Privacy Statement for the GambleAware Digital Platform
Introduction
The Office of Responsible Gambling, in partnership with GambleAware providers, is dedicated to providing gambling-related treatment and support services. This Privacy Statement outlines how we collect, use, and handle your personal and health information in the course of providing these services.In this Statement, when we use 'we', 'us' or 'our', we are referring to the Office of Responsible Gambling. When we use ‘you’ or ‘your’ we are referring to the reader as an individual.
About this Statement
This Statement provides an overview of how we handle your personal information in line with our obligations under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.
Collection of Information
The Office of Responsible Gambling collects personal and health information necessary for delivering treatment and support services, including counselling. The collection of this information helps in scheduling treatment appointments, contacting you for follow-up appointments, seeking feedback on services received, investigating complaints or incidents, and facilitating your ongoing gambling treatment and care.
Providing your information to the Office of Responsible Gambling is voluntary. By accepting our terms, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of certain personal information to treatment providers as necessary for your care.
Personal Information
What 'personal information' is
Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion.
References to personal information in this Statement may also include health information. Health information is a type of personal information that is about your health or disability.
Why we collect personal information
We collect and handle your personal information when it relates to us fulfilling one of our functions or activities.
We may need to collect your personal information to
This may include information about related sessions or services from other partner agencies such as but not limited to multicultural services, the GambleAware helpline, and/or statewide services.
A partner agency is any Commonwealth, state or local government agency or other organisation that the Office of Responsible Gambling may partner with to deliver a service.
How we use or disclose your personal information
Your personal information will normally be used or disclosed for the primary purpose that it was collected for or a directly related secondary purpose. This may also involve another government or related partner agency.
If we disclose your personal information to another agency it will also be bound by privacy law.
Your personal information may be used or disclosed to help prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to life or health, or where we are otherwise authorised or required to do so by law.
Most of the personal information the Office of Responsible Gambling collects will be used or disclosed to assist you to complete your treatment. This may include:
We also maintain and use information collected about you for our internal administrative purposes, including for the purpose of managing our interactions with you.
Information collected is primarily used to assist with planning, service development, program evaluation, quality control, and research. It ensures the effective delivery of gambling-related treatment and support services.
Personal identifiable information entered into the GambleAware Digital Platform is protected. The Office of Responsible Gambling cannot view this information, ensuring your privacy and confidentiality.
Notification and messages
You can choose not to receive some communications or messages from us. This includes general communications material or information sent by us or by our partner agencies. These communications will contain information relating to the Office of Responsible Gambling, though may contain other relevant information from government agencies or our partners.
There are some notifications or messages that you cannot opt-out of. For example, when it relates to a counselling session you have completed with one of our providers or when it is relevant to your privacy or the security of your personal information.
We may also send you information to help prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to life or health, or where we are otherwise authorised or required to do so by law.
Protecting personal information
We are committed to protecting your personal and health information from unauthorised access, use, modification, and disclosure. Various security measures, including data encryption and physical security protocols, are employed to safeguard your information. For example, we use:
Your data will only be kept as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and will be disposed of appropriately, in accordance with legal requirements.
You can contact our service desk on [email] or [phone] if you have identified any issues or potential vulnerabilities that might pose a risk to the information we hold.
Your Choices
Accepting the terms allows the use of your data on the GambleAware Digital Platform for the purposes outlined. Declining will not affect your treatment, relationship with your clinician, or the quality of services provided to you.
You have the right to access and correct your personal information held by us. Instructions for accessing or correcting your data are provided through our service channels, including the service desk.
Privacy Enquiries and Complaints
For any enquiries or complaints regarding the handling of your personal information, or if you experience difficulties accessing or correcting your information, please contact:
info@responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au
This statement may be updated to reflect new laws, changes in technology, and our operations. We encourage you to review it periodically.