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Privacy Policy

1. Your personal information is important to us

The IOP recognises your privacy is very important to you and that you have rights to control your personal information. Providing personal information is an act of trust and we take that seriously. We are committed to protecting your personal information.

2. Privacy statement

This Privacy statement sets out the IOP's policy relating to the collection and use of your personal information, and is designed to provide you with options as to how we collect and use your personal information.

This Privacy statement also sets out how we manage personal information to meet our obligations under the Privacy Act.

We believe our Privacy statement not only complies with relevant laws but also represents best practice. In the unlikely instance this Statement conflicts with the Privacy Act, the Privacy Act will prevail.

3. Definitions

Personal information means information or opinions about a person from which that person is reasonably identifiable. Personal information includes sensitive information.

Sensitive information includes information about a person's beliefs, associations or health.

Health information means information or opinions about a person’s health, or collected in accordance with a health services provided to them.

4. Collecting your personal information

The IOP may collect personal information as reasonably necessary for one or more of its functions. We will only collect personal information by lawful and fair means and primarily directly from you (for example, through our interaction with you or your use of our website).

However, wherever practicable we will de-identify personal information. In certain circumstances you may not need to identify yourself, or may use of a pseudonym instead. We will ordinarily alert you to these circumstances when relevant.

The type of personal information collected may depend on your interaction with us. For example, if you are an IOP subscriber, we may collect:

4.1.1 your name

4.1.2 your contact information (address, email etc), including your preferred manner of contact for personal and professional purposes

If we receive unsolicited personal information, or information we would not ordinarily be permitted to collect, we will ordinarily destroy or de-identify that information.

We will take reasonable steps to notify you of our collection of your personal information. Any such notification will include all additional information required by the Privacy Act.

5. Use of your personal information

Personal information is kept until we are no longer legally obliged to keep them, or when the need for the personal information has passed (at which point it will be destroyed, deleted or de-identified). Our purpose for collecting your personal information will to a degree depend on your interaction with us.

For subscribers, our primary purpose for collection is to provide you with your full benefits of and administering your Subscription, and providing services (unless I have “opted out” by advising the IOP office), sending related information, or as a record of confirmation of attainment of academic or QI&CPD qualifications.

For other individuals, personal information may be collected to respond to enquiries or comply with other legal obligations.

We may also require limited disclosure to contractors we engage to act for us or on our behalf, such as IT service providers, in order to enable them to provide their services. All contractors engaged in this fashion are required to comply with this policy.

We will not use or disclose your personal information without your consent. Some permitted exceptions to this apply, including where we are legally required to disclose, or to protect the personal safety of any individual or the public.

6. Storage and security of your personal information

We take all reasonable steps to keep your personal information secure, safe and protected from misuse, interference, loss or unauthorised access. Your information is either stored on secure servers (electronic records) or is protected in controlled facilities (hard copy records). In addition, our employees and the contractors who provide services related to our information systems are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by us.

You can also play an important role in keeping your personal information secure, by maintaining the confidentiality of any password and accounts used on the IOP website. Please notify us immediately if there is any unauthorised use of your account by any other individual or any other breach of security.

7. Use of cookies on our website

Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes, website usage statistics or to provide enhanced functionality on the site. Our cookies may do some or all of these depending on the particular page and its functionality. Generally, the information obtained by cookies is de-identified and does not constitute personal information, but may include the IP address of your computer. We may use this information for additional functionality or to analyse usage patterns.

You are ultimately in control of your browser’s dealings with cookies. Most browsers are by default set to accept cookies, but have the capacity to block or delete them. However, if you do not wish to receive any cookies you should set your browser to refuse cookies. In some instances this may mean you will not be able to take full advantage of parts of the IOP's website.

By using our website, you accept the use and installation of these cookies to provide you with these services.

8. The Spam Act and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006

We comply with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth).

Unless you have indicated you do not wish to receive such information, we may contact you on your nominated email, for such purposes as:

8.1.1 providing medical alerting of current events

8.1.2 assisting you in your CPD requirements and progress

8.1.3 discussing membership procedures and benefits

8.1.4 gathering information to assist in our advocacy for the profession

8.1.5 highlighting educational opportunities

8.1.6 responding to your enquiries.

We will not disclose any sensitive information in any of these contacts.

If you are receiving IOP information and do not wish to receive this information any longer, you may remove your name from our list either by emailing us at office@iop.vision. Please allow 10 working days for this request to be processed.

9. Accessing your personal information

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you. If at any time you want to know what personal information we hold, please contact us using the contact details below.

We will provide you with your information within a reasonable time of your request, however where necessary we may require you to attend our offices. We will not generally charge for your access to your personal information.

We reserve the right to refuse you access to your personal information as permitted under the Privacy Act. For example, we may refuse access if your request would pose a serious threat to another’s health, would unreasonably impact on another, or is frivolous or vexatious.

10. Correction of your personal information

We will take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information held by us is accurate, up-to-date and complete. However, the personal information we hold may not be complete due to planned and periodic destruction, or when an extract of personal information is adequate for the IOP’s then purpose.

If you wish to update or correct your personal information, please contact us using the contact details below.

11. Problems or queries

If you have a problem, query or complaint about the way in which we collect, use or disclose individuals’ personal information, please contact us using the contact details below. We take all aspects of privacy seriously, and welcome your feedback on the relevant issues. Any concerns received will be internally reviewed and where appropriate an internal investigation will be conducted to ensure we continue to comply with the Privacy Act. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au

12. Future changes

From time to time, our policies are reviewed and may be revised. We reserve the right to update or amend this statement at any time. We will notify you of any changes by posting an updated version of the statement on our website. The amended statement will be effective on and from its uploading.

13. Further information

For more information about privacy issues in Australia and protecting your privacy, visit the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

Alternatively, you may contact the IOP at office@iop.vision.