Privacy Policy
We're committed to protecting your privacy.
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Document No |
RISK_POL_10 |
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Original Issue
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04/2022
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Authorised By
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General Counsel |
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Last Review
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06/2026
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Next Review
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06/2028
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Document No
RISK_POL_10
RISK_POL_10
General Counsel
RISK_POL_10
RISK_POL_10
This policy is also available as a downloadable PDF.
Introduction
The Burnet Institute recognises the importance of protecting an individual’s privacy. We appreciate that individuals are concerned about the security of their personal information and we are committed to protecting any personal information we hold and to meeting our obligations.
This Privacy Policy addresses how Burnet handles personal information relating to individuals with whom Burnet interacts, which includes research or clinical trial participants, collaborators, students, donors, customers, patients, medical professionals, consultants and contractors (referred to in this policy as ‘you’).
In this policy, “Burnet”, “we”, “us” or “our” refers to The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Ltd.
Scope
This Privacy Policy has been developed in accordance with the privacy laws and regulations that are applicable to us, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“Privacy Act”) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) as amended from time to time.
- how we use your Personal Information to undertake our activities and deliver health outcomes for the communities in which we operate;
- how and when we may disclose Personal Information, and
- your choices and rights regarding privacy and access to Personal Information about you.
When we refer to Personal Information in this Policy, we mean information or an opinion (whether recorded in a material form or not) that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you.
Policy statement
What type of Personal Information does Burnet collect and hold?
The types of Personal Information we collect and hold depends on the purpose for which it is collected. We only ever collect information if it is necessary for one or more of our functions or activities.
The types of Personal Information that we may collect depends on the nature of your interaction with us, but generally includes (but is not limited to) names, date of birth, gender, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, health information, medical history, employment details, donation histories, event attendance, payment records including bank account or credit card details, areas of research interest, references from referees for employment applicants or research scholarship applicants and academic records, photographs or video recordings of you or your dependents at a fundraising or other event, other information as required to carry out our functions and activities.
We will only collect sensitive information with your prior consent or otherwise as permitted by law.
Burnet is committed to safeguarding all payment card data it may receive and ensuring compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requirements in respect of any credit card or bank account information that we may collect. This includes securely using, storing, transmitting, and destroying payment card data to protect against unauthorised access and fraudulent activities.
How do we collect Personal Information?
Generally, Burnet will collect Personal Information directly from you unless you consent to us collecting it from someone else, it is unreasonable or impracticable to collect it directly from you, or as otherwise permitted by law. If we collect any Personal Information about you from another party we will, where feasible, take reasonable steps to inform you of what information has been collected, why we have collected the information and how we will use it.
We may collect your Personal Information in different ways, including:
- directly from you, such as when you:
- communicate with us;
- you participate in our research studies;
- submit a form to us;
- make a donation to us;
- apply for a job with us;
- provide us with a product or service;
- register to attend one of our events;
- from organisations with whom we collaborate and/or conduct research projects.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies for online donations to identify users. This allows us to deliver a more efficient and personalised service. Information retained via cookies alleviates the need for repeated entry of details.
As you browse Burnet’s website, cookies will be placed on your computer so that we can understand what you are interested in. Our display advertising partners, AdRoll and AdWords, enable us to present you with retargeting advertising on other sites based on your previous interaction with Burnet’s website. The techniques our partners employ do not collect personal information such as your name, email address, postal address or telephone number. You can visit networkadvertising.org/choices to opt out of targeted advertising.
External sites
Our websites may contain links to external websites. Those external websites are not subject to this Privacy Policy, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any other website. We recommend that you contact those websites directly to ascertain their privacy policies.
Purposes for which Burnet collects, holds and uses personal information
We may collect, hold, disclose or use your Personal Information (including sensitive information) for one or more of the following purposes:
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to undertake research or research related activities;
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to provide services to you;
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to verify your identity, respond to your requests or as otherwise directed by you;
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to provide you with news, information and material (including marketing material) in relation to our organisation or organisations with whom we collaborate and/or conduct research projects, our programs or our activities;
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to promote our programs and activities;
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to manage and conduct our business, research, studies, educational activities, and perform any of our other functions and activities;
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to update our records and keep your contact details up to date;
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to process and respond to any complaint made by you;
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to process donations and provide receipts;
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to comply with any law or regulation;
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for any other purposes that we notify you of, or that you consent to, or as permitted under the Privacy Act; and
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otherwise as permitted by law.
Burnet Institute may also use your Personal Information for the purpose of marketing our business functions and activities to you. You can advise us if you do not wish to receive marketing materials by contacting us per the details set out in the contact us section of this policy.
Who does Burnet disclose your Personal Information to?
We may disclose Personal Information within Burnet including (but not limited to) staff, honorary staff, students or volunteers. We may also disclose your Personal Information to:
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our contractors;
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our research collaborators, universities or research partners;
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organisations or people that fund research projects or activities;
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organisations that provide services on our behalf;
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our professional advisers;
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government agencies, regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies, or other similar entities;
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where we are otherwise permitted or required by the Privacy Act or any other law.
Use of your Personal Information when you make a donation
If you make a donation to us, we may publish your name in our annual report or other publications. While we seek to publicly recognise the generous contributions of our donors and supporters, if you would like to remain anonymous, please advise us of this in writing as soon as possible.
International transfer and storage of Personal Information
Where possible we will prioritise transfer and storage of Personal Information in Australia. Where this is not possible, Personal Information that we collect and hold may be transferred to, and stored at, locations outside Australia, including but not limited to the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, and the United States of America.
We take reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information and to ensure that overseas recipients handle your personal information in accordance with this policy and the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act.
Participation in medical research at Burnet
If you participate in research or studies that we conduct alone or with other organisations, we may collect sensitive information (health information) about you (e.g., your medical history including any medications or treatments) and/or tissue samples for use in our research. Other types of sensitive information we collect include information about your ethnicity or racial origin. We may also collect relevant information about non-participants such as your emergency contact details or family medical history.
This information is used to record your involvement in research activities undertaken by Burnet, to process the results of research and to contact you regarding participation in future studies. All human research undertaken at Burnet is approved by a duly authorised and approved Human Research Ethics Committee with the results of research activities presented in such a way that the identity of the research participant is protected. Research participants will be provided further information detailing how their Personal Information will be handled by Burnet in connection with the particular research activity they are involved with.
Anonymity
Where possible, we will give you the option to provide us with your Personal Information or to remain anonymous. Please note that if we request your Personal Information and you do not provide it, we may not be able to fully provide our services to you, respond to your requests or otherwise work with you.
How we safeguard Personal Information
Burnet Institute takes reasonable steps to protect the personal information it holds from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. The various means by which we protect your information include firewalls, secure servers, and encryption of credit card transactions and data transmitted via our websites (including the use of SSL/TLS encryption). We will also take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information that we no longer need for any purpose for which it was collected.
How long we keep Personal Information
We may keep the Personal Information we collect for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or as required by law. Where required by law, we will de-identify or securely dispose of the Personal Information we collect when we no longer need it for the uses described in this Privacy Statement or required by law to retain the Personal Information.
Updating and accessing your Personal Information
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the Personal Information we collect, store and use remains accurate, is kept up to date and is complete.
You have the right to request access to the Personal Information we hold about you at any time. Burnet will not unreasonably refuse your request to access your Personal Information.
If you believe the Personal Information, we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate, you can make a request to us to amend it and we will take steps to correct it as soon as possible.
If you want to change any information that you have previously given us, if you want to opt out of future communications, or if you do not want your donation details to be published by us, or if you would like to access the Personal Information we hold about you, you can contact Burnet’s Privacy Officer (details below).
We will take all reasonable steps to comply with your request and if we deny your request for access, we will tell you why.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change, modify or update this Privacy Policy. Any revision to this Privacy Policy will be published on our website. The revised version shall take effect immediately upon publication.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or our handling of your personal information, you can contact Burnet’s Privacy Officer at:
Privacy Officer
Burnet Institute
85 Commercial Road
Melbourne VIC 3004
Email: privacy@burnet.edu.au
If you believe that your privacy has been interfered with, or your personal information has not been handled in accordance with this policy please contact us using the contact information above providing details of the incident so that we can investigate it and attempt to address it. We request that complaints about breaches of privacy be made in writing, so we can be sure about the details of the complaint. We will treat your requests or complaints confidentially. Our Privacy Officer will contact you within a reasonable time after receipt of your complaint to discuss your concerns and outline options regarding how it may be resolved. We will aim to ensure that your complaint is resolved in a timely and appropriate manner.
If you remain dissatisfied, you may also complain to the OAIC (oaic.gov.au)