Privacy Policy

The Australian Institute of Weight Control ("IWC") has developed a policy to protect your privacy in compliance with privacy legislation. Our policy is to inform you:

1. What personal information is being collected;
2. Who is collecting your personal information;
3. How your personal information is being used; and
4. To whom your personal information is being disclosed.

Information collected - Deidentified

When you access our website a record of your visit is created and the following information is logged for statistical purposes:

• Your server address
• Your domain or top level domain name (for example practice.com, .gov, .au etc)
• The date and time of your visit to the site
• The pages you accessed and documents downloaded
• The previous site you visited
• The type of browser you are using

This non-identified information is provided to us as daily log files. These log files are used to monitor usage patterns on the site in order to improve navigation and design features, helping you to get information more easily.

Information collected - Identified

We collect names and IWC membership numbers for the purposes of granting access to member only services. Access to member only services is made by using information managed by IWC through our membership database.

IWC will only collect your e-mail address if you send a message to us via our website e-mail addresses. Your e-mail address may then be used for the purposes for which you have provided it, and may also be used to update information.

Access to Information Collected

IWC may attempt to identify users or their browsing activities. However, in the unlikely event of an investigation, a law enforcement agency or other government agency, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, may exercise its legal authority to inspect our Internet Service Provider's logs, and thus gain information about users and their activities.

Use and Disclosure of your Information

Any information that members change on this site (with the exception of their password) may be used to update their membership and/or information.

Cookies

This web site only uses session cookies during a search query of the web site and for member authentication. The web site statistics for this site are generated from the web logs as outlined above.

Upon closing your browser the session cookie set by this web site is destroyed and no personal information is maintained which might identify you should you visit our web site at a later date.

Cookies can either be persistent or session based. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer, contain an expiry date, and may be used to track your browsing behaviour upon return to the issuing web site.

Session cookies are short lived, are used only during a browsing session, and expire when you quit your browser.

On your first consultation at The Australian Institute of Weight Control Surgery, you may request a copy of our privacy policy. If you have any questions in the meantime please contact us.

Disclaimer

Our commitment to patient education and information:

The Australian Institute of Weight Control Surgery is committed to helping patients make informed decisions about weight control surgery, and to promote active doctor/patient discussion about the benefits and risks of weight control surgery procedures.

Intended use

The information provided on this web site is intended to provide educational information to patients and prospective candidates in order to promote better understanding of various aspects of weight control surgery. It is not intended to establish a particular standard of care, provide an exhaustive discussion of the subject of weight control surgery, or serve as a substitute for the application of the individual doctor's medical judgement in the particular circumstances presented in each patient care situation. Only a doctor can provide you with specific advice to rely on.

Patients and prospective candidates for weight control surgery should understand that the information provided on this web site is educational and informative in nature and is not intended to serve as a substitute for medical advice. The decision whether to undergo weight control surgery, and specifically laparoscopic gastric banding, must be made by each individual based on the relevant facts and circumstances, acting in consultation with a qualified doctor or surgeon.

Conditions of using this web site

By using this web site, you are agreeing that under no circumstances will The Australian Institute of Weight Control, or any person listed on the site, be responsible for:

• Any information contained on or omitted from the site.
• Any person's reliance on any such information, whether or not the information is correct, current or complete
• The consequences of any action you or any other person takes or fails to take, whether or not based on information provided by or as a result of the use of the site.

All content of this Internet site is owned or used under exclusive licence by The Australian Institute of Weight Control, IWC, and is protected by copyright laws. You are welcome to view this web site for your own personal, non-commercial purposes, for free. You may download content only for your personal use for non-commercial purposes but no modification or further reproduction of the content is permitted. The content may otherwise not be copied or used in any way.