Protecting your data

Your privacy and data is important

EMPHN collects and holds personal information from individuals and organisations. We use that information to develop and support programs that will improve health outcomes for our community. However, handling personal information comes with risk that needs to be mitigated. Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect and how we use it, what we share with other organisations, how we protect you and your information, and what you can do if you believe the information we hold about you is inaccurate.

Our Data Breach Response Statement explains how we manage data breaches if they occur. Any unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss of personal, commercial or confidential information – whether caused by malicious acts, human error or system failure – triggers EMPHN’s systems to urgently contain the breach and notify the appropriate authorities and individuals at risk of serious harm.


Our privacy principles

EMPHN’s Privacy Policy is closely aligned to the Australian Privacy Principles within the Privacy Act; and owing to the higher standards afforded to the sensitive and health information of health consumers, we also have aligned our policy with both the Commonwealth and Victoria Health Records Acts, and the Victorian Privacy and Data Protection Act.

This policy outlines our commitment to fulfilling our obligations and living up to our principles:

  • We are transparent about what personal information we collect, and how personal information will be used, including secondary uses
  • We have processes to protect each individual’s privacy and their personal, sensitive and health information – with particular care for vulnerable health consumers; and cognisant of the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and consumers facing additional language or accessibility barriers, or difficulties stemming from complex health challenges