The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC, us, we) is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The Sunshine Coast Mind & Neuroscience – Thompson Institute (TI) is a research institute based at USC. TI is conducting the EMERALD program (the Program), a multi-faceted program based on foundational components of wellbeing and healthy lifestyle, to target symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness in participants.

This Privacy Policy (Policy) outlines the way in which USC collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information in relation to the Program only. For information on how USC handles personal information outside the scope of the Program, please see www.usc.edu.au/privacy.

By using our websites, applications and services, or otherwise providing us with your information, you consent to us collecting, holding, using and disclosing your personal information as described in this Policy.

If you do not consent, we may not be able to provide you with access to the Program or related services.

What is personal information?

In this Policy, personal information has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act), and includes information or an opinion, whether true or not, about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

What personal information do we collect?

The information that we collect depends on the nature of your interactions with us. We collect both personal information and non-personal information.

We may collect personal information about:

1. Individuals who contact us a with an enquiry, including applicants for the Program;
2. participants in the Program; and
3. other people who we encounter regarding the Program, such as providers of third-party applications used to deliver the Program.

In general, the personal information we may collect and hold from applicants to the Program includes name, street address, date of birth, gender identity and contact details (including phone numbers and email address).

Where applicants undergo screening to participate in (or actually participate in) the Program, we may collect and hold additional personal information including emergency contact information (such as emergency contact name, relationship and contact details), general practitioner name and contact details, education and qualifications, employment status, testimonials, feedback and other information which assists us in providing our services and meeting our legal obligations. We may also collect 'sensitive information', including health information and information about marital status and racial or ethnic origin, where it is reasonably necessary to provide the Program services to you.

We may collect and process additional personal and non-personal information provided to us by your browser when you visit our websites, complete our online forms and screening surveys or use applications related to the Program. This information may include the website you came from, your location information, IP address, web browser or device type and the time and date of access. We may also collect de-identified data from your participation in the Program for research purposes.

How do we collect and hold information?

We will generally collect personal information:

1. from you directly when you provide your details to us;
2. from you indirectly through emails, forms, face-to-face meetings, interviews, registration for and participation in learning modules, online queries and telephone conversations, and through use of the services available through our websites and applications related to the Program; and
3. from third parties in some instances, for example, we may use third parties to analyse traffic at our website which may involve the use of cookies. You can control your browser settings to limit the collection of cookies by us, however, if you choose to disable cookies, you may not be able to use certain features of our websites. In some circumstances we may collect personal information about an individual from a third party, for example, a report provided by a medical professional.

Wherever possible, we will collect personal information directly from you. Where we collect personal information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to inform you about the collection.

We will take reasonable steps to protect the security of your personal information from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure, for example by using physical security, restricting access to electronic records and through secure third-party applications and cloud hosting facilities.

Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

In general, we may collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the primary purposes for which it was collected, including:

1. to provide the Project services, including to communicate with you regarding the Project services;
2. to help us manage, develop and enhance the Project services, including our websites and applications;
3. to comply with our legal obligations; and
4. to administer, maintain, support and provide upgrades to our services and applications.

We may also use or disclose your personal information for other purposes which you consent to or which are required or permitted by law. These may include a secondary purpose that is related to a purpose for which we collected it, and for which you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose your personal information.

We may disclose your personal information (including, in certain limited circumstances, your sensitive information):

1. to third parties who assist us in providing our services (including hosting and data storage providers);
2. in the event you disclose an imminent risk of harm to yourself or others;
3. to your general practitioner or other treating medical professional;
4. for other purposes which you consent to or which are required or permitted by law. This may include a secondary purpose that is related to a purpose for which we collected it, and for which you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose your personal information.

We will not disclose your personal information to anyone outside Australia, unless you provide your consent.

How can you access and correct your personal information?

Subject to the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act, you may seek access to and correction of the personal information which we hold about you by contacting privacy@usc.edu.au. We will require you to verify your identity.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving communications, you can email us at TI_ClinicalServices@usc.edu.au to unsubscribe or update your preferences.

Links to other websites

We may provide links to websites and applications operated by third parties. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the privacy practices of any third-party website or application and we are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content. If you visit these websites or applications, they will be governed by their own terms of use (including privacy policies).

How you can make a privacy-related complaint

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complain about a breach of your privacy or the handling of your personal information by us, please contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@usc.edu.au . We may ask you to lodge your complaint in writing. Any complaint will be investigated by us and you will be notified of our decision in relation to your complaint as soon as is practicable after it has been made, usually within 30 days.

If we are unable to satisfactorily resolve your concerns about our handling of your personal information, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
Tel: 1300 363 992