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Terms of use

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Terms of Use (Online Services)

Terms of Use (Helpline Services)


Terms of Use (Online Services)

About these terms of use

These terms of use and Healthdirect's Privacy Policy apply to the following services (Online Services):

  • the healthdirect website (healthdirect.gov.au);
  • the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website (pregnancybirthbaby.org.au), including their sub-domains;
  • the Healthdirect application (App);
  • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby newsletter subscriptions;
  • Healthdirect website and App (User Accounts);
  • Healthdirect Widgets (i.e., software applications and user interface components which are used to access and search the websites);
  • any interactive facilities or services used or accessed through the websites, App or Healthdirect Widgets, (e.g., video call, service finder, Symptom Checker, Australian Health Thesaurus (AHT) etc),

The Online Services are published by Healthdirect Australia.

These Terms of Use (Online Services) also apply to:

  1. the use of the Online Services;
  2. access to the Online Services from third party websites installing and using a Healthdirect Widget; or
  3. the content or material contained in or made available through use of the Online Services, accessed via links from the Online Services or that we provide to you via email or mobile, including health information, publications, fact sheets, news and alerts (Information).

In these Terms of Use:

  • use of the terms ‘Healthdirect Australia’, ‘Healthdirect’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to Healthdirect Australia Ltd (ABN 28 118 291 044);
  • the terms ‘you’ and ‘your’ refer to the user or viewer of the Online Services and/or the Information.

The Online Services available through Healthdirect Australia are wholly or jointly funded by the Australian Government, and all state and territory governments, and are provided free of charge for the benefit of the Australian public.

Click here to view the Healthdirect Australia Social Media Acceptable Use Policy, which applies to your use of social media connected with our Online Services.

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Acceptance of these terms of use

These Terms of Use (Online Services) are legally binding on you and us. By accessing, using or viewing the Online Services (including Information), you agree to these Terms of Use which, together with our Privacy Policy, govern Healthdirect’s relationship with you in relation to the Online Services and Information. If you do not accept these Terms of Use or our Privacy Policy, you must not access, use or view the Online Services (including any Information).

Healthdirect may change the content of the Online Services (including any Information), these Terms of Use or our Privacy Policy at our discretion and without notice. You should check these documents regularly. By continuing to use or view the Online Services (including any Information) you accept the Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy as they apply from time to time.

Your use of the Online Services (including any Information), these Terms of Use, and any dispute arising out of such use of the Online Services (including any Information) or these Terms of Use are subject to the laws of New South Wales. You submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of New South Wales and any Courts of appeal from them.

Parts of the Healthdirect websites made available through the Online Services may have specific terms of use which apply in addition to these Terms of Use (Online Services) (Additional Terms). By using those services available through (or linked from) the Online Services and by accessing, using or viewing Information through those services, you also agree to those Additional Terms.

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Important information

THE ONLINE SERVICES ARE NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IF YOU ARE SUFFERING AN ACUTE ILLNESS OR EMERGENCY CONDITION, CALL TRIPLE ZERO (000) AND ASK FOR AN AMBULANCE.

The Information contained in, or accessed through, the Online Services (e.g., the website or app) is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be, or be used as medical advice.

Our Online Services are designed only for people who are located within Australia.

Information provided as part of the Symptom Checker service (both the website and the telephone service) may be used to assist you to manage non-acute medical conditions and locate medical assistance. Information provided as part of the Australian Health Thesaurus may be used to assist you to browse or search for medical, health and human services-related concepts in order to provide a reference source of health and related services information. However, the Symptom Checker and the Thesaurus are not diagnostic tools and information provided through them and use of these services are not medical advice nor are they a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used or relied on as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

You should also refrain from disregarding professional advice or delaying seeking it due to any information contained in or obtained through the Online Services. This includes information from the Symptom Checker, Thesaurus, Service Finder, or video calls. This also includes any information you agree to receive directly from us (e.g., pregnancy information emails).

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Disclaimer of warranties and representations

While the Information and Online Services are subject to Healthdirect’s quality assurance processes, the Information and Online Services are also subject to continuing research, clinical experience, reasonable differences in opinions among authorities, unique aspects of individual situations and the possibility of human error in preparing the Information. Healthdirect makes no representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the currency, completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, fitness for purpose, non-infringement of third-party rights and / or availability of the Information or Online Services, or that the Information or Online Services will meet your health or medical requirements.

Whilst we provide general health information, the circumstances of each individual will differ. You should exercise your own judgement with respect to your use of our Online Services and Information, and you should carefully evaluate the currency, completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability and relevance of the available Information. You should seek medical advice from a healthcare professional in relation to your own circumstances.

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Disclaimer of liability

You acknowledge that your access to and use of any Information and the Online Services is entirely at your own risk and that the Information and Online Services may contain inaccuracies or errors.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Healthdirect expressly disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, injury, expense or cost incurred by you arising out of accessing, downloading, using or relying on any of the Information or the Online Services including, but not limited to, in circumstances where:

  • you are unable to access or update or delete your User Account (or experience any delay in doing so);
  • you are unable to use, or there is any delay in your use of the App, including to access your My Health Record;
  • you rely on any information in a My Health Record accessed through use of the App;
  • the Symptom Checker facility provides incorrect or inappropriate information;
  • the Thesaurus facility provides incorrect or inappropriate Information;
  • the Online Services or Information are used for a purpose for which they were not intended;
  • the Online Services or Information contain errors, omissions or inaccuracies;
  • you are unable to obtain consistent, reliable and uninterrupted access to our Online Services;
  • there is damage or interference to your mobile or other device or any other piece of hardware, software, equipment or device installed on or used in connection with your device, or your data that arises in connection to your download or use of the App, its content or any linked website;
  • you rely on an interpretation or opinion stated in, or which may be inferred from, the Online Services or the Information;
  • there is delay or failure to receive Information from us that you may have subscribed to; or
  • inaccurate information is available from any websites accessed via a link on the Online Services.

To the extent permitted by law, our liability for failure to comply with consumer guarantees required by Part 3-2 of the Australian Consumer Law, is limited to the supply of services again or the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again.

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Intellectual property rights

All intellectual property rights in the Online Services and Information, including (without limitation) text, graphics, architecture and coding (including any copyright subsisting in them), is owned by Healthdirect or licensed to us.

You may access and download the Information on or from the Online Services where available to the extent permitted and in accordance with these Terms of Use and any relevant Additional Terms, but you may not, unless otherwise permitted by law, modify, publish, transmit, distribute, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the Information in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the owner or exclusive licensor of the material.

The Online Services and/or Information may contain trade marks owned by Healthdirect and third parties. You may not display or use in any manner any trade marks featured on the Online Services or in any Information without the prior written permission of the trade mark owner.

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The Online Services contain links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience only.

Views or recommendations provided in linked websites do not necessarily reflect those of Healthdirect and Healthdirect has no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s). It is your responsibility to make your own decisions about the currency, completeness, accuracy, reliability and suitability of information contained in linked websites.

You may link to the Online Services, provided you do not alter any of the Information or Online Services. In linking to another website from the online Services you must not reproduce, frame or reformat the files, pages, images, information and materials from the Online Services on any other website unless Healthdirect provides its express prior written permission.

You must not use the Online Services or any Information to sell a product or service, or to increase traffic to your website for commercial reasons, such as advertising sales, or to facilitate these activities. Healthdirect may prevent linking to any website at any time.

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Using our apps

If you wish to use our App, then you need to download the App and ensure that you download and install all relevant updates. You can find further information on how to download the App here.

We grant to you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferrable, limited licence to install and use the App on a device owned and controlled by you in accordance with these Terms of Use. You must only use the App to access the Online Services, including accessing the My Health Record via the App and creation and use of a User Account.

The App may prompt you to select certain information, such as your age and sex. You acknowledge that the information you select must be correct in order for us to provide suitable information to you. We will not be responsible if you select incorrect variables (e.g., age, sex, symptom).

We do not promise that you will have continuous and uninterrupted access to the App or that the App will be free of any harmful code, virus or other malware. We do not accept responsibility for any interference or damage to your device.

If you choose to use location services on the App via Global Positioning System (GPS), then we may access and use your location to provide services to you. GPS locators can be inaccurate, particularly in areas with high rise buildings. You should verify your location (independently from the App) before calling for emergency services. You can turn off location services by deactivating this option on your device.

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Accessing your My Health Record via our App

My Health Record, My Health Record system and My Health Record system operator

A My Health Record is a summary of key health information stored in the My Health Record system. The My Health Record system operator is the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA). All terms defined in the My Health Records Act 2012 (Cth) have the same meaning in these Terms of Use.

Healthdirect is a registered portal operator participant in the My Health Record system. This means we are registered to provide an electronic interface through our App to the My Health Record system:

  • to allow our customers to view their own My Health Records or:
  • for authorised representatives, to view their dependants' My Health Records (Dependant's MHR); or
  • for nominated representatives, to view the My Health Record of the person for whom they are a nominated representative (Nominee's MHR),

ADHA is not our sponsor and is not affiliated with us, other than to register us as a registered portal operator participant in the My Health Record system, and our registration does not mean that the ADHA has endorsed any of our Online Services or Information.

Our registration as a registered portal operator means you can use our App to view your My Health Record or your Dependant's MHR or your Nominee's NHR, once you have established an App User Account and have linked your App User Account to your My Health Record or your Dependant's MHR or Nominee's MHR (see further below).

If you do not have an activated My Health Record (and want one) or do not know if you are your dependant's authorised representative or are a person's nominated representative, or, if you have any other questions about your My Health Record or any information stored in a My Health Record, go to www.myhealthrecord.gov.au

Access your My Health Record by linking to your App User Account

To link your My Health Record, you will need to set up biometric authentication (such as fingerprint scan or facial recognition) on your personal device. We do not collect, use or store your biometric information.

By linking your My Health Record to your App User Account, you consent to us providing you with 'view only' access to your My Health Record or your Dependent's MHR or Nominee's MHR. This means you can view the contents of the relevant My Health Record but you cannot change those contents or add information to them or download information from them through using the App. We will not be able to view the contents of any My Health Record or know what information in a My Health Record you have viewed.

To link your My Health Record or you Dependant's MHR or Nominee's MHR to your App User Account, you will need:

  • a myGov account; and
  • the relevant My Health Record linked to your myGov account.

If you do not have a MyGov account or a My Health Record, visit www.myhealthrecord.gov.au.

There are separate terms which govern your use of the My Health Record (including under the My Health Records Act), and the MyGov website, which are accessible via www.myhealthrecord.gov.au and www.my.gov.au.

Withdrawing consent to link to a My Health Record

You may withdraw your consent at any time to linking your or your Dependant's MHR or your Nominee's MHR to your App User Account. Withdrawing your consent does not mean you have cancelled your registration for a My Health Record (or the registration of your dependant) from the My Health Record system. If you are a nominated representative, withdrawing your consent does not mean you cease to be a nominated representative. If you no longer wish to have a My Health Record, or you or your dependant no longer wish your dependant to have a My Health Record you can find further information on how to cancel your or your dependant's registration for a My Health Record at www.myhealthrecord.gov.au.

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Information concerning medicines and other therapeutic goods

Information provided via the Online Services or available from the Online Services concerning medicines and other therapeutic goods is provided for the limited purpose of general information for the safe and effective use of the medicine and is not intended to be used as medical advice, diagnosis and treatment and should not be relied on to manage or diagnose a medical condition.

Information via the Online Services, including product information on medicines, may have been written by the relevant pharmaceutical companies or other third parties and such information has not been independently verified by Healthdirect.

All information on medicines and other therapeutic goods via the Online Services is listed in alphabetical order only. No preferential or special treatment is provided to any medicines or products listed.

We may include additional information for certain medicines or products that have generated higher search volumes via external internet search engines. This is based on search volumes only and no other criteria.

You should seek medical advice in relation to medicines and use medicines only as directed by a healthcare professional. Always read the label. If symptoms persist see your doctor/healthcare professional.

The supply and regulation of medicines differs from country to country. Information about medicines via our Online Services is relevant only to the supply of medicines in Australia.

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Healthdirect widgets

You must comply with the following additional Terms of Use in this section when linking the Online Services (including any Information) to your website by using a Healthdirect Widget.

All Healthdirect Widgets (including any customisations to a Healthdirect Widget) are owned by us or our licensors. Subject to your compliance with these Terms of Use, we grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sub-licensable, revocable licence to use and display a Healthdirect Widget on a website for which you have proper authorisation (your website) solely for your own use as permitted by these Terms of Use, and in accordance with the purpose of the Online Services as stated in these Terms of Use. You are not permitted to use a Healthdirect Widget for any other purpose or to give Healthdirect Widgets to other people to place on their or other third-party sites, and nothing in these Terms of Use shall be deemed to grant you any right, title or interest in any Healthdirect Widget.

You must not:

  • install, implement, copy or use any Healthdirect Widget for any purpose except as permitted under these Terms of Use;
  • modify or create any derivative work from or commercialise in any way any Healthdirect Widget;
  • attempt to discover any source code or other data in a Healthdirect Widget which we do not provide you access to;
  • use a Healthdirect Widget on your website in a way that changes, obstructs or otherwise prevents the display of any Information to which the Healthdirect Widget is linked;
  • display a Healthdirect Widget on your website in a way that makes the Information displayed on the Online Services appear to be part of your website, or attempt to depict any of the information as your own content;
  • represent, communicate or convey the impression that we approve, endorse, recommend or are connected in any way, with you (including your related bodies corporate or personnel), your website, or any of your goods or services; or
  • include on your website any material that we consider to be discriminatory, unlawful, abusive, malicious, offensive, defamatory, pornographic, obscene, threatening, harassing or otherwise inappropriate, in each case as determined at our sole discretion.

Each Healthdirect Widget is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the extent permitted by law, we disclaim any warranties, express, implied or statutory, that may be expressed or implied by law regarding any Healthdirect Widget, including warranties of accuracy, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We further disclaim any warranties regarding the security, reliability, timeliness, availability and performance of any Healthdirect Widget. You understand and agree that you use a Healthdirect Widget at your own discretion and risk, and that you will be solely responsible for any damages to any computer system or any loss of data that results from the use of a Healthdirect Widget.

You acknowledge and agree that we may at our sole discretion terminate the licence granted under this section and disconnect you from or restrict your use of a Healthdirect Widget if we consider that either of the following has occurred:

  • the Healthdirect Widget is being used by you for a purpose other than as permitted under these Terms of Use; or
  • the Healthdirect Widget is being used on any website not owned by you, even if you did not cause or authorise the use.

Our right to terminate will be in addition to any other remedy available at law or in equity to us.

If your licence to use any Healthdirect Widget is terminated by us, you must immediately:

  • take down the Healthdirect Widget from your website; and
  • return to us or erase all copies of the Healthdirect Widget materials in your possession.

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User accounts

As part of your access to and use of the Online Services, you can create User Accounts for the healthdirect website.

Creating a User Account will allow you to login and be recognised in our systems as a user of the relevant Online Services. With a User Account you can save Information within your User Account profile regarding your use of, and you can also subscribe to receiving Information or notifications from us based on the information you provide to us.

You must be aged 14 years or over to create a User Account.

To create a User Account, you will need to provide information, including an email address and password. You may choose to provide us with a phone number to support setting up and authenticating your User Account. You can also choose to set up and receive SMS notifications about information or services that may be relevant to you, but this is not mandatory.

Depending on the Online Services you use, you may need to provide other personal information relevant to your circumstances and the services you are using, such as your name, contact details and your child's name and age. Where you provide us with information in relation to your child or children, you warrant that you are the legal guardian of your child and have authority to provide this information to us.

Where you set up a User Account for the healthdirect website, you have the option to save the Symptom Checker results for your child or other people for whom you are a carer within your User Account profile, and to tag those results with the individual's name. We recommend where you are tagging individuals other than children for which you are a legal guardian, to use a nickname that does not readily identify that individual. That nickname should not be defamatory, obscene, slanderous, hateful or embarrassing to that person. In providing information about any person to us, you warrant that you have the legal authority to disclose that information to us for the purpose for which you provided it.

Further information on how we handle your personal information provided in your User Account is available in our Privacy Policy.

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Newsletters

You may subscribe to receive general Information from us based on the information you have provided to us (for example, in relation to your expected pregnancy due date or your child's date of birth). You acknowledge that this Information is provided to you as general Information and for general use only. This information is not intended to be used and you should not rely on it as medical advice, and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. You should also not disregard professional advice, or delay seeking it, because of any failure to or delay in receiving Information or notifications from us.

You can unsubscribe from receiving Information and notifications from us at any time on your personal device.

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Video calls

If you use our video call service through Online Services, you must not:

  • attempt to record the video or audio of your video call or take screenshots or copies of images of your video call;
  • abuse, intimidate, threaten or otherwise violate those using or delivering the video call service; or
  • engage in behaviour that is pornographic, violent, discriminatory, defamatory or otherwise offensive.

We reserve the right to terminate your video call if you fail to comply with these Terms of Use (Online Services).

We also reserve the right to continue the call but cease the camera operation if the call handler considers it to be appropriate in the circumstances.

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System requirements

Some Online Services will require your computer, telephone, internet access, device and associated equipment to meet certain technical levels (System Requirements) in order to receive such services. Healthdirect Australia takes no responsibility for problems associated with or arising from your inability to access or receive the services due to your computer, telephone, device, associated equipment or internet speed not meeting the System Requirements.

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Security, viruses, errors and availability

The internet is an insecure public network which means there are risks that Information sent to or from Online Services may be intercepted, corrupted or modified by third parties. In addition, files obtained from or through Online Services may contain computer viruses, disabling codes, worms or other devices or defects. You bear the risks and responsibility for any loss or damage caused, directly or indirectly, by these risks, and Healthdirect accepts no liability for any interference with, loss or damage to your computer, telephone, system, device, associate equipment, software or data occurring in connection with the Online Services.

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Feedback facility

The Online Services may contain a facility allowing you to give feedback and make suggestions (Feedback Facility). You agree that your use of the Feedback Facility is subject to the following additional terms:

  • any feedback, suggestion or material you may provide (Feedback) will not be treated by Healthdirect as confidential;
  • Feedback must conform to the Healthdirect Australia Social Media Acceptable Use Policy; and
  • Healthdirect will own any intellectual property rights in or arising from any Feedback on and from its creation.

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Terms of Use (Helpline Services)

These terms of use and Healthdirect's Privacy Policy apply to the healthdirect helpline (known as Nurse-on-Call in Victoria) (Helpline Services).

In these Terms of Use (Helpline Services):

  • the terms 'Healthdirect Australia', 'Healthdirect', 'we', 'us' and 'our' refers to Healthdirect Australia Ltd (ABN 28 118 291 044);
  • the terms 'you' and 'your' refer to the caller or the person who is the subject of the call.

Important information

THE HELPLINE SERVICES ARE NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IF YOU ARE SUFFERING AN ACUTE ILLNESS OR EMERGENCY CONDITION, CALL TRIPLE ZERO (000) AND ASK FOR AN AMBULANCE.

The triage advice and information provided by the call agents who operate our Helpline Services are intended to direct you to appropriate medical assistance and assist you to manage your health concerns. Such advice is not intended to be a diagnosis, provide treatment recommendations, or be a substitute for obtaining medical assistance from a healthcare professional.

Our Helpline Services are designed only for people who are located within Australia.

Disclaimer of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Healthdirect disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, death, injury, expense or cost incurred by you arising out of using or relying on any Information provided to you when using the Helpline Services including, but not limited to, in circumstances where:

  • the information you provide to us contains errors, omissions or inaccuracies;
  • you do not follow the advice we provide to you;
  • the health information we provide to you is used for a purpose for which it was not intended; or
  • you are unable to access the Helpline Services.

To the extent permitted by law, our liability for failure to comply with consumer guarantees required by Part 3-2 of the Australian Consumer Law, is limited to the supply of services again or the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again.

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Last reviewed: November 2023

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© 2024 Healthdirect Australia Limited

This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this publication or any part of it may not be reproduced, altered, adapted, stored and/or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Healthdirect Australia.