Privacy Policies

Privacy Policy for Baxter Institute

Effective Date: June 25, 2025

Baxter Institute ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, prospective students, staff, and visitors to our website, https://baxter.vic.edu.au/ ("the Website"). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information, and your rights in relation to that information, in accordance with Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

1. What Information We Collect

We may collect various types of personal information, which may include:

Contact Information: Name, address, email address, phone number.
Demographic Information: Date of birth, gender, nationality.
Academic Information: Previous educational background, qualifications, academic results, course enrolment details, attendance records.
Financial Information: Payment details for course fees (processed securely via third-party payment gateways, we do not store full credit card details on our servers).
Identification Information: Copies of identification documents (e.g., passport, visa details) required for enrolment and compliance with regulatory bodies.
Application Information: Information provided in application forms, including employment history, references, and statements of purpose.
Correspondence: Records of communications with us, including emails, phone calls, and inquiries.
Sensitive Information: In specific circumstances, and only with your explicit consent or where required by law, we may collect sensitive information such as health information (e.g., for disability support or emergency contact) or criminal record checks (e.g., for certain placements).
Website Usage Data: Information about your interaction with our Website, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see Section 5 below). This may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and access times.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information through various methods, including:

Directly from you: When you apply for a course, enrol, complete forms, communicate with us via phone, email, or in person, or participate in surveys or events.
From third parties: This may include education agents, government bodies (e.g., for funding or visa purposes), previous educational institutions (with your consent), or publicly available sources.
Automatically: Through your use of our Website, via cookies and analytics tools.

3. Purpose of Collection and Use of Information

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

To provide educational services: Processing applications, enrolment, course delivery, assessments, student support, and academic administration.
To communicate with you: Responding to inquiries, providing information about courses, updates, events, and other relevant communications.
To manage your student account: Including billing, payments, and managing your progress.
For compliance and reporting: Meeting our legal and regulatory obligations as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and complying with government reporting requirements (e.g., related to student visas, funding).
For internal administration and improvement: Managing our operations, improving our courses and services, conducting research and analysis, and ensuring the security of our systems.
For marketing and promotional activities: With your consent, sending you information about other courses, events, or opportunities that may be of interest to you. You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time.
To ensure safety and well-being: Providing a safe learning environment and responding to emergencies.

4. Disclosure of Information

We may disclose your personal information to third parties in certain circumstances, including:

To government bodies and regulatory authorities: Such as the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), the Department of Education, and the Department of Home Affairs, for compliance, reporting, and visa-related matters.
To education agents: Who assist with student recruitment and applications.
To third-party service providers: Who assist us with our operations, such as IT support, cloud hosting, payment processing, student management systems, and marketing services. These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and are only permitted to use your information for the purposes for which we engage them.
To your parents/guardians: If you are under 18 years of age, or with your explicit consent.
In case of emergency: To medical professionals or emergency services if deemed necessary for your health and safety.
As required by law: If we are legally obliged to disclose information, for example, in response to a court order or subpoena.
In the event of a business transfer: If Baxter Institute is acquired or merged with another entity, your personal information may be transferred to the new entity. We will notify you of any such transfer and any changes to this Privacy Policy.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses "cookies" and other similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and collect information about your usage patterns.

What are cookies? Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are used to remember your preferences, track your activity, and provide a more personalized Browse experience.
How we use cookies: We use cookies for purposes such as:
- Remembering your preferences and settings.
- Analyzing website traffic and usage patterns to improve our Website and services.
- Delivering relevant content and advertising.
Managing cookies: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can choose to accept or reject cookies, or be notified when a cookie is being placed on your device. However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Website.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:

Technical safeguards: Encryption, firewalls, secure servers, and regular security audits.
Organisational safeguards: Access controls, employee training on data privacy, and strict internal policies and procedures.
Physical safeguards: Secure storage of hard copy documents.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Once your information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

8. Your Rights

You have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Complaint: If you believe we have breached your privacy rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with us (see Section 10) or with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below.

9. Links to Other Websites

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer Baxter Institute Email: info@baxter.vic.edu.au Address: 72-92 Langford Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051 Phone: +61 3 9650 0367

By using our Website and/or providing us with your personal information, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.