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Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes the personal information that may be collected by Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (‘PCFA’, ‘we’ or ‘us’), the choices you can make about your personal information and how we protect your information. This policy complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988.
If you have any questions not addressed in this policy, please feel free to contact us using the methods at the end of this policy under the heading “How to contact us”.
Your acknowledgement of our privacy policy
By using this website, you acknowledge that you’ve read and understood this privacy policy. Please note that this policy does not extend your rights or PCFA’s obligations beyond those defined in the legislation listed above.
Should there be any inconsistency between this policy and the Privacy Act, this policy shall be interpreted to give effect to and comply with the legislation.
This policy includes examples but is not intended to be restricted in its application to such examples. Where the word ‘including’ is used, it shall mean ‘including without limitation’.
Our website contains links to non-PCFA websites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites. We recommend you review the privacy policies of each site you visit.
In this Privacy Policy the following terms have the following meanings:
health information is:
personal information or an opinion about:
- an individual’s physical or mental health or disability (at any time);
- an individual’s express wishes about the future provision of health services for themselves; or
- a health service provided, or to be provided, to an individual;
other personal information collected to provide, or in providing, a health service;
genetic information about an individual in a form that is, or could be, predictive of the health of the individual or a genetic relative of the individual.
personal information means information or an opinion about and identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:
- whether the information or opinion is true or not; and
- whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.
sensitive information means:
personal information or an opinion about:
- racial or ethnic origins;
- political opinions or political associations;
- philosophical beliefs or religious beliefs or affiliations;
- sexual preferences or practices; or
- criminal record; or
health information about an individual; or
genetic information about an individual that is not otherwise health information.
Collection of personal information
‘Personal information’ means information we hold about you where your identity is either clear or can be reasonably determined.
Generally, we will collect personal information directly from you, and only to the extent necessary to provide the product or service you requested or to carry out our internal administrative operations.
We may collect personal information from you when:
- you fill in an application form;
- deal with us over the telephone;
- e-mail us;
- provide us with feedback;
- complete online surveys;
- actively participate on our Online Community site;
- ask us to contact you after visiting our web site.
We will collect personal information from you by lawful and fair means.
We may also collect other personal and sensitive information from you (for example, information about your health, including medical history to allow PCFA to properly assess and advise you on your health care needs).
In some cases, where it makes sense and is lawful, you can interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym (an alias). We will endeavor to make this option clear when it is available to you.
Sensitive information
We will only collect sensitive information with your consent and if is reasonably necessary for carrying out PCFA’s activities. We will assume that you have consented to us collecting all information which you provide to us for use in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including any sensitive information, unless you tell us otherwise at the time you provide it to us.
Uses and sharing
We use the personal information you provide only for purposes consistent with the reason you provided it, or for a directly related purpose. We may also use your personal information where required or permitted by law. We may also use your information where you have provided us with your express or implied consent.
- For example, PCFA may use your personal information to:
- provide health care services to you;
- provide any ongoing health related services to you;
- appropriately manage our business, such as assessing insurance requirements, conducting audits, and undertaking accreditation processes;
- assist it in running our business, including quality assurance programs, billing, improving its services, implementing appropriate security measures, conducting research and training personnel;
- effectively communicate with third parties;
- carry out fundraising activities (where you have consented)
We do not share your personal information with other organisations unless:
- you give us your consent, or
- where sharing is otherwise required or permitted by law, or
- where this is necessary on a temporary basis to enable our contractors to perform specific functions.
When we temporarily provide personal information to companies who perform services for us, such as specialist information technology companies, mail houses or other contractors to PCFA we require those companies to protect your personal information as diligently as we do. Strict contractual and other quality assurance measures are used to ensure your personal information is protected.
We have a strict duty to maintain the privacy of all personal information we hold about you. However, certain exceptions do apply. For example, where disclosure of your personal information is: - authorised or required by law (e.g. disclosure to various government departments and agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office, CentreLink, Child Support Agency, or disclosure to courts under subpoena).
- in the public interest (e.g. where a crime, fraud or misdemeanor is committed or suspected and disclosure against the customer’s rights to confidentiality is justified).
- with your consent – your consent may be implied or express and it may also be verbal, written or digitally provided.
Overseas use and disclosure
PCFA may transfer personal information to countries outside Australia. We will only do this in compliance with all applicable Australian data protection and privacy laws. PCFA will take reasonable steps to protect personal information no matter what country it is transferred or stored.
Research
The gathering and processing of information is in support of PCFAs vision and mission including research, awareness and advocacy and is not intended to be used for commercial gain.
Direct marketing
From time to time we may use the personal information we collect from you to identify particular PCFA products and services which we believe may be of interest to you, or for the purposes of fundraising. We will generally only do this with your consent (where practical) and we will always give you a choice to opt out of receiving such information in future.
Direct Marketing from PCFA generally takes the form of Direct Mail or Electronic Marketing (email). Each of these channels is handled as follows:
- Direct mail– Where we use your personal information to send you marketing information via the post we may do so with your implied consent or, if this is impracticable, we will ensure that you are provided with an opportunity to opt out of receiving future such communications. By not ticking a clearly displayed “opt out” box, we will assume we have your implied consent to receive similar marketing communications in the future. We will always ensure that our opt out notices are clear, conspicuous and easy to take up.
- Electronic marketing– Where we use your personal information to send you marketing information by e-mail, SMS, MMS or other electronic means we may do so with your express or implied consent. You may give us your express consent by, for example, ticking a box on an electronic or paper form where we seek your permission to send you electronic or other marketing information. Consent may be implied from our existing relationship or where you have a reasonable expectation of receiving electronic marketing communication.
Every directly addressed marketing contact sent or made by PCFA will include a means by which customers may unsubscribe (or opt out) of receiving further marketing information.
Additionally, you may instruct us at any time to remove any previous consent you provided to receive marketing communications from us. Requests should be directed to PCFA via the channels provided under ‘How to contact us’.
Accessing your personal information
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. This right is subject to certain exceptions allowed by law.
PCFA will, upon your request, and subject to applicable privacy laws, provide you with access to your personal information that is held by us. However, we ask that you identify, as clearly as possible, the type (or types) of information requested. PCFA will deal with your request in a reasonable time – usually within 30 days.
Exceptions
Your right to access your personal information is not absolute. In some circumstances, the law permits us to refuse your request to provide you with access to your personal information.
Freedom of information laws
In addition to privacy laws, you may have rights to access your personal information contained in certain PCFA documents. Details on how to apply for access to these documents are contained in the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) (External link).
More information is available at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s freedom of information (External link) pages.
Updating your information
It is inevitable that some personal information which we hold will become out of date. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information which we hold remains accurate and, if you advise us of a change of details, we will amend our records accordingly.
Where we are unable to update your information, we will provide an explanation in writing as to why the information cannot be corrected.
Information security
PCFA is committed to protecting and securing your personal information. We employ appropriate technical, administrative and physical procedures to protect personal information from unauthorised disclosure, loss, misuse or alteration. PCFA reviews and updates (where necessary) its security measures in light of current technologies.
All personal information held by PCFA is stored securely in either hard copy or electronic form.
We limit access to personal information to individuals with a business need consistent with the reason the information was provided. We keep personal information only for as long as it is required for business purposes or by the law.
Information collected on this website
We may collect non-personal information from you such as browser type, operating system, and web pages visited to help us manage our web site.
We use cookies (see below) and other internet technologies to manage our website and certain online products and services. We do not use these technologies to collect or store personal information unless you have opted in to such a feature.
Our internet server logs the following information which is provided by your browser for statistical and content optimisation and personalisation purposes:
- the type of browser and operating system you are using
- your Internet Service Provider and top level domain name (for example – .com, .gov, .au, .uk)
- the address of any referring website (for example – the previous web site you visited), and
- your computer’s IP (Internet Protocol) address (a number which is unique to the machine through which you are connected to the internet).
All of this information is used by PCFA for aggregated statistical analyses or systems administration purposes only. No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities, except where required by law.
Google Analytics and Google User Data
PCFA uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”) to improve the performance of this website and to monitor website traffic. Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.
Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for PCFA and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. For further information, please visit Google’s privacy policy.
Cookies
A “cookie” is a packet of information stored on your computer that allows the PCFA server to identify and interact more effectively with your computer.
Our websites use two different kinds of cookies:
- Session cookies– temporary cookies that only last until you close your browser
- Persistent cookies– cookies that are stored for a longer term on your computer.
Session cookies
When you access our web site, we send you a temporary cookie that gives you a unique identification number. A different identification number is sent each time you use our website. Cookies do not identify individual users, although they do identify a user’s internet browser type. When you close your browser, the cookie is deleted and no longer exists on your computer.
You are free to disable cookies in your browser (see details below). If you have disabled cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of all of our website features.
We use session cookies in the following manner:
- Log-on and log-off administration– Session cookies help with the log-on and log-off processes for those users who have decided to register to use one of our online services. The cookies enable us to recognize your user ID when you log on so that we do not establish a duplicate registration record for you.
- Transactions and site usability– We use session cookies to improve how you navigate through our website and conduct transactions. As examples, session cookies are used to maintain your online session as you browse over several pages; to store and pre-populate information so that you do not have to re-enter the same information twice. Session cookies may also be used to collect referral statistics when you click on a link or ad banner to or from pcfa.org.au.
Persistent cookies
PCFA may also use “persistent cookies”. A persistent cookie is a small piece of text stored on your computer’s hard drive for a defined period of time, after which the cookie is erased. PCFA will not collect or link to personal information through persistent cookies without your express consent.
We use persistent cookies as follows:
- Site usage measurement– Our site measurement tool uses persistent cookies to assist us in measuring how and when our web site and its various components are used. It functions as a “visit cookie,” so we can determine if you are a repeat visitor to our site. This allows us to know if we are attracting new visitors and what aspects of the site seem most useful. The cookie will expire 30 days after your last visit.
- Click stream data– “Click stream data” is information which is derived from an analysis of your website activity based on the sequence of links which you click on while browsing our Website. When you visit the Website or, we will collect this information for analysis, maintenance or reporting purposes and to improve the performance of our Website. This can include information such as your IP address, the duration of your visit and the date and time of your visit.
Cookie Management
You can configure your internet browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies or notify you when a cookie is sent. Most browsers accept cookies by default. To learn more about cookies, including how to refuse cookies on your computer, click these links:
Links to other sites
The PCFA site contains links to other sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites. We encourage you to read and understand the privacy policies on those websites prior to providing any information to them.
Searches
Search terms that you enter when using our search engine are collected but are not associated with any other information that we collect. We use these search terms for the purpose of aggregated statistical analyses so we can ascertain what people are looking for on our website, and to improve the services that we provide.
We may use external companies to provide us with detailed aggregate statistical analyses of our website traffic. At no time is any personal information made available to these companies, nor is the aggregate information ever merged with personal information such as your name, address, email address or other information you would consider sensitive or would compromise your privacy.
How to contact us
To contact PCFA with a compliment, complaint or a privacy question, you can:
- write to us at:
PO Box 499
St Leonards NSW 1509 - call us at on 1800 220 099 between 9.00am and 5.00pm EST Monday to Friday
- email us: [email protected]
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We will post changes to the Privacy Policy and publish the effective date when this policy is updated.
Last updated: 18 January 2023
- 2019 update
The Privacy Policy was reviewed and updated in December 2019. This update included disclosure on the use of Google Analytics and Google user data.
Further information on privacy
You can obtain further general information about your privacy rights and Commonwealth privacy law from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by:
Calling their Privacy Hotline on 1300 363 992
visiting their web site at http://www.oaic.gov.au/ (External link)
writing to:
The Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 1042
