Muscat & Stacey Psychologists

Effective date: 27 August 2026
Last updated: 27 August 2026

Muscat & Stacey Psychologists is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information entrusted to us by our clients, prospective clients, families, referrers and other individuals with whom we deal.

As a provider of psychological services, we routinely collect and hold sensitive information, including health information. We recognise the particular importance of protecting this information and handle it in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and applicable professional obligations.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information and how you can exercise your privacy rights.

We aim to manage personal information openly and transparently and to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities.

Muscat & Stacey Psychologists is a private psychology practice providing psychological assessment, treatment, consultation and related professional services.

For privacy purposes, references in this policy to "we", "us" or "our" mean Muscat & Stacey Psychologists and the psychologists and authorised personnel operating within the practice.

The type of information we collect depends on the services provided and our relationship with you.

We may collect:

Personal and contact information. This may include:

• your name;
• date of birth;
• address;
• telephone number;
• email address;
• emergency contact details;
• Medicare, private health insurance or other relevant administrative information;
• information relating to appointments and billing; and
• other information reasonably necessary to administer our services.

Health and psychological information. Where relevant to providing psychological services, we may collect sensitive information including:

• psychological and psychiatric history;
• medical history and current health information;
• diagnoses and symptoms;
• information concerning mental health and wellbeing;
• information concerning disability or functional capacity;
• information concerning medications and treatment;
• psychological assessment results;
• educational, developmental and occupational information;
• information concerning family and social circumstances;
• information concerning trauma, relationships or other personal circumstances relevant to treatment or assessment;
• information contained in reports or records provided by other health professionals, schools, employers, insurers, government agencies or other relevant organisations; and
• information contained in our clinical notes and records.

We will generally only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for providing psychological services or otherwise permitted by law.

We generally collect personal information directly from you.

Depending on the circumstances, information may also be collected from:

• your parent, guardian or responsible person;
• another treating health professional;
• your general practitioner or specialist;
• a school, educational institution or employer;
• an insurer or workers' compensation authority;
• the National Disability Insurance Agency or another government agency;
• a referring organisation;
• another person you have authorised to provide information; or
• another person where collection is permitted or authorised by law.

Where appropriate, we will seek your consent before collecting information from another person or organisation.

There may be circumstances in which we collect information from a third party without obtaining your consent first, where this is permitted or required by law.

Our website is primarily an informational website. We do not invite users to submit detailed clinical information through a public website contact form.

You should not send confidential clinical information, psychological reports, medical records or other sensitive information through ordinary website forms or unsecured electronic communications unless we have specifically instructed you to do so.

Our website may collect limited technical information associated with your visit, such as information relating to your device, browser, IP address, website activity and other information collected through cookies or similar technologies. We may use this information for purposes such as:

• operating and maintaining the website;
• website security;
• understanding website usage;
• improving the website; and
• preventing abuse or automated activity.

Where third-party services such as analytics, security or CAPTCHA technologies are used, those providers may collect information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

We may use third-party practice-management or appointment-booking services to facilitate online appointments and manage administrative aspects of our services.

Where you use an external booking platform, the platform may collect and process personal information in accordance with its own privacy policy and terms of service.

We recommend that you review the privacy information provided by any third-party booking platform before submitting information through that platform.

We collect and hold personal information for purposes including:

• providing psychological assessment and treatment;
• understanding your psychological, medical, developmental and social history;
• developing and reviewing treatment plans;
• conducting psychological assessments;
• preparing psychological reports;
• communicating with you about your care;
• communicating with your treating team where authorised or otherwise permitted;
• communicating with referrers;
• coordinating care;
• arranging appointments;
• processing payments and managing accounts;
• responding to enquiries;
• complying with legal, professional and regulatory obligations;
• responding to requests from authorised third parties;
• managing complaints;
• maintaining appropriate clinical and administrative records;
• protecting the safety of clients, staff and others; and
• managing and improving our practice.

We will not collect personal information for purposes unrelated to our functions and activities unless permitted or required by law.

Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act. Where required by the Privacy Act, we will obtain your consent before collecting sensitive information. In providing psychological services, the collection of health information will generally be necessary for the provision of the service you have requested. You may choose not to provide particular information. However, if information reasonably necessary to provide a psychological service is not provided, we may be unable to provide the requested service or may be unable to provide it safely or appropriately.

We will generally use and disclose your personal information for the primary purposes for which it was collected, including providing psychological services and managing your care.

Depending on the circumstances, we may disclose information to:

• your treating general practitioner;
• psychiatrists or other medical specialists;
• other treating health professionals;
• allied health professionals;
• hospitals or other health services;
• schools or educational institutions;
• employers or workplace rehabilitation providers where authorised;
• insurers or workers' compensation authorities where authorised or required;
• the National Disability Insurance Agency or other government agencies where authorised or required;
• your parent, guardian or responsible person where appropriate;
• another person you have authorised;
• professional advisers and service providers assisting us to operate the practice;
• payment and administrative service providers;
• information technology and practice-management service providers; and
• government, regulatory or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is authorised or required by law.

We will generally seek your consent before disclosing health information to another person or organisation for purposes other than those permitted by law.

There are circumstances in which information may be disclosed without consent where permitted or required by the Privacy Act or another law. These may include circumstances involving a serious threat to the life, health or safety of an individual or the public, legal obligations, court or tribunal processes, or other circumstances permitted by law.

Psychological care frequently involves communication between members of a person's treating team. Where appropriate and authorised, we may communicate relevant information with other treating professionals to assist with assessment, treatment and continuity of care. We aim to disclose only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Where psychological services are provided to a child or young person, we will consider the child's or young person's capacity to make decisions about their personal information, together with the authority and responsibilities of parents, guardians or other responsible persons. The approach taken will depend on the individual circumstances, the child's age and maturity, the nature of the information, professional obligations and applicable law.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from:

• misuse;
• interference;
• loss;
• unauthorised access;
• unauthorised modification; and
• unauthorised disclosure.

Depending on the nature of the information and the system involved, safeguards may include:

• access controls;
• passwords and authentication;
• secure electronic systems;
• restricted staff access;
• secure storage of physical records;
• appropriate staff confidentiality obligations;
• secure disposal of information when no longer required; and
• other technical and organisational security measures appropriate to the information we hold.

Access to clinical information is restricted to people who require access for legitimate professional or administrative purposes.

No electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore take a risk-based approach to information security and regularly review our systems and procedures.

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet clinical, legal, professional, regulatory and record-keeping obligations. Psychological records may need to be retained for significant periods after the conclusion of treatment. When personal information is no longer required and there is no legal or professional requirement to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

 We use third-party technology and service providers to operate our practice and website. Some of these providers may process personal information outside Australia.

Halaxy: For Australian users, clinical and practice data stored within Halaxy is stored in Australia. Halaxy uses third-party service providers and sub-processors, some of which are located outside Australia, to provide particular services and functionality.

Website: Our website is hosted and operated using GoDaddy services. GoDaddy states that certain website data, including server logs and traffic information, may be processed in data centres in the United States, and that customer data collected through its Websites + Marketing platform is housed in data stores in the United States.

Email: We use Telstra BigPond email services. Telstra may store or process personal information using service providers and may disclose personal information to recipients located outside Australia.

Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the disclosure and handling of that information complies with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

You generally have a right to request access to personal information we hold about you. Requests for access should be made in writing to our practice using the contact details below. We will generally respond to an access request within the timeframe required by law and may need to verify your identity before providing access. In some circumstances, the Privacy Act permits or requires us to refuse access to information. If access is refused, we will explain the reason where permitted to do so and, where appropriate, discuss alternative ways of providing access. There may be reasonable costs associated with providing access in some circumstances. We will advise you before imposing any such charge where required.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date. If you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading, you may request that it be corrected.

Requests for correction should be made in writing. If we agree that information requires correction, we will take reasonable steps to correct it. If we do not agree that correction is required, we will explain the reasons where permitted and provide information about your further options.

If you believe we have mishandled your personal information or breached the Privacy Act or the Australian Privacy Principles, you may make a privacy complaint to us.

Complaints should be directed to:

Privacy Officer
Muscat & Stacey Psychologists
Email: muscatstaceypsych@bigpond.com
Phone: 0458 007 694
We will acknowledge and investigate privacy complaints and aim to resolve them as promptly and fairly as possible. We will generally provide a written response to a privacy complaint.

You are encouraged to contact us first so that we have an opportunity to resolve your concern. If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you consider that your privacy complaint has not been adequately addressed, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The OAIC can be contacted through its website or by telephone on 1300 363 992. Further information is available from the OAIC at: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, loss or misuse. If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will assess the incident and take appropriate action in accordance with our legal obligations. Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies and a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will notify affected individuals and the OAIC as required by law.

In addition to our obligations under the Privacy Act, psychologists are subject to professional and ethical obligations concerning confidentiality. We recognise that confidentiality is fundamental to psychological practice. Information obtained in the course of psychological services will generally be treated as confidential, subject to applicable law, professional obligations, informed consent and circumstances in which disclosure is authorised or required.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice, technology, service providers or privacy obligations. The current version will be made available on our website. We recommend that you review this policy periodically. Last updated: 27 August 2026

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact:

Muscat & Stacey Psychologists

Privacy Officer: Dr Phil Stacey
Email: muscatstaceypsych@bigpond.com
Phone: 0458 007 694
We will be happy to discuss any privacy concerns or questions about the handling of your personal information.