the obol privacy commitment

The OBOL Commitment

We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that:

• personal information is managed in an open and transparent way;
• the privacy of personal information of participants and staff are protected;
• we collect and handle personal information fairly and justly;
• personal information we collect is used and disclosed for necessary legally purposes   only;
• we regulate access to and amendment of personal information; and
• we maintain the confidentiality of personal information using appropriate storage and security.

The kind of information we collect

Consumer personal information is collected to provide care and services. 

Personal information we collect could include your:

• name, address, telephone number and email address;
• date of birth;
• advocate or emergency contact’s telephone number and email;
• relevant health information; and
• diversity information if you are comfortable providing to us. 

Such personal information will assist us to provide the best of care to you. 

How we collect personal information

Participant personal information may be collected from:

• you, the participant; 
• your family members or significant others;
• your advocate; and or
• your doctor or other service providers or facilities.

We will collect personal information directly from you first. However sometimes we might need to collection your personal information from others when it is unreasonable or impractical to obtain required information from you first. 

If we do need to ask others for your personal information:

• we will obtain your consent to collect the information from someone else; and or
• we are required or authorised by law to collect the information from someone else.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Please note if you withdraw your consent you must do so knowing that this may impact on our capacity to provide services.

Purpose of collecting personal information

Personal information is collected for the purposes of providing care and services. The information may be used to: 

• provide support services; and
• enable service providers and medical practitioners to provide care and services.

Disclosure of personal information 

We may disclose your personal and health information, for the purpose of your care and services, to:

• service providers who assist us in providing care and services, medical practitioners, external health agencies such as the ambulance service, hospitals, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and other relevant government organisations
• a person you have nominated as being your advocate, e.g. parent, child or sibling, spouse, a relative, a member of your household, a guardian, an enduring power of attorney, or a person you have nominated to be contacted in case of emergency, provided they are at least 18 years of age.

We may not use or disclose personal information for a purpose other than providing care and services, unless:

• you have consented
• the purpose is related to providing care and services, and you would reasonably expect disclosure of the information for that purpose
• we believe on reasonable grounds that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your life, health or safety or a serious threat to public health or public safety
• we have reason to suspect unlawful activity and disclosure is required or authorised by law.

Security of personal information

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is protected against misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. We hold personal information in electronic form in secure databases on secure premises and on secure, cloud-based technology, accessible only by our authorised staff. 

At times physical documentation/ information may be obtained, such information will be held by our Director for a period of seven (7) days in a locked filing cabinet, the information will be converted to electronic form and physical form (hard copy) permanently destroyed as necessary. 

Accessing the your personal information that we hold about you

Under the Privacy Act, you have a right to access your personal information that is collected and held by us. If at any time you would like to access or change the personal information that we hold about you, or you would like more information on our approach to privacy, please contact us.

To obtain access to your personal information, you will have to provide us with proof of identity. We will take all reasonable steps to provide access to your personal information within seven (7) business days from the date of your request. 

Employee information

Records of current and past employees which are related to the employment relationship are managed in accordance with workplace laws. Privacy laws may apply to employee personal information if the information is used for something that is not related to the employment relationship between our organisation and the employee. 

Volunteer records

Personal information collected and held by us in relation to our volunteers will be managed in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Privacy data breaches

In the event your personal information is lost, stolen or subject to unauthorised access or disclosure, we will implement our Management of Data Breach Policy and Procedure. You will be notified as soon as practicable. 

We act 'Obolomptly' meaning we act promptly and meaningfully on any breach of information, no matter how minor. 

Privacy complaints

All complaints regarding privacy can be lodged via our complaint handling process.

At all times, privacy complaints will:

• be treated seriously;
• be dealt with as promptly as possible;
• be dealt with in a confidential manner; and
• not affect your existing obligations or affect the commercial arrangements between you and us.

You will be informed of the outcome of your complaint following completion of the investigation within two (2) business days from the date the investigation is concluded.

Obol Privacy Commitment 

Effective 18 day of December, 2023