Privacy Policy

Effective date: 20 August 2026

Far West Chiropractic (“we”, “us”, “our”, “the Clinic”) provides chiropractic care to patients in Broken Hill, New South Wales. We understand that the personal and health information you share with us is sensitive, and we are committed to handling it responsibly, securely, and in accordance with Australian privacy law.

This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we collect it, why we use and disclose it, how we keep it secure, and how you can access, correct, or raise concerns about your information. It applies to our patients, website visitors, and anyone else who contacts us.

A note on our legal obligations: Far West Chiropractic is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). As a provider of health services, we are covered by these obligations regardless of our annual turnover - the “small business exemption” that applies to many small Australian businesses does not apply to us because we collect and hold health information. As a business operating in New South Wales, we are also subject to the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) (HRIP Act) and the Health Privacy Principles it sets out.

1 - The Information We Collect

Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect: identity and contact information (your name, date of birth, residential address, phone number, email address, and emergency contact details); health information/sensitive information (your medical and treatment history, presenting complaints, examination findings, diagnoses, chiropractic treatment notes and care plans, X-ray or other imaging reports and referrals, information from your GP or other treating practitioners, and any Medicare, DVA, or private health fund details relevant to your treatment or claims); billing and payment information (payment details, health fund membership and claim information, and Medicare or DVA numbers where relevant); booking and communication information (appointment history, booking preferences, and records of emails, SMS messages, or phone calls between you and the Clinic); and website information (technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, and details you submit through our online contact form).

2 – How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information directly from you wherever practicable, including when you complete a new patient or health history form, book or manage an appointment through our online booking system, speak with our staff or practitioners in person, by phone, or in writing, submit an enquiry through the contact form on our website, or provide feedback or respond to a survey.

In some circumstances, and where it is not practicable to collect information directly from you, we may collect information from other sources - for example, from a referring doctor or specialist, another treating practitioner, your health fund, Medicare, an emergency contact you have nominated, or a family member or carer assisting with your care. We only do this with your consent or where the law otherwise permits it. We may also collect limited technical information automatically when you visit our website, through cookies and similar analytics tools (see Section 6).

3 – Why We Collect, Use and Disclose Your Information

Primary purpose: we collect your personal and health information primarily to assess your condition, provide chiropractic treatment and care, manage your appointments, and process payments, health fund claims, and Medicare or DVA rebates where applicable.

Related secondary purposes: we may also use your information to send appointment reminders and confirmations by SMS or email, follow up on your care and treatment outcomes, maintain accurate clinical and business records, meet our professional, insurance, and regulatory obligations, and respond to enquiries or feedback you send us.

Marketing: with your consent, we may send you newsletters or information about clinic services. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe option included in the message - this will not affect clinical communications such as appointment reminders.

We will not use or disclose your sensitive health information for a purpose other than the primary purpose for which it was collected, unless you would reasonably expect us to do so, you have consented, or the use or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law (for example, a subpoena or a serious public health or safety risk).

4 – Who We May Share Your Information With

We disclose personal information only where necessary, and may share it with: other healthcare providers involved in your care, such as your GP or a specialist you have been referred to or from, generally with your consent or where necessary to provide safe and coordinated care; Medicare, DVA, and private health funds, for the purpose of processing claims and rebates; our service providers, including Cliniko, our online booking, practice management, and appointment reminder software provider, our website hosting and analytics providers, and our IT support providers, each of whom is only given the information needed to perform their function for us; regulators, insurers, and legal advisers, where required to meet our legal, insurance, or professional obligations, or to respond to a legal process; and anyone else you direct us to, or as otherwise required or authorised by law. We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5 – Overseas Storage and Disclosure

We use Cliniko as our online booking, practice management, and appointment reminder software. Cliniko stores the data of its Australian customers, including Far West Chiropractic, on servers located in Australia. This means your booking, clinical record, and appointment reminder (SMS and email) information held in Cliniko is not transferred overseas.

Our website hosting provider is located in the United States, so technical and contact-form information collected through our website (see Section 6) may be stored or processed on servers in the US. Where information is disclosed or stored overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the relevant provider protects it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

6 – Our Website, Cookies and Online Forms

Our website may use cookies and similar analytics technologies to understand how visitors use the site and to improve its content and performance. This information is generally de-identified and does not include health information unless you choose to include it in a message sent through our contact form. You can adjust your browser settings to limit or block cookies, though this may affect some website features.

7 – Direct Marketing and Appointment Reminders

We may send you appointment reminders and confirmations by SMS or email as part of managing your care. If you have consented to receive marketing communications such as newsletters or clinic updates, you may opt out at any time by replying to the message, using the unsubscribe link, or contacting us using the details in Section 12.

8 – Data Quality and Security

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, and up to date, and we encourage you to let us know if your details change. We protect your information through a combination of physical safeguards (such as secure storage and restricted access to our premises and paper records) and technical safeguards (such as password-protected systems, access controls limiting staff access to information they need to perform their role, and secure, reputable software providers). When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, subject to our record-keeping obligations below.

9 – How Long We Keep Your Information

Under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), we are required to retain health records for a minimum of 7 years from the date of your last consultation. If you were under 18 years of age at your last consultation, we are required to retain your records until you turn 25. We may retain records for longer where necessary for legal, insurance, or professional reasons.

10 – Access to and Correction of Your Information

You have the right to request access to the personal and health information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. To make a request, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable time. We may need to verify your identity before providing access, and in limited circumstances permitted by law we may need to decline or restrict access - if so, we will explain our reasons.

11 – Data Breaches

We have processes in place to identify, contain, and respond to data breaches. If a breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

12 – Complaints and How to Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy, or wish to access or correct your information, make a privacy complaint, or withdraw consent to marketing, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Clinic: Far West Chiropractic | Address: 119 Oxide Street, Broken Hill NSW 2880 | Phone: 08 8088 3229 | Email: cooper@farwestchiropractic.com.au | Website: www.farwestchiropractic.com.au

We take complaints seriously and will investigate and respond to you within a reasonable time, generally within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992, or with the NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) at www.ipc.nsw.gov.au.

13 – Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on our website, and the effective date at the top of this document will be updated accordingly.