Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026

Townsville Dental Clinic (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy outlines how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

Patient information:

• Name, contact details (phone, email, postal address)
• Date of birth and health fund membership details
• Medical and dental history, including current medications and allergies
• Treatment records, clinical notes, and X-rays
• Payment and billing information

Website information:

• IP address, browser type, operating system, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Cookie identifiers and session data

We collect personal information directly from you when you book an appointment, attend our clinic, complete a contact form on our website, or communicate with us by phone or email. We may also receive information from referring dentists, specialists, or other health providers involved in your care.

How We Use Your Information

Your information is used to:

• Provide dental care and treatment
• Manage appointments, reminders, and communications
• Process payments and health fund claims
• Comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations (including record-keeping requirements under Queensland health legislation)
• Improve our services and website experience
• Send appointment reminders and, where you have opted in, practice news or oral health information

We will not use your personal information for direct marketing without your consent. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any email.

Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how visitors use our site.

We use Google Analytics (measurement ID: G-X6KLGQTS59) to collect anonymised website usage data. Google Analytics uses cookies to track visitor interactions such as pages viewed, session duration, and traffic sources. This data is processed by Google in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy. No personally identifiable patient information is sent to Google Analytics.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, though doing so may affect website functionality.

Third-Party Services

We may share your personal information with the following third parties, only to the extent necessary to provide our services:

• Health funds — to process claims on your behalf
• Pathology and radiology providers — when specialist diagnostics are required
• Referring dentists or specialists — as part of coordinated care
• Payment processors — to process credit card and EFTPOS transactions securely
• Cloud service providers — who host our practice management systems, all of which store data within Australia or in jurisdictions with comparable privacy protections

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.

How We Protect Your Information

We implement appropriate security measures including:

• Secure, encrypted systems for storing patient records (AES-256 encryption at rest)
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Regular staff training on privacy obligations and data handling procedures
• Password-protected systems with multi-factor authentication
• Regular security reviews and software updates
• Compliance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the APPs

Data Retention

We retain patient clinical records for a minimum of seven years from the date of the last entry, or in the case of minors, until the patient reaches 25 years of age — in accordance with Queensland health record-keeping requirements and the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. After the retention period, records are securely destroyed.

Website analytics data is retained for 14 months in accordance with Google Analytics default settings.

Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information held by us
• Request correction of any information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date
• Request deletion of your information, subject to our legal and professional retention obligations
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time
• Request anonymity — you may use a pseudonym when enquiring about our services, though we require your real identity to provide clinical treatment

To make an access or correction request, please contact us using the details below. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

How to Make a Complaint

If you believe we have breached your privacy, you may lodge a complaint with us in the first instance using the contact details below. We will acknowledge your complaint within seven business days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

Contact

For privacy-related enquiries, access requests, or complaints, please use our contact form or write to: Privacy Officer, Townsville Dental Clinic, Townsville.