Privacy Policy
Who we are
In this Privacy Policy “we”, “our”, and “us” refers to Avant Mutual Group Limited ABN 58 123 154 898, and each of its related entities including Avant Insurance Limited ABN 82 003 707 471 AFSL 238765, The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Limited ABN 68 001 417 527, Doctors Financial Services Pty Ltd ABN 56 610 510 328, Avant Foundation Trust ABN 27 179 743 817 and MyPracticeManualABN 16 150 460 129, trading as PraciceHub. We offer professional indemnity insurance, health insurance, life risk insurance and other general insurance products and services as well as member services. We may maintain additional rules, practices and policies, which are consistent with this Privacy Policy.
Purpose
We are committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information and to handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the “Privacy Act”) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
This Privacy Policy explains how and why we collect, use, hold and disclose your personal information.
This Privacy Policy is current from August 2016. From time to time we make changes to our policies, processes and systems. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes to how we handle your personal information. This Privacy Policy applies to you only to the extent that the collection and handling of your personal information by us is subject to the Privacy Act.
This Privacy Policy explains how and why we collect, use, hold and disclose your personal information.
This Privacy Policy is current from August 2016. From time to time we make changes to our policies, processes and systems. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes to how we handle your personal information. This Privacy Policy applies to you only to the extent that the collection and handling of your personal information by us is subject to the Privacy Act.
Collection
Personal information is information or an opinion (regardless of its accuracy or form) about an individual, or from which the identity of a person is reasonably identifiable. The personal information collected and stored by us about you (and other people) may include your name, residential and email address, date of birth, gender, health information, details of claims, complaints, incidents and proceedings regarding you or others covered on your policy, credit card and direct debit details, your claims and insurance history and status, practice details, education details and contact details. When you apply for or we need to facilitate a specific product or service, we may also collect information from you related to that product or service.
You are not required to give us your personal information. However, we may not be able to provide you with the products or services that you request of us without your personal information.
You are not required to give us your personal information. However, we may not be able to provide you with the products or services that you request of us without your personal information.
Collection of personal information of patients and other people
Where necessary, we may also collect your personal information from someone else, such as:
- if you are a patient, your health practitioner;
- if you are covered under one of our policies as a dependent, the policyholder; or
- if you are named under one of our joint policies (e.g. a family policy) one of your joint policyholders.
- If you provide information to us about another person, then you are responsible for obtaining that persons permission to disclose their personal information to us and telling the other person that you have provided information about them to us. You should also tell them who we are, that they may access their personal information, and that we will treat their personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
If you are a policyholder and there are other persons covered on your policy, then unless we are notified otherwise, we may disclose the personal information of all persons covered on the policy to you. Likewise, we may disclose your personal information to your joint policyholders and to any other person who you have authorised to have access to your policy.
If you are a health practitioner, we recommend you check that your place of work has a privacy policy in place and a notice displayed which informs patients that they may, from time to time, pass on personal information about patients to us.
Collection of sensitive information
If you apply for membership, for certain insurance products, for services such as medico-legal advice or risk advice, or make a claim under a policy, we may need to collect sensitive information about you. In administering policies and providing services to you, we may also need to collect sensitive information about your patients if you are a health practitioner, or the other persons covered on your policy if you hold a policy with us. Depending on the policy or service, this sensitive information may include details about income, health and medical issues, and criminal history.
If we collect sensitive information about you, we do so in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. In this Privacy Policy, a reference to personal information includes sensitive information.
If we collect sensitive information about you, we do so in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. In this Privacy Policy, a reference to personal information includes sensitive information.
Collection of your personal information from third parties
Whenever possible, we collect your personal information from you. However, there may be occasions when we collect personal information about you from someone else. For example, you may apply for a product or service through a broker, corporate group, association or financial adviser.
We may also obtain information about you from other insurers if, for example, we need to obtain details of prior claims, and our related entities. We may also obtain information about you from medical providers, government bodies or other professional experts in order to provide you with a policy or assess or facilitate a claim you make.
Irrespective of the source of the information, we respect and protect the privacy of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We may also obtain information about you from other insurers if, for example, we need to obtain details of prior claims, and our related entities. We may also obtain information about you from medical providers, government bodies or other professional experts in order to provide you with a policy or assess or facilitate a claim you make.
Irrespective of the source of the information, we respect and protect the privacy of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Use
We will only use your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles, including with respect to the purposes for which it is collected, to provide, administer and improve our products and services, and for marketing purposes. For example, if you apply for membership or insurance with us, we may collect and use your personal information to:
- assess your application
- underwrite and price any policy
- issue and administer any policy
- provide assistance, legal advice and legal defence
- provide risk management and education services
- provide medico-legal and ethical advice
- investigate, assess and pay any claim made by or against you under your policy,
- contact you as necessary on issues relating to your insurance or our services,
- processing your survey responses for the purpose(s) notified in the survey, and
- any other purpose identified at the time of collecting your information.
We also need to collect, use and store your personal information so that we can answer any questions you may have regarding our products or services.
Personal information will only be handled for purposes notified to you, purposes that you would reasonably expect, any purpose that you consent to (including consent provided under this Privacy Policy) or as otherwise required by law.
Sharing and disclosure of your information
In providing and administering our insurance and other member services, we may need to disclose your personal information to third parties including our distributors, agents and brokers, other insurers and reinsurers, solicitors, professional advisers, actuaries, government regulatory bodies, tribunals, courts of law, hospitals, doctors and other ancillary providers, debt collection agents and those involved in managing corporate risk or strategies. We may also disclose personal information to our related entities (this excludes sensitive information, except where it is in de-identified form, unless you have consented to disclosure to related entities).
We may disclose information about you to outside contractors in connection with carrying out activities on our behalf, for example such contractors may include a mailing house, marketing agencies, technology or other service providers, solicitors or debt collection agencies. We impose security and confidentiality requirements on how they handle your personal information. Outside contractors are required not to use information about you for any purpose except for those activities we have asked them to perform. We may disclose your personal information in an emergency, investigation of suspected criminal activity or where we are otherwise authorised or required by law.
We may occasionally need to transfer or disclose your personal information to a foreign country, including the United Kingdom and the United States of America to administer a claim or incident relating to your policy, provide you with products and services or manage our relationship with you. You acknowledge that disclosure to third party service providers located overseas maybe required, and should this be necessary we will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the recipient will not hold, use or disclose that information in a manner which is inconsistent with the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles.
We may also from time to time provide de-identified statistical data to third parties for research purposes.
We may disclose information about you to outside contractors in connection with carrying out activities on our behalf, for example such contractors may include a mailing house, marketing agencies, technology or other service providers, solicitors or debt collection agencies. We impose security and confidentiality requirements on how they handle your personal information. Outside contractors are required not to use information about you for any purpose except for those activities we have asked them to perform. We may disclose your personal information in an emergency, investigation of suspected criminal activity or where we are otherwise authorised or required by law.
We may occasionally need to transfer or disclose your personal information to a foreign country, including the United Kingdom and the United States of America to administer a claim or incident relating to your policy, provide you with products and services or manage our relationship with you. You acknowledge that disclosure to third party service providers located overseas maybe required, and should this be necessary we will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the recipient will not hold, use or disclose that information in a manner which is inconsistent with the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles.
We may also from time to time provide de-identified statistical data to third parties for research purposes.
Receiving marketing material from us
It is our aim to provide you with a range of leading products and services offered by us and our related entities. To do this, we use the information that you provide to us for market research purposes so we can better understand your needs. We then provide you with information, marketing materials, and related publications by phone, text message, postal mail or email about products and services that we believe will be of interest to you, as well as access to offers and competitions. In particular, we may contact you about products and services we think may be of interest to you after you cease to hold an insurance policy with us. For example, we might contact you about renewing your old policy or taking out a new policy.
We may share your personal information on a confidential basis with our related entities so that they can also offer you products and services. Direct marketing will not contain any of your sensitive personal information. We provide you with a choice to opt out of our marketing activities, and will respect your request not to receive marketing material from us. If you do not wish to receive marketing material from us, we ask you to contact us and our related bodies corporate at any time or by following the opt out instructions provided in the marketing communication. You should inform us if you do not want your personal information to be used and disclosed for marketing purposes. We will implement your request as soon as we can, and apologise if you do receive any materials during the intervening period.
We may share your personal information on a confidential basis with our related entities so that they can also offer you products and services. Direct marketing will not contain any of your sensitive personal information. We provide you with a choice to opt out of our marketing activities, and will respect your request not to receive marketing material from us. If you do not wish to receive marketing material from us, we ask you to contact us and our related bodies corporate at any time or by following the opt out instructions provided in the marketing communication. You should inform us if you do not want your personal information to be used and disclosed for marketing purposes. We will implement your request as soon as we can, and apologise if you do receive any materials during the intervening period.
Security
We endeavour to keep personal information safe by taking all reasonable precautions to protect personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our staff receive training and information on the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act.
We keep your information so that we can continue to provide the products and services you have requested from us.
We keep your information so that we can continue to provide the products and services you have requested from us.
Accessing, updating, complaints and questions about personal information
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate, complete and up-to-date.
For access to personal information we hold about you, if you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, or if you have a complaint or question about the privacy of your personal information, we ask that you contact us:
For access to personal information we hold about you, if you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, or if you have a complaint or question about the privacy of your personal information, we ask that you contact us: