Privacy Policy

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is bound by the Federal Government’s Privacy Act 1988. The Blood Service respects and protects the privacy of its donors' personal information and complies with the National Privacy Principles.

The Privacy Act gives you a number of rights including the following:

• You must be told why personal information is being collected and whether it can be given to anyone else.
• You have the right to request access to the information held about you and if necessary to have it corrected so that it is accurate, complete and up to date.
• You have the right to have your personal information stored securely and protected from unauthorised access or misuse.
• You have the right to know how your personal information will be used.
• If you believe your privacy has been infringed you can make a complaint.

Our Privacy Policy is set out in our brochure 'Privacy and your rights' which is available at the bottom of this page.

Why we collect information

The Blood Service collects personal information from you to protect both your health and safety and the safety and sufficiency of blood and blood products.

What information we hold about you

The Blood Service holds personal information supplied by you when you register as a blood donor. In addition, we hold test results for each donation.
The collection of this information is necessary to enable the Blood Service to provide services to the donor and others such as doctors and hospitals whose patients receive blood.

Disclosure of your information

Your information will be used to assess your eligibility to donate and to maintain contact with you. In some instances it may be necessary for the Blood Service to release personal information relating to your donation to insurers and/or regulatory auditors. The insurers and auditors will be required to hold this information in confidence.

Access to information

Should you wish to see what information we hold about you, you will be asked to submit a written request to the Privacy Officer in your State or Territory. Proof of identity will be required to ensure information is only disclosed to the requesting donor. Some information may not be immediately available but we will attempt to deal with requests promptly.

Storage and security of information

Personal information from donors is stored in a secure Blood Service electronic system, the National Blood Management System. Access to this information is available only to authorised staff.

Collection, use and disclosure of personal information through the Blood Service's website

You can access most parts of the Blood Service website and browse anonymously without providing your personal information or without being identified. However, some of the functions of the website may require you to provide certain personal information. When you email the Blood Service with a query, the Blood Service will collect the personal information you provide. Subject to any exceptions within the privacy legislation, the Blood Service will not use or disclose this information for any purpose other than to progress and respond to your query.

Making a complaint

If you believe that your privacy has been infringed, please contact the Blood Service Privacy Officer in your State or Territory. If you are not satisfied with our response you can refer your complaint to the Federal Privacy Commissioner.

If you would like any more information please read the privacy brochure below or call 13 14 95.

Privacy brochure.pdf (449k)