healthlinks.net Privacy Policy

In this policy the words ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’ mean healthlinks.net Pty Limited (ACN 090 249 960).

Introduction to privacy

We are committed to the right to privacy and the protection of personal information in accordance with the law. We abide by the relevant National Privacy Principles as described in the Privacy Act 1988 and all other applicable data protection laws in dealing with personal information provided to us.

What is personal information?

Personal information is information or an opinion that can identify an individual.

About our privacy policy

This privacy policy outlines how we manage personal information. It describes the sorts of information we collect and why, as well as how that information is held, used and disclosed. We encourage you to check our website regularly for any updates (see 'Further information' below).

Dealing with us anonymously

Where it is lawful and practicable to do so, you may deal with us anonymously (for example, when providing us with feedback or enquiring about our products or services generally).

Whose personal information do we collect?

We collect personal information from persons including:

• our customers;
• health professionals;
• business contacts;
• employees; and
• contractors.

Collecting personal information

If you enquire about our products or services. acquire a product or service from us or contract with us to help us deliver our products and services, we will collect and hold your personal information so that we can:

• Respond to your enquires;
• provide the services you require;
• administer and manage those services, including charging, billing and collecting debts;
• inform you of the ways the services we provide to you could be improved;
• conduct appropriate checks for credit worthiness;
• research and develop our services;
• gain an understanding of your service needs so we may provide you with better service;
• administer and manage our business; and
• maintain and develop our business systems and infrastructure, including testing and upgrading these systems.

What personal information do we collect?

The information collected may include your:

• name;
• occupation;
• current and previous address (postal and email);
• telephone number;
• financial details; and
• with your consent, any other information that we consider necessary.

Collecting sensitive information

Except in the unlikely event that we are required to do so by law, we will not collect information that reveals your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs or affiliations, membership of a political trade union, details of your health, disability, sexual orientation or criminal record without your express consent.

How do we collect personal information?

We will, where reasonable and practicable to do so, collect personal information directly from you. This may take place when you fill out documents such as an application form or an administrative form or when you give us personal information in person, over the telephone or through our website. In certain circumstances, we may collect personal information from third parties. For example, we may need to collect personal information from:

• a credit reporting agency;
• an individual's representatives (e.g., authorised representatives or legal advisers);
• an individual's employer;
• publicly available sources of information; or
• other organisations identified below (see 'Disclosing personal information' below).

Disclosing personal information

In keeping with modern business practices and to meet your specific needs, we may disclose personal information to the following organisations:

• outsourced service providers who manage the services we provide (for example, mailing services, billing and debt recovery functions and marketing services);
• credit reporting agencies;
• our advisers (including our accountants, auditors and lawyers);
• government and regulatory authorities and other organisations, as required or authorised by law;
• organisations involved in marketing our products and services;
• organisations jointly participating in, or assisting us to manage, a promotion, event, seminar or competition;
• organisations involved in a transfer or sale or our assets or business;
• organisations involved in managing our corporate risk; and
• our related companies (see ‘Sharing information within the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’ below).

We may also disclose your personal information to your representatives (for example, your authorised personal representatives or your legal advisers).

PLEASE NOTE: If you sign up to our secure Data Warehouse service, your name and contact details may be disclosed to the following third parties, some of whom may be located overseas:

• existing and prospective pharmaceutical sponsors who contribute information to the Data Warehouse;
• existing and prospective users of the Data Warehouse and associated information services including government agencies; or
• potential purchasers, or successors, of our business comprising the operation and administration of the Data Warehouse and associated information management services.

Unless you tell us otherwise (see 'Contacting us' below), we assume that we have your consent to provide your personal information to the above organisations for the purposes described in the ‘Collecting personal information’ section above.

Sharing information within the Pharmacy Guild of Australia

We are a subsidiary of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. To provide services to you, it may be necessary for us to provide your personal information to another company within the Pharmacy Guild of Australia group. If this happens, the company receiving your personal information will comply with this privacy policy and will only use the information to ensure that we can provide the relevant services to you.

Consequences of not providing personal information

Failing to provide us with certain personal information means that, potentially, we may not be able to provide the relevant service to you.

Marketing our products and services

We will obtain your consent before we use or disclose your personal information for the purposes of informing you about:

• our products and services that may be of interest to you and suit your requirements; and
• promotions or other opportunities in which you may be interested.

Storing personal information

We store personal information in different ways, including in paper and electronic form. The security of personal information is important to us and we take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse or loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Some of the ways we do this include:

• requiring our staff to maintain confidentiality;
• implementing document storage security policies;
• imposing security measures for access to our computer systems (see 'Privacy on the internet' below);
• providing a discrete environment for confidential discussions;
• only allowing access to personal information where the individual seeking access has satisfied our identification requirements; and
• ensuring there is access control into our buildings.

Privacy on the internet

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information given to us through our website is protected from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Keeping personal information accurate and up to date

We take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the personal information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. However, the accuracy of that information largely depends on the quality of the information you provide to us. We therefore suggest that you:

• let us know if there are any errors in your personal information; and
• keep us up to date with changes to you personal information (for example, your name and address).

You may do this by mail or email (see 'Contacting us' below).

Accessing personal information

You have a right to access you personal information, subject to some exceptions allowed by law. You can contact us to obtain a form to request access (see 'Contacting us' below). We may charge a fee for collating and providing access to personal information.

Complaints

If you believe that we have breached your privacy rights in any way or wish to discuss any issues about our privacy policy you should contact our Chief Executive Officer (see 'Contacting us' below). We will try to satisfy any questions and correct any errors on our part. If we do not satisfactorily answer your concerns, you have the right to make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner on telephone number 1300 363 992 or in writing to:
        GPO Box 5218
        Sydney NSW 2001

Contacting us

You may ask any questions about privacy and the way we manage personal information or obtain a form requesting access to personal information by:

• writing to our Chief Executive Officer at P.O. Box 6593, Silverwater NSW 2128 or
• emailing us at contact@healthlinks.net.au

Further information

For further information about us and how we operate, please refer to our website www.healthlinks.net.au. If you would like more information about privacy in general, please refer to the Privacy Commissioner's website: www.privacy.gov.au