Kookaburra Community Care Pty Ltd (ABN 31 698 256 852) provides disability supports on the Central Coast of NSW. Because the work we do involves caring for people with disability, we handle personal and health information, and we're bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
This policy explains what information we collect, why, how we look after it, and what you can do if you have a question or concern. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean Kookaburra Community Care.
What we collect
About the people we support
- Name, date of birth, address and contact details, and those of your family, nominee or guardian
- NDIS number, plan details and funding information
- Health and disability information — such as medical conditions, medications, allergies, behaviour support plans, risk assessments and support needs
- Your goals, preferences, routines and cultural needs
- Records of the supports we provide, including shift notes, progress reports and incident reports
About referrers and other professionals
- Name, role, organisation and contact details of support coordinators, plan managers, health professionals and others involved in a person's support
About job applicants and workers
- Contact details, work history, qualifications, references, availability, and screening and training records such as the NDIS Worker Screening Check
About website visitors
- The details you choose to send us through our referral, application or contact forms
Health information is sensitive information. We only collect it with your consent (or your nominee's or guardian's), or where the law allows or requires it — for example, to prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
How we collect it
Wherever possible we collect information directly from you — in person, by phone, by email or through our website. With your consent, we may also receive information from your family, nominee or guardian, support coordinator, plan manager, the NDIA, health professionals, behaviour support practitioners and other providers involved in your support.
You can make a general enquiry without giving your name. We can't provide or plan supports without knowing who you are.
Why we use it
- To plan, deliver and review your supports safely and in line with your goals
- To coordinate with the people and services involved in your support
- To meet our obligations under NDIS rules — including incident management and reporting, and reporting on authorised restrictive practices
- To invoice for supports through the NDIA, your plan manager or you
- To recruit, train, roster and manage our workers
- To respond to referrals, enquiries, feedback and complaints
- To meet our legal, insurance and accounting obligations
We don't sell personal information, and we don't use it for marketing to third parties.
Who we share it with
We share information only as far as needed and, unless the law says otherwise, with your consent:
- Our workers who are involved in your support
- Members of your support team, such as your support coordinator, plan manager, health professionals and behaviour support practitioner
- Other NDIS providers we deliver supports in partnership with
- The NDIA and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, where required
- Emergency and health services in an emergency
- Service providers who help us run the business — such as rostering and client-record software, accounting software, email and IT services, and our accountant — who are required to keep it confidential
- Anyone else we're required or authorised to share it with by law
Overseas storage
Most of the personal information we hold about the people we support — client records, shift notes and rosters — is kept in ShiftCare, which stores all data, including backups, in Australia.
Some of the other services we use may store or access information outside Australia:
- Email and documents (Google Workspace) — stored in Google's data centres, which are located around the world, including in the United States.
- Accounting and invoicing (Xero) — information may be transferred to countries such as New Zealand and the United States.
- Website forms (Netlify) — referral, job application and contact form submissions are stored in the United States.
We choose providers with strong security and take reasonable steps to make sure they handle information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Keeping it safe
- Records are kept in secure, password-protected systems, with access limited to the people who need it
- Paper records and medications are kept in locked storage
- Workers are trained in privacy and confidentiality, and agree to keep information confidential
- We keep records for as long as the law and NDIS rules require, then securely destroy or de-identify them
If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we'll notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Access and correction
You can ask to see the information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it if it's wrong, out of date or incomplete. Contact us using the details below. There's no charge to make a request, and we aim to respond within 30 days. In limited circumstances the law allows us to refuse access — if that happens, we'll explain why in writing.
Complaints
If you're worried about how we've handled your information, please tell us first — in writing, by email or post. We'll acknowledge your complaint, look into it, and aim to give you a response within 30 days.
If you're not satisfied with our response, or haven't heard back within 30 days, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Complaints to the OAIC must be in writing — use the OAIC's online complaint form, or call 1300 363 992 for general help.
For concerns about the quality or safety of NDIS supports, you can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 or at contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au. Making a complaint will never affect the supports you receive from us.
Our website
Information you submit through our website forms is received by our website host, Netlify, and emailed to our team. Netlify stores form submissions in the United States. Please don't include health details in website forms; we'll collect those securely once we're in touch. Our website doesn't use cookies, analytics or any other tracking.
Contact us
For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact our Privacy Officer:
Noah Tomkins, Director
Kookaburra Community Care Pty Ltd
admin@kookaburracare.com · 0429 824 759
You can ask for a copy of this policy in another format — for example, printed or in Easy Read — free of charge. We may update this policy from time to time; the latest version will always be on this page.