Ethics approval must be sought for research involving human participants.
Human research in a social science context is conducted with or about people and their data. This may involve conducting surveys, interviews, focus groups, and accessing personal information. The principle point of reference for researchers and the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) is the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC's) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. The primary purpose of the National Statement is the protection of the welfare and rights of participants in research. It is binding on all institutions and organisations that receive research funding from the Australian government.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to consider the ethical issues their research proposal presents and to seek the necessary approval.
If you are not a student at a higher education institution it may not be possible to secure ethics approval