Privacy Policy · Equal Therapy

This privacy policy is published by Equal Therapy Pty Ltd (ABN 38 683 256 402), trading as Equal Therapy. Our head office is at 5 Stud Road, Dandenong VIC 3175.

We follow the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and the clinical record-keeping standards set by AHPRA, Speech Pathology Australia, the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Occupational Therapy Australia.

If you’re an NDIS participant, we also follow the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s rules on participant information.

We collect personal information so we can:

• Deliver therapy. Assess, plan, treat, and track progress in OT, Speech and Physio sessions.
• Bill correctly. Invoice the NDIS, your plan manager, Medicare or DVA, or you if you’re self-funded.
• Write reports. Plan reviews, progress reports and recommendations to your planner or support coordinator.
• Coordinate care. Share relevant info with your GP, paediatrician, school or other providers when you’ve asked us to.
• Follow up. Appointment reminders, follow-ups after discharge, and the occasional check-in if equipment is on order.
• Meet our obligations. AHPRA, NDIS Commission and clinical record-keeping standards.

We don’t use your clinical information for marketing. If you’ve subscribed to our newsletter, that’s a separate list and you can leave it any time.

Clinical records sit in encrypted, Australian-hosted practice management software. Backups are encrypted too. Staff access is role-based. Clinicians see their own caseload, admin sees what they need to schedule and invoice, nobody sees everything by default.

We keep clinical records for the period required by the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic): at least seven years from your last appointment, or until a child reaches 25, whichever is later. The period runs from the date of your last entry. After that, records are securely destroyed.

Paper records (like signed consent forms) are kept in locked storage at our Dandenong head office and digitised where practical.

We take security seriously, but no system is perfect. If a data breach happens and it is likely to cause you serious harm, we follow the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

That means we contain the breach, assess what happened, and notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable. We tell you what was involved and the steps you can take to protect yourself.

Due to the nature of the health services we provide, it is generally impracticable for us to deal with individuals who have not identified themselves. Accurate identification is required to ensure the safety and continuity of clinical care, to comply with our legal and professional obligations under applicable health legislation, and to meet the requirements of Medicare and private health insurance billing.

We sometimes collect government identifiers, such as your Medicare number, DVA file number or NDIS participant number. We use these only for billing and claiming through those schemes. We never use a government identifier as our own way of identifying you.

From time to time, we may receive personal or health information that we did not ask for. Where we receive unsolicited personal information, we promptly assess whether it is information we could have collected under our standard practices. If it is not, and the law allows, we destroy or de-identify it.

When we see you online, we confirm your identity at the start of each session. We tell you who else is present on our side, and we ask you to do the same.

We only record a session with your written consent. If we do not think telehealth is right for your situation, we say so and offer a home visit, an in-clinic session, or a referral instead.

We use an encrypted video platform. Please join from a private, quiet space where you can talk freely.

We do not upload to or view your My Health Record by default. If you ask us to add a report to your My Health Record, or to view it as part of your care, we only do so with your consent and in line with the My Health Records Act 2012 (Cth).

This website uses cookies to remember your preferences and to measure how pages perform. We may use:

• Google Analytics. Aggregated traffic data (pages viewed, session length, device type). No clinical info ever goes near it.
• Meta Pixel. Lets us measure whether our Facebook and Instagram ads are reaching the right people. Standard events only.
• Form data. When you fill in our intake or contact forms, we receive what you submitted. UTM parameters help us understand where you found us.

You can block cookies in your browser settings without affecting your ability to use the site. If you opt out of Google Analytics or Meta tracking through their controls, we’ll respect that too.

Google and Meta process some of this website data outside Australia, including in the United States. We never send clinical information to these tools. Your clinical records stay in Australia. We only load analytics and advertising cookies after you accept them in the banner on your first visit.

Content on this site is general information about our services. It isn’t individual clinical advice. For anything specific to your situation, speak to one of our clinicians or your GP.

What you tell your clinician stays confidential, with some limits set by law. We may need to share information without your consent if there is a serious risk to someone’s safety, if a child may be at risk and we have a mandatory reporting duty, if a court orders it, or if we are required to make a notification under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. The courts of Victoria, Australia have jurisdiction over any dispute.

We try hard to keep things accurate, but pricing, NDIS rules and service availability can change, so check with our team before relying on anything specific. Pages, layouts and copy are © Equal Therapy Pty Ltd.

We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 AA on every page. If something on this website isn’t working for you (screen reader, keyboard navigation, contrast, anything) let us know and we’ll fix it.

Email [email protected] or call (03) 7500 5696. We can also send information in larger print, plain text email, or arrange an interpreter for appointments.