Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 17 May 2026
1. Introduction
Collective Dental Education (ABN to be inserted) ("CDE", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who interact with our website and services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and manage your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
By accessing our website or registering for our programs, events, or courses, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Policy.
2. About Us
Collective Dental Education is a professional development organisation based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. We provide evidence-based continuing professional development (CPD) for dental and oral health professionals, including registered dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral health therapists (OHTs), and related practitioners.
Our website and services are intended for dental and oral health professionals and, where applicable, members of the public seeking information about our programs.
3. What Personal Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
3.1 Identity and Contact Information
- Full name and professional title
- Email address and phone number
- Postal address
- Organisation or employer name
3.2 Professional Information
- AHPRA registration number
- Professional registration category and status
- Specialty area and years of experience
- CPD hours completed and compliance records
3.3 Registration and Payment Information
- Course enrolment and registration details
- Payment information (processed securely via third-party payment providers; we do not store full card details)
- Invoice and receipt records
3.4 Website Usage Information
- IP address, browser type, and device information
- Pages visited, time spent on site, and referring URLs
- Cookie and tracking data (see Section 10)
3.5 Survey and Feedback Data
- Pre- and post-course survey responses
- Course evaluations and testimonials
- Event feedback
4. How We Collect Personal Information
We collect personal information:
- Directly from you when you register for courses, webinars, or events
- When you contact us by phone, email, or through our website contact forms
- When you subscribe to our newsletter or mailing list
- Through your participation in surveys or feedback forms
- Automatically via cookies and analytics tools when you browse our website
- From third-party platforms used to deliver our programs (e.g. Zoom, SurveyMonkey, or event management software)
Where practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you. We will not collect personal information by unlawful or unfair means.
5. Why We Collect and Use Your Personal Information
- We collect and use your personal information for the following primary purposes:
- To process course registrations, enrolments, and payments
- To deliver CPD programs, webinars, workshops, and events
- To issue CPD completion certificates and maintain attendance records
- To communicate with you about upcoming events, course updates, and relevant industry news
- To comply with our obligations under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (Cth) and AHPRA guidelines as they relate to CPD delivery
- To improve the quality of our courses and services through evaluation and feedback
- To administer our website and ensure its security and proper functioning
- To meet our legal and regulatory obligations
We will only use your personal information for a secondary purpose if you have consented, or if the secondary use is directly related to the primary purpose and you would reasonably expect us to use it in that way.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information to:
- Our staff, contractors, and volunteers involved in delivering our programs
- Third-party service providers engaged to support our operations, including payment processors, email marketing platforms, video conferencing providers, and website hosting services
- Our partner organisations where we co-deliver CPD programs (for example, the University of Newcastle), subject to their own privacy obligations
- Professional bodies or regulators (such as AHPRA or the Dental Board of Australia) where required or authorised by law
- Law enforcement agencies or government bodies where required by law
We require all third parties to handle your personal information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. We do not sell your personal information to any third party.
We do not disclose personal information to overseas recipients as a standard practice. Where this may occur (for example, via cloud-based software hosted offshore), we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles your information in a way consistent with the APPs.
7. Storage and Security of Personal Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Security measures include:
- Password-protected systems and databases
- Secure (HTTPS) website connections
- Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
- Use of reputable, security-conscious third-party software providers
We retain personal information for as long as it is needed to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it securely.
While we take all reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to our website.
8. Access and Correction
Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading
To make an access or correction request, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before providing access to your information.
We may decline access in limited circumstances permitted under the Privacy Act (for example, where providing access would be unlawful or where it would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals). We will explain any refusal in writing.
We do not charge a fee for making an access or correction request, though we may charge a reasonable fee for providing access in certain circumstances.
9. Complaints
If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or otherwise mishandled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first (see Section 12). We will investigate your complaint and respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
- Website: www.oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
10. Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and collect usage data. Cookies are small data files stored on your device.
We use cookies for:
- Essential website functionality (e.g. maintaining session state)
- Analytics purposes to understand how visitors use our site (e.g. Google Analytics)
- Remembering your preferences
You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, this may affect your ability to use certain features of our website. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this Policy.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The current version will always be available on our website, with the effective date noted at the top of the document.
We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Continued use of our website or services after a change constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
12. Contact Us
For all privacy-related enquiries, access or correction requests, or complaints, please contact:
Collective Dental Education
Privacy Officer
Email: [privacy@collectivedentaled.com.au]
Website: [www.collectivedentaled.com.au]
Address: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
We are committed to resolving privacy concerns fairly and promptly.