What is this policy about?

We are committed to protecting your privacy in your dealings with us. 

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This Privacy Policy explains how we manage the personal information we collect, use, and disclose.

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Like most private health businesses in VIC, we are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (together, the Privacy Laws). ​

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A portable document format (pdf) version of this policy is available, free of charge, by way of email upon request to our Privacy Officer. 

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When we refer to "clients" below, we mean former, current, and potential clients, including people who enquire about our services. 

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How we handle your personal information

Our legal obligations

In order to provide you with the health care services you have requested, Autism Actually Speech & Communication (AAS&C) will need to collect and use your personal information. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information to use, or withhold personal and health information from us, we may not be able to provide you with the services you are seeking.

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The information we collect

We will only collect the information we need for the particular function or activity we are carrying out. We collect information from you that is necessary to provide you with speech pathology services and to manage our professional relationship with you. The information we collect includes your name, date of birth, address, health fund details, and information about your health history and family history. This information is required to assist us with diagnosis and providing therapy.

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How we collect information

We will usually collect your health information directly from you, including via telephone, our website, pages on our social media sites, via our client questionnaires, written letters, reports, other documents, emails, interviews, and face-to-face interactions. Sometimes, we may need to collect information about you from a third party, such as a family member or another health service provider.

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How we use information

We use your personal information for the purpose for which you gave the information to us. This includes providing speech pathology services to you, managing our relationship with you, and contacting you in relation to matters concerning your care. We may also use your information for other purposes permitted under the Privacy Act 1988.

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Whom we may disclose your information to 

a) other health professionals involved in your care (e.g., occupational therapist, psychologist, general practitioner); 

b) the referrer (i.e., your medical practitioner): AAS&C will usually send your referrer a discharge summary following discharge from AAS&C, or at other times as required for your care.  If you do not wish us to provide a copy of your discharge summary to the referrer, you must let us know. Also, if the referrer’s details have changed, please let us know; 

c) Relatives, guardian, close friends or legal representative: We may provide information about your supports to your parent, child, other relatives, close personal friends, guardians, or to a responsible person for you, unless you tell us that you do not wish us to disclose your health information to any such person;

d) Other uses and disclosures: In order to provide the best possible environment in which to treat you, we may also use or disclose your personal and health information where necessary for quality assurance processes, audits, risks and claims management, client satisfaction surveys, staff education and training, invoicing, billing and account management, liaising with your health fund, and for the purposes of sending you standard reminders; 

e) Other uses with your consent: With your consent, we may also use your information for other purposes, such as including you on a marketing mailing list, or research. Please note, however, that unless you provide us with your express consent for this purpose, we will not use your information in this way. We will not disclose your personal information to any individual who is outside Australia.

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Can you access and correct your health information?

You have a right to access the personal and health information that we hold about you. You can also request an amendment to your personal and health information should you believe that it is inaccurate.

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If we do not agree to change your medical record/personal information in accordance with your request, we will permit you to make a statement of the requested changes, and we will enclose this with your record.

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Should you wish to obtain access to or request changes to your health record, you can contact our Privacy Officer, who can give you more detailed information about AAS&C's access and correction procedure. Please note that AAS&C may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

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Data quality and security

AAS&C will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use technologies and processes such as access control procedures, network firewalls, encryption and physical security to protect your privacy.

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AAS&C stores information securely using Australian-compliant client management systems. Notes and paper files are stored in a secure, locked cabinet, and are only accessible by authorised Autism Actually Speech & Communication personnel.

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AAS&C will destroy or permanently de-identify any of your information which is in its possession or control and which is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, provided AAS&C is not required under an Australian law or court/tribunal or otherwise to retain the information.

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Complaints

You have a legal right to lodge a complaint if:

a) you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy;

b) AAS&C does not agree to provide you with access to your personal information; or

c) you have a complaint about our information handling practices.

To do so, you can contact our Privacy Officer, Shadia Hancock, either by phone, email, or in writing. 

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We will respond to you in writing within 15 days of receiving your complaint.

How we handle your personal information when you visit our website

This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our website and the use of any of the facilities on our website.

How we collect your information

When you use our website, we do not attempt to identify you as an individual user, and we will not collect personal information about you unless you specifically provide this to us.

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Sometimes, we may collect your personal information if you choose to provide this to us via an online form or by email, for example, if you:

• submit a general enquiry via our contacts page;

• register to receive email updates; or

• send a written complaint or enquiry to our Privacy Officer.

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When you use our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) may record and log for statistical purposes the following information about your visit:

• your computer address;

• your top level name (for example, .com., gov., .org, .au etc.);

• the date and time of your visit;

• the pages and documents you access during your visit; and

• the browser you are using.

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Our website management agent may use statistical data collected by our ISP to evaluate the effectiveness of our website.

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Cookies

A "cookie" is a device that allows our server to identify and interact more effectively with your computer. Cookies do not identify individual users, but they do identify your ISP and your browser type.

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This website uses temporary cookies. This means that upon closing your browser, the temporary cookie assigned to you will be destroyed and no personal information is maintained that will identify you at a later date.

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Personal information such as your email address is not collected unless you provide it to us. We do not disclose domain names or aggregate information to third parties other than agents who assist us with this website and who are under obligations of confidentiality.

You may be able to configure your browser to accept or reject all cookies and to notify you when a cookie is used. We suggest that you refer to your browser instructions or help screens to learn more about these functions. However, please note that if you configure your browser so as not to receive any cookies, a certain level of functionality of the AAS&C website and other websites may be lost.

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Links to third party websites

We may create links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices employed by websites that are linked from our website.

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Use and disclosure

We will use any personal information collected via our website in accordance with our privacy policy.

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Last updated: August 2026.