Insights Categories: Privacy

Key lessons from ‘SD’ and ‘SE’ and Northside Clinic (Vic) Pty Ltd [2020] AlCmr 21 We recently published an article about the importance of protecting your patients’ private information, and what to do if there is an inadvertent disclosure of sensitive patient data. If you missed it, that article can be read here. In June […]

The Privacy (Australian Bushfires Disaster) Emergency Declaration (No 1) 2020 came into force on 20 January 2020 in response to bushfires in Australia resulting in death, injury and property damage occurring from August 2019 into 2020. The Emergency Declaration will expire on 20 January 2021. The Emergency Declaration was made under Part VIA of Privacy […]

Meridian Lawyers regularly assists health practitioners to respond to queries or complaints by AHPRA about their online advertising. In the process of providing this assistance, we are often asked by practitioners whether anything can be done about unfair testimonials that may be made about them on independent online platforms like Google. In an age where […]

Meridian Lawyers regularly assists health practitioners to respond to queries or complaints by AHPRA about their online advertising. In the process of providing this assistance, we are often asked by practitioners whether anything can be done about unfair testimonials that may be made about them on independent online platforms like Google. In an age where […]

It may seem an easier way in this technologically savvy world we inhabit, to simply record information or other data about patients, either by audio or visual means. This is attractive as records are correct and comprehensive and may be utilised in the defence of any complaint. However, there are legalities surrounding such records and […]

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (the OAIC) has released a Guide to Health Privacy to assist health care providers to understand their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) regarding the handling of sensitive health information about their patients and customers. Health care providers range from doctors, hospitals, allied health […]

Pharmacy data is a valuable resource and pharmacy owners are increasingly being asked to permit third parties to access their pharmacy computer systems for a range of purposes. Pharmacy owners need to be extremely cautious about permitting third parties to access their pharmacy computer systems and before doing so should ensure that they question and […]

Legislation in Victoria now protects the medical and counselling records of victims of sexual assault from disclosure in Court hearings.[1] The legislation is directed at:- ‘remedying the mischief of sexual assault victims being deterred from reporting or giving full information to doctors or counsellors in the course of their treatment, because of uncertainty and fear […]

On 22 February 2018, mandatory data breach notification requirements were incorporated into the Privacy Act 1988 (Act) and now apply to all entities regulated by the Act. Typically, health service providers such as pharmacists will be bound by the Act irrespective of the size of their business, because they provide a health service and because […]

The potential for inadvertent privacy breaches in the age of third party web providers became all too apparent for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (the “Blood Service”) recently, after it was discovered that the personal information relating to approximately 550,000 prospective blood donors was leaked on 5 September 2016. The circumstances of the breach […]

As of 12 March 2014, significant changes to the credit reporting regime under the Privacy Act 1998 (Cth) will impact on how dentists handle patients’ credit related information [1]. Are dentists credit providers? Do you provide credit in full or in part for at least seven days? Do you offer structured payment plans for your […]