Privacy Policy

About this Policy

Selective Mutism Clinic is dedicated to safeguarding your privacy. Our policy explains how we handle your personal information as an Australian Privacy Principles Entity (APP Entity) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). It covers the types of information we collect and store, how we collect and store it, why we collect, store, use, and disclose it, how you can access and correct your information, how to lodge a complaint, and our approach to disclosing information to overseas recipients. This policy applies to our website, https://selectivemutism.com.au/ (the Site), our services detailed on the Site (Our Services), and any other services we provide.

In this Policy:

‘Personal information’ is defined as in the Act [section 6(1) of the Act] and includes information or opinions about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

The personal information you provide may include your name, address, email address, and phone number. This information also encompasses sensitive information, such as health information, as defined in the Act. We may collect or infer health and other sensitive information about you as part of delivering Our Services.

The Types of Personal Information we Collect

The personal information we gather to provide Our Services includes:

• Your name
• Date of birth
• Contact details (e.g., address, email, phone)
• Gender
• Occupation
• Credit card details (for payments)
• Technical data (e.g., IP address, browser type)
• Analytics data for traffic and usage trends.

We may also collect other relevant information needed to deliver Our Services, striving to limit the amount of personal data held. Additionally, with your consent, we may gather sensitive health information necessary for our services.

How we Collect and Hold Personal Information

We gather your personal information when you:

• Sign up for future webinar notifications
• Make appointments or purchases via our website
• Automatically collect non-personally identifiable information through our website and services, such as website details, IP address, and device information. This data may be combined with your personal information.

Your personal information is stored in electronic databases, including record-keeping, practice management, and payment processing software.

The Purpose for which we Collect, Use and Disclose Personal Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Providing Our Services and improving them, which may require your legal name and other personal details.
• When you book appointments, we may collect further information, including health details.
• Your personal information is shared with health practitioners for appointment arrangements.
• With your consent, we may use your personal information for administrative purposes, appointment notifications, and marketing communications.
• In business transactions such as selling, transferring, merging, or restructuring, your personal information may be part of the transferred assets.
• In case of insolvency, your personal information may be transferred to a trustee or debtor in possession and then to a subsequent purchaser.

We use payment processing services (Stripe and Tyro) for your payments, which have their own privacy policies.

We may also use personal information for purposes such as facilitating transactions or professional advice, as permitted by the Privacy Act.

We may disclose your personal information as required by Australian law or court order.

Consent to Collection of Sensitive Information

To collect sensitive information, like health details, we generally require your consent. We aim to limit sensitive information collection, but this may not always be possible due to the nature of Our Services.

We may collect sensitive information if required or authorised by Australian law, or if an exception under the Privacy Act applies, such as to prevent a serious threat to your life, health, or safety, or to public health and safety.

To withdraw consent, please contact us using the details at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide Our Services to you.

Children’s Privacy

We may offer Our Services to individuals under the age of 15, but we seek parental or guardian consent in these cases. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 15 without parental or legal guardian consent.

If you are a parent or guardian and aware that your children have provided us with personal information, please contact us. If we discover that we have collected personal information from children without verified parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

Access and Accuracy

You can keep your personal information up to date by contacting us. To access or correct your personal information, or to modify your subscriptions or opt-out of communication, please email admin@selectivemutism.com.au.

We will respond to your request within a reasonable time. We may charge an administration fee, which we will communicate in advance, for responding to your request, especially if your information is stored. If required by law or for legal proceedings, we may deny your request and will provide written reasons for doing so.

Storage and Security

We’ll protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, and modification or disclosure. However, we can’t guarantee the security of information transmitted to us over the internet, which you acknowledge when using Our Services.

When we no longer need your personal information, we’ll take steps to destroy or permanently de-identify it in accordance with legal requirements.

Your information may be stored electronically in third-party data centres or secure storage facilities, some of which may be overseas. We aim to use third parties that comply with high data security standards and the Act.

Data Breach Notification Scheme

If we suspect a data breach, we’ll assess it under the Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) Scheme. If we confirm an eligible data breach, we’ll notify you promptly. If you suspect a breach, please contact us immediately for assessment under the NDB Scheme.

Cookies, Web Beacons and Analytics

We and our third-party service providers may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to track site visitor activity and collect site data. This data may include technical information like your computer’s IP address and browser type, as well as details of your visit such as the products you viewed or searched for. Any use or disclosure of this information will be in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Third-party Websites

This privacy policy does not apply to any third-party links that may also collect and use information about you. We are not responsible for any information collected by such third parties.

Our site may contain links to other third-party websites. Any access to and use of such linked websites is not governed by this Privacy Policy, but instead is governed by the privacy policies of those third-party websites. We are not responsible for the information practices of such third-party websites.

Marketing Emails

Subject to your consent, we may send you direct marketing emails and information about Our Services in compliance with the Spam Act 2004 (Cth). You can opt out of receiving these emails by following the instructions provided in them.

Consent to International Transfer

If we reasonably believe that the recipient is legally or contractually bound to principles substantially similar to the APPs, we may transfer your personal information overseas to related entities, employees, or external service providers for cloud storage and data processing.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. If the changes significantly affect you, we will try to notify you in advance. This Privacy Policy is current as of May 2024.

Questions or Concerns

If you have any questions, concerns, or wish to discuss your privacy, please contact us using the following methods:

• Email: admin@selectivemutism.com.au
• Phone: 02 9438 2511
• Mail: Suite 306, Level 3, 480 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065

If you’re not satisfied with how we handle your complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at 1300 363 992 or via their website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/lodge-a-privacy-complaint-with-us.