Privacy policy

Timeframe for review: Every five (5) years, or earlier if required
Next major review to be completed by: June 2031
Content Owner: Governance Committee
Approval Authority: Governance Committee
Accessibility type: Public (website)
 

Version	Date of Version	Pages revised / Brief Explanation of Revision
v1	Dec-2001	Approved by Council. Subsequent changes in Dec-2006 and Jul-2011
v4	Jul-2014	Updated to comply with Australian Privacy Principles
v5	May-2017	Substantive revisions throughout
v6	Jun-2018	Inclusion of Supplement to the Policy
v6.1	April-2025	Removal of terms EMC, EMD, EMAD, and DipPHRM to reflect changes to training program titles
v7	June-2026	Contemporaneous review, with substantive revisions to Security (section 6.1)

This policy sets out the personal information handling practices of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; the College), including information available on the ACEM website.

The specific legal obligations of entities when collecting and handling personal information are outlined in the Australian Privacy Principles and other provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Australia) and the Information Privacy Principles and other provisions of the Privacy Act 2020 (Aotearoa New Zealand). One of such obligation requires entities to have a privacy policy.

ACEM/College representatives

means those individuals who fulfil a representative role, including, but not limited to, Board directors, office holders, entity members, Community Members, accreditation inspectors, champions, examiners, training supervisors, WBA Coordinators, mentors.

Member

except where otherwise stated, means a person admitted as a member of the College pursuant to the provisions of the ACEM Constitution and associated regulations.

Personal information

means information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or is reasonably ascertainable from the information or opinion, whether or not that information or opinion is true and whether or not it is recorded in a material form.

Privacy Officer

means the ACEM staff member signified as such in section 7.1 of this policy.

Sensitive information

means personal information about a person’s race/ethnicity, religion, political opinions, affiliations, philosophy, memberships, sexual preferences/practices, and their health, genetic or criminal record and any other information classified as sensitive information for the purpose of applicable privacy laws.

Trainee

means an individual enrolled in an ACEM training program.

In order for ACEM to effectively fulfil its principal roles as a provider of emergency medicine training, a membership organisation and an employer, it is necessary for ACEM to collect personal information from individuals participating in these activities.

ACEM may collect personal information about a range of individuals that it interacts with, including:

• members;
• trainees;
• Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs), whether applying to and seeking information in relation to applicable specialist/vocational registration assessment pathways or on a SIMG pathway to Fellowship of the College; 
• applicants for registration with ACEM, whether as a trainee, ACEM Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program participant or otherwise;
• CPD Program participants;
• College representatives;
• suppliers;
• conference and event delegates;
• staff;
• applicants for employment with ACEM;
• visitors to ACEM's website; 
• scholarship and grant applicants and recipients;
• financial supporters and donors; 
• subscribers to ACEM activities e.g. Networks; and
• other individuals who interact with ACEM.

The information ACEM collects about individuals will depend upon that person's relationship with ACEM, and the relevance of that information to ACEM's functions and activities. ACEM may collect information such as a name, date of birth, gender, contact details (address, phone number, email address), social media accounts, ACEM ID, employment details, academic and training records, education qualifications, assessment competency information, roles and professional registrations, information about payments made to us, details of financial circumstances, information about family members, assessments and awards, grants and scholarships.

From time to time, ACEM may also collect sensitive information about individuals, such as racial origin (including indigenous origin), dietary requirements and details of criminal charges and records.

Importantly, ACEM may collect health information from members, trainees, SIMGs and CPD Program participants (such as medical reports, psychologist reports and health professionals) in support of a request for accommodation or reasonable adjustments to CPD requirements and training and/or assessments, and financial hardship requests. Unless an exception applies at law, ACEM will not collect sensitive information about an individual without their consent.

ACEM will usually collect personal information from the individual concerned, but in some cases the College may collect personal information from third parties (such as the Australian Medical Council (AMC), overseas medical councils, education providers or referees and health regulation authorities). 

3.1 Purpose of collection
Personal information will be collected for the purposes described in section 4 of this Policy. Such collections allow ACEM to: communicate with College representatives, members, trainees and associates; provide services such as training; to procure goods and services from suppliers and generally interact with third parties; and ensure access to member-only services on the ACEM website.

3.2 Points of collection
The main points at which personal information is collected include:

• on application for selection into ACEM training;
• on joining ACEM as a trainee or member;
• on applying for specialist assessment and/or assessment for an Area of Need position or specialist-in-training purposes;
• on applying to and joining the ACEM CPD Program; 
• on applying to and joining ACEM as an employee or non-College member of the Board or other ACEM governing body or entity;
• on registering for ACEM events such as scientific meeting and conferences;
• on applying for or receiving ACEM scholarships and/or grants; and
• on visiting the ACEM website, including via cookies.

3.3 Website information collection
The usage analysis software used by ACEM in connection with ACEM website records (amongst other things):

• unique visitors and sessions
• requested pages, downloads, search terms used, posted forms, status and errors, hits and bytes downloaded per directory, file, and file type
• entrance pages, exit pages, click paths, click to and click from and length of session
• domains, countries and IP addresses, and
• browsers, platforms and robots.

The statistics are de-identified at the time of recording. This information is used for administrative purposes, including to improve and assess services, and to monitor usage patterns in order to improve navigation and design features – helping users to get information more easily.

ACEM uses cookies on its website. A cookie is a small text file that the website may place on devices to store information. The College may use persistent cookies (which remain on a user's computer even after their browser has been closed) to store information that may speed up their use of the ACEM website for future visits. ACEM may also use session cookies (which no longer remain after the user ends their browsing session) to help manage the display and presentation of information on the website. Users may refuse to use cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on their browser, but users who do so may be unable to use the full functionality of ACEM's website.

3.4 If personal information is not provided
Where possible and practicable, individuals have the option to deal with ACEM on an anonymous basis or by using a pseudonym. However, if personal information provided to ACEM is incomplete or inaccurate, or if personal information is withheld, ACEM may not be able to deal with the individual or deal with the individual effectively, in which case, additional requirements and conditions may be notified by ACEM.

ACEM uses personal information for a number of purposes (being the primary purposes of collection), including:

• to provide membership services and benefits and maintain membership and service/benefits records
• to assist, support, provide and improve CPD and education and training
• to assess an individual's suitability to join ACEM or take part in any College programs or activities (or another individual's suitability, for individuals who are nominated as a referee)
• to enable planning, policy and service development and to market, advertise or otherwise promote ACEM, including to inform individuals of special offers or additional services provided by ACEM
• to monitor and investigate conduct
• to operate a complaints resolution process
• to provide workplaces and training environments which are free from discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment
• to provide assessment processes for SIMGs
• to implement, monitor and maintain quality assurance processes and systems, in addition to processes and systems concerning regulatory matters, registrations, accreditation, audits, risk and claims management (including dealings with insurers)
• to procure funding, donations or other support for the activities of ACEM
• to enable internal administration, training, assessments and reviews
• to operate boards, committees, networks and other ACEM entities
• to provide or undertake any of the other activities referred to in this policy
• to conduct or facilitate research or surveys for purposes related to ACEM, emergency medicine and/or one or more of the above, and
• to contact individuals (for example, to respond to queries or complaints, or if ACEM needs to tell individuals something important).

Information may also be used or disclosed for secondary purposes which relate, or directly relate, to the primary purpose of collection, or for any other purpose authorised by the individual in question, or which is permitted by law.

ACEM discloses personal information for the purposes described above in section 4, as well as any additional purposes identified below.

5.1 Third party disclosure
ACEM engages third parties to perform certain business functions and provide certain services. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to disclose personal information to those suppliers. In general, ACEM may disclose personal information to the following types of persons and organisations:

• ACEM’s consultants, auditors, lawyers, contractors and any contracted staff or service providers that provide goods or administrative, membership or other services in connection with the activities of ACEM
• ACEM officers, officials and/or representatives in exercising their duties of the role
• entities and institutions that provide services or undertake activities in conjunction with or in association with ACEM, such as hospitals, universities/higher education providers and conference organisers
• regulatory authorities and bodies, professional or specialist societies and associations, hospitals and health centres and relevant complaints tribunals and government departments and agencies
• a person or entity from whom ACEM collects an individual’s information
• regulators and agencies where the law requires or permits ACEM to do so (such as to law enforcement agencies), and
• an individual’s agent (with an individual’s authority).

5.2 College website and publications
ACEM uses sound and image recordings (including photographs) in the production of educational and promotional material for ACEM purposes. Such material may be published, either in electronic media (including the ACEM website) or in hard copy publications. ACEM officers may also take image recordings of attendees at ACEM events, which may be published on the ACEM website or other media.

5.3 Specialist assessment
ACEM is involved in the assessment of SIMGs’ emergency medicine training, qualifications and experience, and therefore provides its decisions and recommendations arising from these assessments to the AMC, the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and/or the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ).

Without limiting the scope of the authorised uses, ACEM may be required to clarify information provided to it for this purpose with external institutions or individuals, and gather additional information in order to complete the assessment. ACEM may also disclose personal information where required to do so by law.

5.4 Members and trainees
Without limiting the generality of section 4, personal information about members and trainees is used to conduct ACEM business, including for the purposes of training and assessment and for CPD.

Information may, without limitation, be shared and used by all ACEM staff, officers and office holders, supervisors of training, committees and subcommittees connected with ACEM’s activities or functions where access to such information is warranted, as determined by ACEM.

5.5 Public enquiries regarding member information
ACEM can respond to requests from members of the public for the name and practice address of a member, with confirmation that the individual is a Fellow, member or trainee of ACEM. 

5.6 Enquiries regarding CPD status
ACEM can respond to requests from a prospective or current employer or their agents regarding the participation of an individual member in ACEM’s CPD Program. Where a member is of good standing with the College, that is the member has no outstanding financial debts to the College, is not subject to any disciplinary or other investigations by the College and has met all recertification requirements relevant to their category of membership as outlined in the ACEM regulations, the College may issue a Letter of Good Standing.

5.7 Enquiries regarding trainee status
ACEM can respond to an enquiry from a medical registration authority or from a prospective or current employer or their agent(s) regarding the participation of an individual trainee in ACEM’s training programs. The enquirer may be advised:

• of the training program(s) in which the trainee is registered and, if in the FACEM Training Program, the Stage of Training that they are in 
• whether the trainee is currently actively participating in the applicable training program.

5.8 Enquiries for information regarding staff
Personal information related to staff members may be accessible by the staff member’s Executive Director who has access to their personnel file.
Without limitation, a staff member can authorise the General Manager, People, Culture and Experience (PCE) to release information pertaining to their employment in relation to enquiries from credit agencies, real estate agents and banks. The PCE department may release information on all staff to the appropriate statutory authority (e.g. the Australian Taxation Office).

5.9 Prohibited uses
ACEM does not sell or rent out the personal information it has collected to organisations such as telemarketers, pharmaceutical companies or medical equipment companies. ACEM will not accept requests to market products or to advertise training courses directly to members and trainees nor disclose contact information to organisations requesting its use for these purposes.

5.10 Overseas recipients
ACEM is a registered corporate entity operating in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. As of necessity, personal information may be collected, used and disclosed between those countries in respect of College representatives, members, trainees, professional appointments and applicants for assessment of international qualifications.

Personal information about any individuals that ACEM interacts with may also be disclosed to recipients in overseas countries other than Aotearoa New Zealand (for example, to overseas supervisors for trainees), to providers of software and other IT services who provide hosting and support services from outside of Australia, or in relation to the assessment of SIMGs training, qualifications and experience. Without limitation, personal information may be disclosed to individuals in the USA as part of software and other IT services provided to ACEM.

6.1 Security

ACEM is committed to safeguarding personal information by adhering to industry best practices in data security. Technical and organisational measures are in place to protect personal information from unauthorised use, access, disclosure, and alteration. ACEM representatives and employees are required to comply with the organisation’s acceptable use and ICT security policies when handling any information on behalf of ACEM.

To ensure robust security, ACEM employs security techniques such as firewalls, encryption protocols, and intrusion detection systems. Security solutions and Internal procedures are regularly reviewed and updated to address emerging threats and maintain compliance with evolving security standards. These measures extend to ACEM’s website, which is designed and maintained with stringent security controls to minimise vulnerabilities.

In line with privacy legislation, ACEM may store electronic information on secure remote servers or in the cloud, either directly or through contracted, reputable agencies.

Access to personal information is granted only to authorised ACEM representatives and employees who require it to perform their duties Furthermore, ACEM conducts regular evaluations of its security measures to ensure they remain effective and aligned with the latest advancements in data protection and privacy.

6.2 Correction of information

ACEM will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the information it holds remains accurate, up-to-date, complete and relevant. The onus of ensuring that personal information held by the College is up-to-date rests on the individual. Requests for correction of the personal information held by the College should be directed to ACEM administration ([email protected]) or, where applicable, amended by the individual through ACEM Portal.

6.3 Access
The identified information that ACEM has used to grant member access to members can be directly viewed by the individual via the ACEM Portal.

Trainees are also able to access information relating to their training status and progress in the applicable training program.

Individuals may request access to personal information held about them by the College by contacting the ACEM Privacy Officer. All such requests must be made in writing via email to [email protected]. The request will be addressed in accordance with privacy legislation.

There are some circumstances in which ACEM is not required to give individuals access to their personal information. If ACEM is unable to accede to an individual’s request for access, the individual will be notified in writing.

As permitted by law, a fee may be requested to cover reasonable costs incurred by the College in providing an individual with access.
 

7.1 Privacy Officer
The College Chief Executive Officer will act as the ACEM Privacy Officer and may be contacted at any time regarding any requests to view personal information, or in relation to any concerns or complaints about private information.  Contact details are as follows:

Privacy Officer
Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
34 Jeffcott Street, West Melbourne VIC 3003
Phone: +61 3 9320 0444
Email: [email protected]

7.2 Formal complaint process
An individual who has a complaint about the way in which ACEM has handled any privacy issue, including any request for access or correction of their personal information, should contact the ACEM Privacy Officer at the details set out in section 7.1 above. An individual who considers that their rights under privacy legislation have been breached and where informal resolution of the matter (by a panel of selected members, independent experts and/or legal representatives) has not been achieved, is also entitled to make a formal complaint to ACEM pursuant to provisions of the ACEM Complaints Policy (COR166).

7.3    External complaint process
In Australia, an individual dissatisfied with the outcome of a privacy complaint is able to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) – http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints. 

In Aotearoa New Zealand, an individual dissatisfied with the outcome of a privacy complaint is able to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Te Mana Matapono Matatapu – https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/how-to-complain/

• AI Acceptable Use Policy (IT932)
• ICT Acceptable Use Policy (IT310)
• ICT Security Policy (ICT311)
• Complaints Policy (COR166)
• Privacy Conduct Matters Policy (P552)
• Procedures for Submission and Resolution of Complaints (COR656)