Telstra denies keeping secret staff dossiers

CANBERRA - Telstra has rejected claims it keeps secret staff dossiers filled with information including employees' sexual preferences and religious beliefs.

However, the telco giant has admitted that it does record personnel information about staff when details come to light during investigations about alleged misconduct.

Telstra was forced yesterday to reassure its 40,000 staff that it was not behaving like Big Brother and recording secret information about all of them.

The move was sparked by a newspaper report which claimed Telstra had authorised in-house investigators to spy on staff by monitoring their email, phone and internet records.

Staff using toilets, showers, changing rooms and locker rooms could also be monitored, The Australian said.

The newspaper claimed staff monitoring could go ahead if a staff member was believed to have breached their employment contract, damaged Telstra or been suspected of criminal activity.

But in a note posted on Telstra's intranet website, company secretary Douglas Gration denied any secret dossiers were kept about staff.

"I want to assure Telstra people that secret dossiers are not kept and Telstra does not seek to collect information on employees' sexual preferences, religious affiliations, philosophical beliefs or information of a similar sensitive nature," Mr Gration wrote.

However, Mr Gration said Telstra did keep sensitive details on file if they were revealed during an investigation of a staff member.

"If in the course of investigating serious misconduct, Telstra inadvertently becomes aware of sensitive personal information of that nature, the information remains confidential and is not used unless required by law," he said.

"Finally, let me assure you that Telstra does not conduct surveillance or monitoring of its people in changing rooms and bathrooms."

A Telstra spokeswoman added that if personal information about a staff member was revealed during a misconduct investigation, the company was obliged under the federal privacy act to keep it confidential.

"We have no need to access that personal information of that nature," she said.

"The only exceptions would be if we are required to by law."

The controversy broke as Communications Minister Helen Coonan revealed she would introduce legislation to parliament next week paving the way for Telstra's sale.

The government can push ahead with selling its remaining 51.8 per cent shareholding in Telstra now that it has won support from the Nationals, including rebel Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce.

Senator Coonan said although there was still a long way to go in terms of regulatory changes, the Telstra legislation would start being introduced to parliament next week.

"I think there's about five pieces of legislation, some of them involve appropriation bills, and that will probably see some bills being introduced in the House and the sale bill and perhaps some other parts of the package being debated in the Senate," she told the National Press Club.

"It will be likely to be introduced next week, certainly not Monday, but probably later next week."

- AAP