Website Privacy

Kelso Lawyers respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. Kelso Lawyers is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Our Privacy Policy outlines our obligations in managing personal information about our clients, potential clients and others.

What kinds of personal information do we collect and hold?

We collect and hold the following personal information:

• your contact details such as: home address, telephone numbers and email address;
• your personal details such as: date and place of birth, gender, qualifications, titles, whether you are Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander, name and contact details of your authorised contact person and/or counsellor/therapist;
• information about the nature of your claim including records that you have provided to us, a medico-legal report where commissioned and a victim impact statement which details your
• key life events, the nature of abuse you experienced and its impact on your life;
• your records from any time you spent in institutional care, the ATO, Centrelink and Medicare as well as your medical records, work history, information relating to any compensation claims to the extent that these are relevant to the work we do for you;
• records of your communications and other interactions with us; and
• any other records that are relevant in establishing the work that you employ us to do.

In this Privacy Policy we refer to this as your personal information.

How do we collect and hold your personal information?

We collect your personal information in a number of ways including:

• directly from you either via email, mail, over the phone or in person;
• via information you provide in a Claimant Information Sheet sent to you when you initially enquire with Kelso Lawyers about seeking compensation;
• via an enquiry you make on the Kelso Lawyers website (kelsolawyers.com) or our Royal Commission website (royalcommission.com.au);
• from a third party such as family members and friends, the Department of Family & Community Services, the ATO, Centrelink, Medicare, medical authorities such as doctors, therapists, and hospitals.

What would happen if we did not collect your personal information?

Without your personal information we will not be able to act for you in relation to your claim.

Why we collect and hold your personal information

We collect and hold your personal information to:

• provide legal services to establish your claim, gather information to support your claim,
• present a case to the other side and where possible secure a settlement for you;
• provide your personal information to third parties (such as the defending institution, their solicitor and/or insurance company, to medical authorities such as doctors, hospitals,
  reporting psychologists etc) as required to progress your claim. At all times, these disclosures are limited to the extent of what is necessary to be disclosed to a particular party
  and is conducted in accordance with the law;
• analyse individually or in combination with other clients’ information for internal reporting,
• claim and practice management and marketing purposes;
• publish case studies and testimonials on our websites (kelsolawyers.com and royalcommission.com.au) and our Facebook page where these have been specifically authorised by you.

Use and Disclosure of your personal information
We do not use your personal information or disclose it to another organisation unless:

• it is reasonably necessary for the purposes described above;
• it is required or authorised by law or court or tribunal;
• it is necessary to protect your health and/or personal safety or that of another person, and it
• is unreasonable or impracticable to obtain your consent;
• the assets and operations of Kelso Lawyers are transferred to another firm as a going concern; or
• you have provided your consent.

Disclosure overseas
There may be situations where we need to seek information from services you attended in other countries or to consult psychological professionals or barristers who are based overseas regarding your claim. In such circumstances, we will be required to disclose your personal information to parties outside Australia.

If you do not want your personal information to be disclosed
If you do not want your personal information to be disclosed (for example to a particular third-party) you need to tell us immediately in writing. We will accommodate your request provided that the disclosure is not required by law.

Accessing your personal information held by us
You have the right to access your personal information held by us and request any errors to be corrected, unless we are prevented from doing so in law. Please send all requests to access and correct your personal information to the solicitor handling your matter. If you don’t know who the solicitor managing your claim is, please call Kelso Lawyers on 02 4907 4200.

Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have dealt with your personal information or believe that we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact our General Manager on 02 9407 4200.

We will endeavour to resolve your complaint as soon as possible. At the least, we will resolve your complaint within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, please let us know your concerns. If we are not able to reach a satisfactory resolution, you may refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992.

Storage and security of personal information
We take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information we hold from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.