Privacy Policy
Thank you for accessing our Privacy Policy and this Collection Notice.
We are Michelle Boyall Speech Pathology (ABN 23 052 934 378).
What, specifically, are this Policy and Notice about?
Your privacy is important to us.
In this Policy and Notice, we explain:
the kinds of personal information that we collect and hold, including recorded audio and visual materials;
why we hold this information;
who will have access to this information;
how we ensure that information is secure;
how we use the information;
how you can access and amend information held about you; and
how to make a complaint if you feel that we have breached our privacy obligations to you.
We have several obligations to you under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)(including the Australian Privacy Principles)(the Privacy Laws). This Policy and Notice are intended to reflect our obligations under the Privacy Laws as well as under the NDIS Code
Copies of this Policy and Notice are available on our website and you may request a portable document format (pdf) copy by way of email to us at: hello@michelleboyall.com.au or via our online enquiry form at: www.michelleboyall.com.au
When we refer to “clients” or “you” below, we mean both former and current clients, as well as people who make enquires about our products and services (e.g. potential clients).
What kinds of personal information do we collect and hold?
In this Policy and Notice, “personal information” means information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained. To provide our services to clients, we need to know personal information about them and others, including:
names, ages, dates of birth, genders, and other identifying information;
Medicare and health fund details (including Medicare numbers and health fund insurers and the extent of their coverage);
developmental, medical, language, cultural and social histories (including medications, diagnoses, surgeries, and allergies);
details about disabilities, impairments, challenges, barriers and facilitators;
family histories, to the extend that they may be relevant to our services;
work and education histories;
hobbies, motivations, interests, and activities in which clients and their families like to participate;
financial information concerning the ability of clients to pay for our products and services;
details related to the NDIS, including details of negotiations, assessments, plans and packages; and
call records, wireless locations, and unique web browser details (when you use our products and services, including online services)
For sensitive information – such as information about your health that is reasonably necessary for us to provide you with services and products – we will seek your informed consent.
How do we collect personal information?
We may collect personal information about you in several ways, including:
by telephone (e.g. when you first call us to book an appointment);
via our website
via pages on our social media sites (e.g. Instagram, Facebook)
through our client questionnaires and background information forms
by written letters, reports and other documents (e.g. through reports you provide to us)
through emails, SMS and other forms of electronic communication;
in interviews and other interactions with you (including face-to-face interviews and interviews conducted electronically, such as by way of Zoom or other means); and
by taking notes and making recordings of our interactions with you (including audio and visual recordings).
When we ask for your consent to use your personal information, we will ensure that consent in opt-in, affirmative and freely given. At any time, you have the ability to withdraw consent by contacting us to tell us that you are withdrawing consent.
Who do we collect personal information from?
We collect personal information from clients, or someone authorised to act on the behalf of clients (e.g. their parents, carers or guardians). Wherever practicable, we will ask for the information directly. However, we may need to contact others when relevant to a client’s circumstances (e.g. when working with clients who cannot communicate their needs without the assistance of others). In these cases, we will, when practicable, make you aware of the fact that we have collected this information and the circumstances of collection.
When you give us information about other people, we reply on you to have obtained their prior consent and tell them of the types of third parties we may provide the information to and why.
Why do we collect personal information?
We collect personal information to deliver, review and improve the products and services that we provide. Generally, these services and products relate to speech pathology. If we didn’t collect this information, we wouldn’t be able to carry out our business or provide our products and services to you in accordance with the standards required by law, the NDIS Code or Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics. If you do not provide the personal information that we request, we would not be able to carry out our business and provide products and services to you.
More specifically, we need personal information (including health information) to provide clients with assessment, diagnosis and therapy related to their speech, language, literacy, social communication and feeding. We also need this information:
for administrative purposes of managing our business;
when necessary, to fulfil our obligations under law, regulation, the NDIS Code and/or Speech Pathology Australia’s Code of Ethics;
for billing managed (either directly or through insurers or other compensation agencies)
for discussions and other communications with your doctors and other health and educational professionals related to your care;
for discussions with insures (including the NDIS and its agents); and
for any insurance or compensation or other claims or litigation (including threatened litigation)
From time to time, we may use personal information (but not sensitive health information) to provide you with news or offers about our products and services that may be of interest to you. We will ensure that your consent to receive this type of communication from us in opt-in, affirmative and freely given. These products and services will be related to our services described above and will be products and services that we believe will be relevant to you.
You have a right, at any time, to tell us that you don’t want to receive this type of material.
Can people access our products and services anonymously?
No. Due to the nature of our services and products, we cannot offer them to people who wish to be anonymous, wish to use a pseudonym or who do not produce us with enough information to properly identify them for the purposes of providing services and products.
Who will see or have access to your personal information?
Your information may be seen or used by working for or on behalf of Michelle Boyall Speech Pathology and other services providers including (without limitation):
our directors and owners
our professional workers (employed or contracted);
our administrative staff (employed or contracted);
our third-party professional advisors and service providers including (without limitation) our lawyers, bookkeepers, accountants, auditors, tax consultations, actuaries, management consultants and IT service providers (including software-as-a-service providers);
Medicare, private health insurance providers, our insurers, and reinsurers; and
The National Disability Insurance Agency and its agents.
We will not rent, sell, trade or otherwise disclose to any other third parties any personal information about you without your consent, or unless we are required to by law (including pursuant to a court or tribunal order), or where a permitted general situation (including a permitted health situation) exists within the meaning of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), or if we reasonably believe disclosure of necessary for enforcement-related activities.
Security of your personal information and data retention
We know that you are concerned about your personal information – especially your health information. We will use reasonable endeavours to prevent unauthorised access to, modification of, disclosure, misuse, or loss of that information, except as required by law (e.g. under mandatory reporting laws, and our obligations to report incidents of violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse, and sexual misconduct to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and the police).
Our directors and staff have reviewed the requirements of the Privacy Laws and our third-party service providers are aware that they are required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
If we no longer need personal information about you for any purpose described above, then we will take reasonable steps to destroy the information or to ensure that such information is deidentified. This obligation is subject to an important exception – we may be required to retain some information (e.g. health, financial or tax records) to comply with our statutory and other legal obligations.
Access to and accuracy of your personal information
We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information we collect about you or from you is accurate, complete, up-to-date and relevant whenever it is used, collected or disclosed.
Subject to the recognised exceptions to access for organisations contained in the Australian Privacy Principles (APP 12.3), you have a right to access information you wish (subject to any privilege or legal restrictions); and, if it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will give you access to the information in the manner requested by you. By law, we may charge you a reasonable fee to cover the cost of retrieving and processing the information.
If you believe personal information that we hold about you is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete or misleading, we will, on receipt of your request, take steps that are reasonable in the circumstances to correct the information.
Information about newsletters and updates
If you have signed up or otherwise agreed to receive newsletters, emails, or other service updates from us, we will use your contact data (including name and email) to provide those services to you. We tailor information provided to you, we will look at user statistics and preferences. These activities are for marketing and business development purposes.
Information about webinars, seminars and courses
We may offer webinars, seminars and training courses on a range of topics to you and others in the course of our business relationship. These are part of our business and business development efforts. If you sign up to a seminar, webinar, or course, we will process your registration data (including your name and email address) to administer access and to prepare and present the webinar, seminar or course (as the case may be). We will also use your registration data for the purpose of our business development.
Information about social media plug-ins
To improve the quality of our services to clients, our website includes social media plug-ins of the large social media networks, including Instagram and Facebook. Upon opening a website on which a social media plug-in is embedded, the social network provider will collect and process information on your visit to our website for its own business purposes. This is not initiated or controlled by us, but is a built-in feature of most social media plug-ins. For further information about these plug-ins and privacy, refer to the social media platform’s privacy policy.
Information about cookies
Our websites use cookies to enable, optimise and analyse site operations, as well as to provide content and to allow you to connect on social media. Cookies are small text tiles that are stored on your computer’s browser directory or program data subfolders when you visit our website. They are stories on your computer for the duration of your visit or for when you re-visit our website at a later time. They allow our website to store or access information from your browser about you, your settings and your device. They are used mainly to ensure our website works well and, as a rule, do not contain information that could identify you directly. You can find out more about cookies via:
www.allaboutcookies.org
When you first click on our website, you will get a message that says something like:
“This website uses cookies to enable, optimise and analyse site operations, as well as to provide personalised context and to allow you to connect to social media. By clicking “I agree” you consent to the use of cookies for non-essential functions and the related use of personal data”.
Complaints and asserting your privacy rights
If you believe your privacy has been prejudiced by something we have done or failed to do, you have a legal right to lodge a complaint. If you make a complaint to use, we will treat it very seriously, and will respond following our Client Feedback and Complaints Policy.
Contact details:
Michelle Boyall Speech Pathology
0411 851 937
PO Box 3298 Hermit Park QLD 4812.
We will respond to you in writing within 15 days of receiving your complaint. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, who is the competent supervisory authority.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
1300363992
https://www.oaic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/
A breach of privacy by a health care professional may also be a breach of their professional code of conduct or code of ethics.
As noted above, you have several statutory rights under privacy laws, including rights to information, access, rectification and the withdrawal of your consent to the collection and use of personal information. If you wish to assert any of these rights, please contact Michelle Boyall Speech Pathology using the contact details included above.
Want more information?
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or this Collection Notice, or have any concerns about the personal information you or others have given us about you, please contact us via the contact details below.
Michelle Boyall Speech Pathology
0411 851 937
PO Box 3298 Hermit Park QLD 4812
More information on the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) can be found on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/
This Privacy Policy and Collection Notice are in addition to, and do not relieve, remove or replace our rights and responsibilities under applicable laws. If there is a conflict between this Privacy Policy and this Collection Notice, on the one hand, and an applicable law, on the other hand, the law shall prevail to the extent of any conflict.