Privacy Statement

Thorne Harbour Health takes privacy seriously. The organisation is committed to protecting personal, health and sensitive information and handling it in line with Australian and state privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Information Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), and other laws and standards that apply to its services. 

What information is collected

Thorne Harbour Health may collect personal information such as names, contact details and service information, as well as health and other sensitive information where this is needed to provide services or meet legal obligations. 

Where possible, information is collected directly from the person concerned and with their knowledge. Thorne Harbour Health explains why information is being collected, how it will be used, and who it may be shared with. 

How information is used

Information is used to provide care and support, respond to enquiries, improve services, meet reporting and funding requirements, and carry out quality, audit, evaluation and related organisational activities.

Thorne Harbour Health will only use or share personal information for the purpose it was collected, for a directly related purpose a person would reasonably expect, with consent, or where the law allows or requires it. 

This may include sharing information where needed to prevent or lessen a serious threat to a person’s life, health or safety, where de-identified information sharing is authorised to assess or manage family violence risk, or where reporting is required to government departments, regulators, funders or oversight bodies. Thorne Harbour Health may use aggregated or de-identified information for service improvement, planning, reporting and research activities. Website and social media analytics may also be collected to understand trends in how online services are used, but not to identify individual users. 

Keeping information safe

Thorne Harbour Health stores information securely and takes reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Information is kept only for as long as required by law, funding agreements and operational needs, and is then securely destroyed or de-identified. Most information is stored in Australia. If an overseas service provider is used, steps are taken to ensure appropriate privacy protections apply. 

Access and correction

You can ask to access the personal or health information Thorne Harbour Health holds about you, and you can ask for corrections if you believe the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. Requests can be made by contacting Thorne Harbour Health or by using the Request to Access Client Care Records form.  

Data breaches

If Thorne Harbour Health becomes aware of a serious data breach that is likely to cause harm, it will respond in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme and other applicable legal and contractual requirements. This may include notifying affected individuals, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and relevant government departments or regulators. 

Questions or complaints

If you have a question or concern about privacy or confidentiality, or you believe your privacy has been breached, please contact Thorne Harbour Health’s Privacy Officer through the contact details on the Thorne Harbour website (www.thorneharbour.org/contact) or by calling +61 3 9865 6700 or 1800 134 840. 

You may also refer your query or make a complaint to the following external bodies: 

Health Complaints Commissioner

Tel: 1300 582 113 / Online: https://hcc.vic.gov.au / Visit: 26th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 

NDIS Commission

Tel: 1800 035 544 / Online: www.ndiscommission.gov.au / Visit: 913 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128  

Australian Information Commissioner

Tel: 1300 363 992 / Online: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints / Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au / Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001 

Victorian Information Commissioner

Tel: 1300 006 842 / Online: www.cpdp.vic.gov.au / E mail: privacy@cpdp.vic.gov.au / Post: PO Box 24274, Melbourne VIC 3001