Queensland Stoma Association Ltd (QSA) is a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee concerned with the support of members who have had surgery resulting in a Colostomy, Ileostomy, Ileal Conduit, Urostomy or other external pouch.

QSA is committed to meeting the requirements of The Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) and has developed this APP Privacy Policy to outline its ongoing obligations with respect to how personal information is collected and handled.

What is Personal Information and why do we collect and store it?
Personal Information is information that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information collected by QSA may include your name, address, email address, phone number/s, facsimile number, Medicare card information, concession card information and other information related to your participation in the Stoma Appliance Scheme or with the use of our services. This Personal Information is obtained in many ways including via our membership application form and the Stoma Appliance Scheme registration form, by telephone, by facsimile, by email, via our website, through order placement, and via third parties. We do not use cookies on our website but cannot guarantee the policies of websites linked to our website or the policy of authorised third parties.

We collect Personal Information for the primary purposes of providing our services to you including the issuing of ostomy products supported through the Stoma Appliance Scheme and for providing information and support to you. 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 lists at any time by contacting QSA.

What is Sensitive Information?
Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act as 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. Examples of sensitive information that may be collected by QSA include information related to your stoma including your type of stoma and a record of products used by you.

Sensitive information will be collected and 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.

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 such as a family member or medical professional. In such a case we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of the information provided to us by such third party.

 Disclosure of Personal Information

It is the policy of QSA not to disclose your Personal Information except where you have provided your consent or you would reasonably expect us to do so. Examples of when we may disclose your personal information include when:

  • a permitted health situation exists in relation to the use or disclosure of the information by QSA to your Stomal Therapy Nurse or Medical Professional;
  • we are required to disclose your information for purposes related directly to your eligibility to receive stoma products funded by the Stoma Appliance Scheme. For example, we may be required at times to disclose your Personal Information to the Commonwealth Department of Health, Services Australia, the Australian Council of Stoma Associations Inc or another Australian stoma association authorized to distribute products through the Stoma Appliance Scheme
  • you consent to the use or disclosure of your Personal Information to a third party; or
  • it is required or authorised by law.

QSA is unlikely to disclose your personal information to overseas recipients

Security of Personal Information
Your Personal Information is stored in a manner that reasonably protects it from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or unauthorised disclosure. We hold your Personal Information in a number of ways, including in electronic databases, email contact lists, and in paper files held in a secure office.

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

Access to your Personal Information
You have a right to 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 make your request to us in writing.

In order to protect your Personal Information we may require identification from you before releasing such information.

 Maintaining the Quality of your Personal Information
It is an important part of providing our services to you that your Personal Information is up to date and we will take all reasonable steps to make sure that your Personal Information is accurate and complete. To assist with this process, it is important that you advise us at the earliest opportunity of any changes to your Personal Information so that our records can be updated.

Notification of a Data Breach

If we become aware of unauthorised access to or loss of your Personal Information, we will promptly:

(a) notify you;

(b) investigate the cause;

(c) do our best to remedy any consequences; and

(d) tell you what steps we have taken to prevent a reoccurrence

Complaints
If you have a complaint about how we collect or handle your Personal Information, please contact us at:

The Secretary

Queensland Stoma Association Ltd
PO Box 370
CHERMSIDE SOUTH QLD 4032

Email: [email protected]

We treat any claims of privacy breaches seriously and will do our best to respond to your complaint within seven days of receiving it. If you are unhappy with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in Australia or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in New Zealand.