Privacy Policy

Hear Again Audiology is committed to providing quality services to you and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your Personal Information.

We have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The NPPs govern the way in which we collect, use, disclose, store, secure and dispose of your Personal Information.

A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at https://www.oaic.gov.au/.

What is Personal Information and why do we collect it?

To help us provide the best possible customer service, we may collect the following “Personal Information” from you:

· Your contact details including, but not limited to; your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address.

We may also require additional information specifically in relation to your appointment such as:

· A serial number of hearing devices or similar, health fund details, Medicare number, any relevant details from government agencies (i.e. Centrelink, Department of Veterans Affairs, Workcover).

To assist you with getting the most out of your appointment, we may need to gather further personal health information including, but not limited to:

· Past and present health conditions, previous hearing test results, diagnostic images of the ear and any other audiological records, prescribed medication, hearing prescriptions and any other health information provided by you or your healthcare provider;

· information about your circumstances including employment status and history, cultural and linguistic background, and family circumstances.

· information about your family and other related people such as partners, children and carers.

Information provided to us by you when making enquiries via our website or social media platforms will also be recorded. This includes:

· Information about your visit to our website, details provided in forms you complete on our website, and any other information you have voluntarily shared with us.

· any information we are required to collect as part of our legal and regulatory obligations, including without limitation, information under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Laws as enacted in each state and territory of Australia and the Hearing Services Program via the Australian Government.

This Personal Information is obtained in many ways including interviews, correspondence, by phone, by email, via our website www.hearagain.com.au, from our social media accounts, from the Hearing Services Portal, from media and publications, from other publicly available sources, from cookies and from third parties. We don’t guarantee website links or the policy of authorised third parties.

We collect your Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing our services to you, providing information to our clients and marketing. We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure. You may unsubscribe from our mailing/marketing lists at any time by contacting us in writing.

When we collect Personal Information, we will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.

Sensitive Information

Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act to include information or opinion about such things as an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or health information. 

We may include information or an opinion about your hearing and health condition and history.

Sensitive information will be used by us only:

· For the primary purpose for which it was obtained

· For a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose

· With your consent; or where required or authorised by law.

How do we use your Personal Information?

We may use your Personal Information solely as outlined in this Privacy Policy. This includes providing you with our services, products, and information; performing analyses and statistics to enhance our products and services; and as required or permitted by law, or to support any legal or criminal investigations.

We may share an anonymized version of your contact details (to safeguard your privacy) with third parties, such as social media platforms, for the purpose of collecting statistics to help improve our products and services (e.g., evaluating the effectiveness of targeted advertising). This information will undergo a thorough de-identification process to ensure your identity is protected.

With whom do we share your Personal Information?
We may disclose your personal information to third parties for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.
We may disclose your personal information to:

· medical and health care providers involved in the provision of health services to you.

· health insurers, health authorities and regulators as permitted or required by law.

· our suppliers (who may be located overseas) if you order a product from us.

· to government authorities in relation to government programs, such as the Hearing Services Program.

Please note that our affiliates and subsidiaries, as well as authorities, customers and suppliers to whom we may disclose your Personal Information, may be located in a different country, whose data protection laws may differ from those in Australia. 

In some instances, we may additionally ask for and will need your specific consent for collecting and using your Personal Information, especially in connection with sending you marketing materials or newsletters regarding additional products and services we think you might be interested in.
 

If you refuse to grant us consent to collect and use your Personal Information
If you do not provide the personal information requested:

· We may not be able to provide you with our services or products.

· the quality of the services or products provided to you may be less than if you had provided all the information requested; and

· The risk of negative outcomes from our provision of services and goods may be heightened if you fail to provide accurate personal and health information. We are not responsible for any adverse consequences that result from your failure to do so.

Third Parties

Where reasonable and practicable to do so, we will collect your Personal Information only from you. However, in some circumstances we may be provided with information by third parties. In such a case we will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of the information provided to us by the third party.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Your Personal Information may be disclosed in several circumstances including the following:

· Third parties where you consent to the use or disclosure; and

· Where required or authorised by law.

Security of Personal Information

Your Personal Information is stored in a manner that reasonably protects it from misuse and loss and from unauthorized access, modification or disclosure.

When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information. However, most of the Personal Information is or will be stored in client files which will be kept by us for a minimum of 7 years.

Access to your Personal Information

You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us in writing.

Hear Again Audiology will not charge any fee for your access request but may charge an administrative fee for providing a copy of your Personal Information.

To protect your Personal Information, we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.

Maintaining the Quality of your Personal Information

It is important to us that your Personal Information is up to date. We will take reasonable steps to make sure that your Personal Information is accurate, complete and up to date. If you find that the information we have is not up to date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as practicable so we can update our records and ensure we can continue to provide quality services for you.

How do we protect your Personal Information?

We treat your Personal Information with the highest level of care.

To safeguard your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure, we have implemented a range of security measures. These include technical and organizational practices that meet widely recognized security standards, such as access controls, passwords, encryption, and regular security assessments.

While we take reasonable precautions to secure our internet connections and protect your data, it is important to note that, due to factors beyond our control, information transmitted over the internet may not be fully secure. We do not assume responsibility for data disclosures caused by transmission errors.

We ensure that all employees and contractors are required to keep your Personal Information confidential and refrain from using or disclosing it in ways that violate this Privacy Policy.

Interaction with websites and social media platforms
On certain websites or applications, we provide interactive features like blogs, message boards, or newsfeeds. Please note that any contributions you make to these features may be visible to others and will not be considered private or confidential.

Policy Updates

This Policy may change from time to time and is available on our website.

Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries

If you have any queries or complaints about our Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Hear Again Audiology

Shop 4, 768 Nicklin Way, Currimundi QLD 4551

info@hearagain.com.au

07 5248 8731

This Policy was last reviewed and updated on 21/11/2024.