Legal

Privacy policy

To size a chest support properly we sometimes need to know about your surgery. That is health information, and Australian law treats it as sensitive. This page sets out exactly what we collect, why, who else sees it, and how to get it back or have it corrected.

Posthorax Australia (ABN 34 685 722 909) handles personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

1. Who we are

Posthorax Australia (ABN 34 685 722 909) supplies POSTHORAX^® external thoracic support devices in Australia and New Zealand. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Posthorax Australia; “you” means anyone who contacts us, orders from us, or uses posthorax.com.au.

We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the thirteen Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. Because we handle health information, we treat it as sensitive information under section 6 of that Act — which means a higher bar for collecting it and a narrower set of uses.

2. What we collect

We only collect what we reasonably need to answer you, size a device, deliver it and keep the records the law requires.

• Contact and delivery details

  Your name, delivery and billing address, phone number and email address.

• Health information — only what sizing needs

  A chest measurement, the type of surgery you have had or are booked for, and your surgery date, if you choose to tell us. You do not have to. We collect it only with your consent, and only where it is reasonably necessary to recommend or supply the right device (APP 3.3). Please do not send us clinical records, imaging or diagnoses — we do not need them and we do not want to hold them.

• Order and payment records

  What you bought, the size and fit, the amount, the tax invoice, and the Stripe reference for the payment. We never receive or store your full card number. Card details are entered on Stripe’s own checkout page; we see only a confirmation that payment succeeded and the last four digits.

• Correspondence

  Emails, enquiry-form messages and notes of phone calls, so whoever picks up next knows what was already discussed.

• Technical information

  Our web server keeps standard access logs, including IP addresses, for security and abuse prevention. Form submissions are rate-limited per IP address for the same reason.

3. Cookies and this website

This website sets no advertising cookies, no tracking pixels and no third-party analytics. Your basket is held in your own browser’s local storage on your device — it is not sent to us until you choose to check out, and clearing your browser data clears it.

If we add analytics later, we will update this policy first and ask for consent where consent is required.

4. Why we collect it

• —To answer your question, and to help you choose a size and a device
• —To take payment, dispatch your order and issue a tax invoice
• —To handle exchanges, returns and warranty claims
• —To meet our obligations under tax, consumer and therapeutic goods law, including any adverse-event reporting we are required to make
• —To keep our site and our mailboxes secure

We will not use your information for a different purpose without telling you, unless the law requires or permits it.

5. Marketing

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not add customers to a marketing list as a matter of course. If we ever send you commercial email you will have asked for it, it will identify us, and it will carry a working unsubscribe — as the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) requires. Unsubscribing never affects your order, your warranty or your ability to get help on the phone.

6. Who else sees your information

Only the parties we need to involve to get a device to your door, and only the part of it they need:

Some of these providers store or process information overseas, so an overseas disclosure may occur under APP 8. We take reasonable steps to ensure they handle it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles. We do not disclose your health information to your health fund, your employer or anyone else without your consent.

7. Keeping it safe, and how long we keep it

The site is served over HTTPS, our order and enquiry records are held in access-controlled systems, and only the people who need them can open them. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access.

We keep order and tax records for at least five years, as Australian tax law requires. Sizing notes and correspondence are kept while they are useful to support you, then destroyed or de-identified.

If a data breach occurs that is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.

8. Access, correction and deletion

You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Call 1300 707 222 or email sales@posthorax.com.au marked for the attention of the Privacy Officer.

We will verify who you are, then respond within 30 days. Access is free; if a request is complex enough to involve a cost we will tell you what it is before we start. If we refuse access or a correction we will explain why in writing and how to complain about it. We may need to keep some records even after a deletion request — tax records, for instance — and we will tell you if that applies.

9. Dealing with us anonymously

You can ask general questions about the devices, sizing or the evidence without telling us who you are. We will need your details only if you want us to send you something or to follow up.

10. Complaints

If you think we have mishandled your information, tell us first — most things are fixed in a phone call. Write to the Privacy Officer, Posthorax Australia, PO Box 1412, Capalaba QLD 4157, or email sales@posthorax.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can take it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

11. Changes to this policy

We review this policy at least once a year, and whenever we change how we handle information. The version and review date at the top of this page tell you which edition you are reading. Material changes will be noted here before they take effect.

Questions about your information

Ask for the Privacy Officer. We would rather answer a question than have you wonder.