The Centre for Pain Impact (“CPI”) is a research centre based at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and affiliated with UNSW Sydney. CPI values and respects the privacy of all individuals who interact with our website, participate in our research, or engage with our services. CPI is committed to protecting the personal information we hold and to managing it in an open and transparent manner.
This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) sets out the type of personal information we collect and use, your privacy rights, and our obligations under applicable privacy laws — including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (“APPs”), and the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW).
CPI operates within the privacy frameworks of Neuroscience Research Australia and UNSW Sydney. For further information, see the NeuRA Privacy Policy and the UNSW Privacy Statement.
CPI collects personal information only for the purpose of fulfilling its functions and activities as a medical research centre. The categories of personal information we collect are set out below.
a. Research participants
All research projects conducted by CPI researchers will have received prior approval from a properly constituted human research ethics committee. Researchers will obtain written informed consent from each individual before collecting any personal information. Personal information is securely stored, with access restricted to CPI-authorised personnel only.
Personal information, including biospecimens and examination results (where not de-identified), will only be shared with third parties for research purposes and with prior written, ethically approved consent. CPI may publish or participate in media stories relating to research participants only with their written consent.
b. Website users and mailing list subscribers
CPI may collect personal information — such as name and contact details — from individuals who:
This information is used to respond to inquiries, distribute relevant content, and keep subscribers informed about CPI news and events. Subscribers may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in any CPI email, or by contacting us directly at pain@neura.edu.au.
c. Users of CPI products and services
Where CPI makes applications, tools, or tests available, we may collect personal information — including name, contact details, and test result data — for the purpose of supplying those products and services, tracking usage categories, and providing future updates. De-identified data derived from such use may be used for research purposes and to enhance CPI products and services. Financial information is not retained in electronic form and is handled in accordance with PCI DSS requirements.
CPI takes reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information it holds is kept accurate, up to date, and complete.
CPI may store personal information electronically or in hard copy. Electronic data is stored on secure networks managed by NeuRA or UNSW, or on external compliant storage with access controlled accordingly. Access to personal information is restricted to authorised personnel who require it for legitimate purposes, enforced through multi-factor authentication and strict password policies. Physical records are stored in secured facilities with limited access.
Personal information is retained only for as long as is necessary for the purposes of its collection, and in accordance with applicable legal retention obligations. When no longer required, personal information is securely destroyed.
In the event of a suspected or actual data breach, CPI will immediately activate an Incident Response procedure to contain the breach, assess the risk to personal information, and determine the scope of the incident.
Affected individuals and relevant regulatory authorities — including the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — will be notified without undue delay where a breach poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms. CPI will take prompt action to mitigate any damage and conduct a post-incident review to strengthen security measures.
Where practicable, CPI allows individuals to interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym.
CPI will not disclose health, genetic, or other sensitive personal information to a third party unless the disclosure is related to the primary purpose of collection, or unless CPI has obtained prior written consent.
Non-sensitive personal information may be shared with third-party agents and contractors who support CPI’s research and operational activities. You may opt out of such sharing at any time by contacting us.
Personal information may otherwise be disclosed to a third party only where it has been de-identified, or where disclosure is required or authorised by law.
You may request access to, and correction of, the personal information that CPI holds about you at any time. There is no fee for requesting access.
If you find that information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it or discuss alternative action. Please note that access to all or part of your personal information may be refused for a valid reason under privacy law.
Requests for access or correction should be directed to: pain@neura.edu.au. CPI will respond within 14 business days.
Personal information will not be disclosed outside Australia unless where directly related to the purpose of collection — for example, for collaborative research with overseas universities. CPI will ensure written consent has been obtained (for example, through a Human Research Ethics Consent Form) prior to any international transfer of personal information.
Accessing pages on the CPI site will result in the following information being logged on the hosting servers:
Research study recruitment on our websites or social media sites:
Some study-specific pages on the CPI website may track visitors’ personal information across sessions for the purpose of securely syncing data to the server. Pixel tags or cookies are embedded in websites, emails, and online advertisements to track user behaviour, and monitor marketing campaigns. They are primarily used for retargeting, conversion tracking.
The use of cookies on our Websites allow us to track usage patterns and to compile data in an aggregated and “non-user” specific form enabling us to improve our website for future visitors email open rates, and measuring advert effectiveness, e.g. research study advertisements on Facebook.
Google Analytics is used to track aggregated web usage behaviour, associated user and event data retention periods are consistently reviewed to meet best industry practices.
The CPI website may contain links to external websites. CPI is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites. A link to a third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by CPI.
If you have a complaint about the way CPI has handled your personal information, please send your complaint in writing to:
Privacy
Centre for Pain Impact
Neuroscience Research Australia
Email: pain@neura.edu.au
CPI takes complaints seriously and will respond within 14 business days. If a breach is identified, steps will be taken to rectify it immediately.
If you are not satisfied with our response, or you consider that CPI may have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or the Privacy Act, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Phone: 1300 363 992
www.oaic.gov.au
This Policy is available on the CPI website. You may also request a copy by contacting us at cpi@neura.edu.au. The NeuRA privacy policy is here: NeuRA Privacy Policy, and the UNSW polict here: UNSW Privacy Statement
This Policy will be reviewed every five years from the date of approval, or earlier if there are changes to relevant legislation or CPI operations.
