purposes, Email has the same standing in court as paper documents. The laws of copyright, libel, discrimination and trafficking in prohibited goods/services (to name a few examples) can be applied to Email and/or its attachments. Care should therefore be taken at all times to ensure that Email messages contain nothing that could bring Council into disrepute or subject to legal action.
Council policy is not to restrict the use of Email to strictly business purposes, neither is it intended to censor Email. The onus is on the user to ensure proper use of the Email system, in accordance with the code of conduct.
The use of the Internet or external email for private purposes whilst not prohibited, is only to be accessed with the expressed permission of the Executive Manager – Corporate & Community Services.
Do not post any information in Email or any attachment, or any other intellectual property protected by copyright or patent law unless permission has been expressly and officially provided.
4. PRIVACY & SECURITY
Personal information such as staff appraisals, personal notes or job applications, which may be contained in Email messages, requires particular care in respect of its use, disclosure, retention and destruction. As a rule, messages of a personal or sensitive nature should be minimised, and the need for retention of such messages in electronic form carefully considered.
Messages may also continue to exist long after the sender has deleted them. Deletion eliminates the message or file name from your computer directory, but the information itself exists in the backup system until it has been overwritten.
Staff are reminded the use of Email for any purpose does not assure confidentiality and privacy.
Email systems should not be assumed to be secure. Staff must be aware of the potential risks involved in sending confidential or sensitive information by Email.
Extreme care should be exercised in the receipt of external Email that contains executable files as attachments. This is a prime method of computer virus transmission.
5. MORAL ISSUES
Staff should not knowingly include obscene or indecent material in any Email, nor link or point to a location that distributes such material either by email or via the Internet. Council staff must always act in a manner that is consistent with Council’s Code of Conduct and will not bring Council into disrepute.
6. HOUSEKEEPING
The various Email are kept within a user’s mailbox, personal folders or public folders. It is the responsibility of the user to manage his/her documents in these various folders.
Staff are reminded that Email in the SENT ITEMS folder is retained by the system and fills up disk space. The user needs to occasionally delete these messages.
7. RECORD KEEPING
Staff should ensure when any work is undertaken on a file by either email or conversation or text, a copy of all such communication is placed on the respective file. Emails should be recorded by either copying of the email to Executive Assistants for filing or by individual people printing a copy of the email attaching the file name and submitting it to the Executive Assistants for filing. In respect of telephone conversations and or text messaging a file note should be prepared and passed to the Executive Assistants with the appropriate file number.
8. INTERNET USAGE & AGREEMENT
Authority for personnel to access to the internet must be obtained from the relevant Supervisor.
Staff must comply with all applicable laws and regulations and must respect the legal protection provided by copyright and licenses with respect to both programs and data.
Internet usage must be able to survive public scrutiny and/or disclosure. Staff must avoid accessing sites that may bring the Council into disrepute, such as those which carry offensive material. Sensitive information must not be transmitted via or exposed to Internet access. Staff must not attempt to obscure the origin of any message or download material under an assumed Internet address.
Employees may use Internet services for personal use and improvement, provided that such use is consistent with professional conduct and is not used for personal financial gain. Eg. Establishing private web browser and gaining financially through subscription.
The Manager – Corporate & Community Services must ensure that all staff sign an Internet Usage Agreement (Attachment 1) before access is allowed.
9. PUBLIC LIBRARY – INTERNET ACCESS AGREEMENT
Attachment 2
REVIEW
This policy may be reviewed at any time but unless otherwise requested at least every two (2) years from date of adoption
Version 4 Adopted:
Version 3 Adopted: Council Meeting held 16 December 2008 (Minute No.359 /12/2008)
Version 2 Adopted: Council Meeting held 20 September, 2007 (Minute No. 300/9/2007)
Version 1 Adopted Council Meeting held 19 August 2004 (Minute No. 277/8/2004)
Coolamon Shire Council
Electronic Mail (E-mail) & Internet Policy 3
INTERNET AGREEMENT
I, ______acknowledge that I am being granted Internet access using Council facilities in order to carry out my work and agree that my use of the Internet will be conducted in an ethical and professional manner.
I agree that I will not use this access for personal use without the express permission of the Executive Manager – Corporate & Community Services. I also agree that personal use will not include inappropriate behaviour such as: access to or downloading from offensive sites; personal (non work-related) postings to Internet forums such as Newsgroups or Listservers; or activities for personal financial gain.
I understand that my use of the Internet is identifiable by others as a Council activity and acknowledge that it is my responsibility to ensure that my usage does not contravene any laws or regulations, including copyright and licensing issues and laws respecting obscene and discriminatory material. I agree that I will not transmit sensitive material via the Internet.
I understand that my usage of both browsing and email functions will be monitored without further warning and that inappropriate usage may be cause for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, or cancellation of contract.
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Signed Witness
______
Date
Coolamon Shire Council
Electronic Mail (E-mail) & Internet Policy 3
INTERNET AGREEMENT
I, ……………………………………………………...agree to comply with the Library Regulations as outlined below:-
1. Persons under the age of 18 years cannot access the Internet without the express permission of a parent or guardian, or unless they attend the library as part of a school class.
2. Coolamon Shire Council will not be held responsible for the use of information obtained from the Internet and the manner in which a person may use it.
3. Coolamon Shire does not take responsibility for technical problems in accessing sites on the Internet as it is beyond our control.
4. While Council staff are happy to provide advice to users, their time is limited and can only be provided when time permits.
5. Council respects your right to privacy while using the Internet, however, you are requested to consider general office conditions using the library generally. Sites that contain material which is considered offensive or inappropriate shall be avoided.
6. Failure to use the Internet appropriately and responsibly, as per this agreement, may result in the revocation of Internet use privileges.
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Signature Date
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Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature Date
OFFICE USE ONLY
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Date Booked Time Signature of Council Officer
Coolamon Shire Council
Electronic Mail (E-mail) & Internet Policy 3