Privacy Policy

Golden Wattle Occupational Therapy Services Pty Ltd

ABN: 38 693 820 870

This privacy policy defines how Golden Wattle Occupational Therapy Services Pty Ltd (Golden Wattle OT) collects, holds, uses and discloses your personal information. Our practice is committed to ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other applicable privacy and health records laws in relation to the management of personal information.

Personal and Sensitive Information

Personal information is any information or opinion (recorded in any form) about a person, from which that person may be identified.

Special provisions apply to the collection of personal information which is sensitive information. This includes health information and information about a person’s race, ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of political, professional or trade associations, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual preferences, criminal history and biometric data.

In this privacy policy, unless otherwise stated, a reference to personal information includes sensitive information.

Information We Collect and How We Collect It

The types of personal information we collect about you will depend on the activities and functions we are undertaking. We may collect the information directly from you or from other people or organisations with which we interact.

The types of personal information we may collect and hold include:

Names, email addresses, age, contact details, mail addresses, correspondence (including emails, text messages and postal mail), gender information, occupation details, lifestyle activities, and education information
Medical and health related information provided by individuals to Golden Wattle OT or to service providers, including:
- Current and previous diagnoses
- Functional capacity and limitations
- Medication information
- Medical reports and assessments from other health professionals
- NDIS plan details and support needs
- Information about disability, impairment, and assistive technology needs
Financial information such as NDIS plan management details, invoicing information, and payment details
Information from health service providers, including private health insurance details, GP and specialist reports, allied health assessments, and hospital records
NDIS-related information including NDIS participant number, plan details, plan manager or support coordinator details, funding allocations, and service agreements
Photographic identification where required for NDIS verification purposes
Information collected from referrers including employers, insurers, support coordinators, plan managers, family members, GPs, and other healthcare providers
Information from the Golden Wattle OT website including website registration, surveys, and browsing data such as IP addresses, browser type, and cookies

Informed Consent

Golden Wattle OT will collect and share your personal information in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988. We will collect and share your health information after we obtain your informed consent, or as permitted under the Privacy Act 1988. Where required, we will obtain your consent at the commencement of our interactions with you, such as when we commence providing services to you.

If we will provide services to you, at our first meeting with you, we will inform you about the information we will collect and with whom it will be shared. You will be asked to sign a consent form to confirm your understanding and provide consent. Once completed, this form will be stored in your secure electronic file in our case management database.

Our Primary Purpose for Collecting Personal Information

Golden Wattle OT collects personal information for the following purposes:

To contact you to provide information about, and to deliver, our services to you and/or the person or organisation that referred you to us
To manage our business operations
To access and obtain medical records and history from treating healthcare providers
To engage healthcare providers and other professionals to assist in the provision of our services and assess medical conditions, functional capacity, and/or diagnoses
To provide multidisciplinary team coordination for complex assessments
To prepare comprehensive occupational therapy reports including Functional Capacity Assessments, Home and Living Assessments, Assistive Technology Reports, Home Modification Reports, and SOAP notes
To liaise with builders, trades, and home modification professionals regarding Scope of Works and home modification recommendations
To submit reports and recommendations to the NDIA, plan managers, support coordinators, and other relevant parties
To facilitate NDIS funding requests and plan reviews
To meet compliance requirements under NDIS Practice Standards, NDIS Code of Conduct, and AHPRA registration standards
To review, evaluate, develop and improve our services
To meet our statutory and regulatory obligations
For other purposes required or authorised by or under law, including purposes for which you have provided your express or implied consent

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Golden Wattle OT uses and discloses personal information for the purposes for which it was collected – that is, in accordance with the relevant primary purpose outlined above.

We may also use and disclose personal information for other purposes where the individual provides consent for a use or disclosure or where use or disclosure is required or authorised by or under an Australian law or court/tribunal order.

Golden Wattle OT may disclose your personal information to:

The organisation or person who referred you to our services (such as your support coordinator, plan manager, family member, GP, employer, or insurer)
Medical practitioners and/or allied health professionals engaged by us to provide services or contribute to multidisciplinary assessments
Your treating healthcare providers (with your consent)
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for the purposes of plan reviews, funding requests, and compliance
Plan managers and support coordinators involved in your NDIS plan
Builders, access consultants, occupational therapists, and trades involved in home modification assessments and implementation
Assistive technology suppliers and prescribers
Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers
Persons or organisations assisting Golden Wattle OT in carrying out our functions, including administrative support, IT service providers, and case management software providers (e.g., Splose)
Accounting and financial services providers
Parties involved in a prospective or actual transfer of our assets or business
Regulatory bodies including AHPRA, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and the Australian Taxation Office

We may also disclose general information to government agencies, insurers, lawyers and other third parties who deal with Golden Wattle OT as part of our delivery of services.

Golden Wattle OT does not routinely disclose personal information to overseas recipients. If overseas disclosure becomes necessary (for example, cloud-based storage with international servers), we will ensure compliance with the Privacy Act and obtain your consent where required.

What Happens if Personal Information Is Not Provided?

If you do not provide us with accurate or complete personal information when requested, Golden Wattle OT may not be able to provide you with the relevant service or information you require. This may include being unable to complete a comprehensive occupational therapy assessment, submit reports to the NDIA or plan managers, make evidence-based recommendations for NDIS funding, or coordinate with other healthcare providers or multidisciplinary team members.

How We Protect Your Personal Information

We may store your personal information in hard copy or electronic format on controlled systems which are secured against unauthorised access. We safeguard your personal information via robust security measures, including (but not limited to):

Use of strong passwords and multifactor authentication on phones and computers
Mobile phones, laptops and files to be kept with staff or in a secure place
Secure cloud-based case management system (Splose) with encryption
Secure cloud-based accounting system (Xero) with encryption
Regular security updates and software patches
Locked filing cabinets for hard copy files
Confidential document destruction for files no longer required

We will appropriately destroy, erase or de-identify any personal information that is no longer required for any purpose described in this privacy policy or under any applicable laws and do not keep personal and health information longer than necessary. We retain clinical records in accordance with AHPRA and NDIS record-keeping requirements (minimum 7 years from last service provision).

Use of Our Website and Privacy

When you use our website (www.goldenwattleot.com.au), Golden Wattle OT may collect the personal information that you have provided.

We use network tools to identify your web browser, this may include the use of cookies and other technologies. Cookies are used to assist in enhancing your browsing experience. Cookies do not reveal your email address, however we may record this if you transmit it to us electronically.

Golden Wattle OT’s website may contain links to other websites; this privacy policy has no application to any external website.

Updating or Correcting Your Personal Information

Your personal information needs to be up-to-date for us to perform our services. During the course of our relationship with you, we will endeavour to ask you to tell us of any changes to your personal information. You may request correction of your personal information by contacting us via email or phone using the details provided below.

We will take all reasonable steps to correct personal information to ensure it is accurate, up-to-date, complete, relevant and not misleading. If we correct the information, all relevant stakeholders will be advised of the correction and notice will be provided to the individual including reasons and available complaint mechanisms if the correction is refused.

How You Can Access Your Personal Information

You may access the personal information we hold about you by making a request in writing to us at alexandra@goldenwattleot.com.au detailing the information you are requesting and providing sufficient proof of identity.

We will confirm further details regarding associated costs, procedure and timeframes. We will typically respond to requests within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable administration fee for provision of the information. If we withhold access in accordance with the Privacy Act, we will give you written reasons.

Data Breach

Golden Wattle OT has policies and procedures in place for handling any suspected privacy breaches. We will investigate suspected breaches to ensure that the cause is identified and corrective actions are implemented. Where applicable, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Privacy Complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about your privacy or any query about how we manage your personal information, please contact us using the details below. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Our Contact Details

Email: alexandra@goldenwattleot.com.au

Phone: 0433 945 421

Mail: Golden Wattle Occupational Therapy Services Pty Ltd

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Website: www.oaic.gov.au

Phone: 1300 363 992

Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

This privacy policy was last updated: April 2026

Golden Wattle Occupational Therapy Services Pty Ltd

ABN: 38 693 820 870