Privacy Policy

This privacy policy describes how Aussie Speech Pathways processes the personal data collected from users of our online platform, this service, and our site. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant Australian privacy principles.

Data Controller

The data controller responsible for processing your personal data is:
Aussie Speech Pathways
360 Collins Street, Level 10, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia

Information We Collect

We collect various types of information from and about you when you use our site or services. This may include:

**Identity and Contact Data:** Such as your name, email address, phone number, professional title, employer or affiliation, and postal address.
**Professional Information:** Details about your professional background, qualifications, areas of interest in speech pathology, practice setting, and requirements for courses, supervision, or certification.
**Payment Data:** Information required to process payments for courses, services, or products, including billing address and payment card details. Please note that payment processing is typically handled by secure third-party payment processors.
**Usage Data:** Information about how you use our site and services, including your browsing history on our site, courses enrolled in or completed, interactions with course materials, performance data, and technical data such as IP address, browser type, operating system, and device information.
**Communication Data:** Any information you provide when you communicate with us, such as inquiries, feedback, or support requests.
**Marketing and Communications Data:** Your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.

We may also collect data provided through surveys, feedback forms, or participation in community forums or discussion boards associated with our services.

How We Collect Information

We collect information through various methods:

**Direct Interactions:** You provide data when you register for an account, enrol in a course, purchase a service, subscribe to our newsletter, participate in surveys, or communicate with us directly.
**Automated Technologies:** As you interact with our site, we may automatically collect Usage Data through cookies and similar technologies.
**Third Parties:** We may receive data from third parties, such as analytics providers, payment processors, or business partners.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for various purposes, including:

To provide and manage your access to our online platform and services, including delivering course content, managing your enrolments, and processing payments.
To provide clinical supervision or professional development services as agreed upon.
To communicate with you regarding your account, enrolments, services, and respond to your inquiries.
To personalize your experience on our site and tailor content to your interests and professional needs.
To improve our services, develop new programs, and enhance the functionality and user experience of our site.
To send you relevant marketing and promotional communications about our services, subject to your preferences and applicable law.
To manage our business operations, including accounting, auditing, and internal reporting.
To comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
For security purposes, to protect our services and users from fraud or other malicious activity.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

**Performance of a Contract:** Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g., providing courses, services).
**Legitimate Interests:** Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your fundamental rights do not override these interests (e.g., improving our services, marketing, fraud prevention).
**Consent:** Where required, we rely on your explicit consent for certain processing activities, particularly for sending marketing communications. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.
**Legal Obligation:** Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation we are subject to (e.g., tax or regulatory requirements).

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We may share your personal data with:

**Service Providers:** Trusted third parties who provide services on our behalf, such as payment processing, hosting, analytics, and customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.
**Instructors, Supervisors, and Mentors:** When you enrol in specific courses or programs, relevant data may be shared with instructors, clinical supervisors, or mentors involved in delivering that service.
**Legal and Regulatory Authorities:** We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
**Business Transfers:** In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal data may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the type of data and the purpose for which it is used.

Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law (such as GDPR), you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, including:

**Right of Access:** Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
**Right to Rectification:** Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
**Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten'):** Request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
**Right to Restriction of Processing:** Request restriction of processing your data under certain conditions.
**Right to Object to Processing:** Object to processing of your data under certain conditions, particularly where based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
**Right to Data Portability:** Request that we transfer the data we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
**Right to Withdraw Consent:** Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your personal data.
**Right to Lodge a Complaint:** Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. For individuals in the European Union, this would be the relevant data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the Contact section below. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your data or to exercise any of your other rights.

International Data Transfers

Your data may be stored and processed in Australia or other countries where our service providers are located. These countries may have data protection laws different from those in your country. We will take appropriate steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy and applicable law, which may include using standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

Third-Party Links

Our site may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our site, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate legal basis, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our site or through other appropriate communication channels. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Aussie Speech Pathways
360 Collins Street, Level 10, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia