Backing U
Last updated: 23 August 2026
1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Backing U respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal and sensitive information entrusted to us.
This Privacy Policy explains how Backing U (“Backing U”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, holds, uses, discloses and protects personal information when you:
- visit or use backingu.com.au;
- contact us through our website, telephone, email or social media;
- enquire about or access counselling or wellbeing services;
- participate in telehealth or telephone counselling;
- access youth, relationship, mental health, alcohol and other drug, gambling harm or wellbeing support;
- create an online account;
- enrol in or complete an online course;
- purchase a product, service or course;
- subscribe to communications;
- complete forms, assessments, questionnaires or feedback;
- interact with us in another professional or service-related capacity.
Backing U aims to manage personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) where they apply.
Australian Privacy Principle 1 requires covered organisations to maintain a clearly expressed and up-to-date privacy policy explaining how personal information is managed.
2. What Is Personal Information?
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.
Depending on how you interact with Backing U, we may collect information such as:
- your name;
- date of birth or age;
- residential or postal address;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- emergency contact information;
- account username and login information;
- appointment information;
- communication preferences;
- correspondence with us;
- course enrolment details;
- course progress and completion information;
- quiz and assessment results;
- certificates of completion;
- transaction and purchase information;
- enquiry and contact-form information;
- feedback, reviews or complaints;
- information provided when communicating with our team;
- IP address;
- browser and device information;
- website activity and technical logs;
- information collected through cookies and similar technologies.
3. Sensitive and Health Information
Because Backing U provides counselling, wellbeing and support services, some information we collect may be considered sensitive information or health information.
Depending on the service you access and the information you choose to provide, this may include information concerning:
- mental health;
- emotional wellbeing;
- physical health;
- psychological or behavioural concerns;
- counselling history;
- alcohol or other drug use;
- gambling behaviour or gambling-related harm;
- trauma or significant life experiences;
- relationships and family circumstances;
- medications or treatment history;
- disability;
- risk or safety concerns;
- previous or current support services;
- cultural or ethnic background;
- religious beliefs;
- sexuality or sexual orientation;
- criminal or legal matters where relevant;
- other sensitive personal circumstances discussed during support.
We will generally only collect sensitive or health information where it is reasonably necessary for the services we provide and where collection is permitted by law.
Health information attracts additional privacy protection under Australian privacy law and should be handled carefully by health service providers.
4. Information About Young People
Backing U provides services that may be accessed by young people.
Where we collect personal information relating to a child or young person, we take reasonable steps to handle that information appropriately, taking into account matters such as:
- the young person’s age and maturity;
- their capacity to understand privacy and consent;
- the nature of the service being provided;
- parental or guardian involvement;
- confidentiality obligations;
- safeguarding responsibilities;
- professional obligations;
- applicable Australian law.
In some situations, information may be provided by or shared with a parent, guardian, carer, authorised representative or other relevant person.
Confidentiality for young people is important; however, confidentiality may be limited where disclosure is required or authorised by law or where serious safety or safeguarding concerns arise.
5. How We Collect Personal Information
We may collect personal information directly from you when you:
- submit a website form;
- telephone or email us;
- book an appointment;
- participate in a counselling session;
- participate in telehealth;
- register for an online account;
- enrol in a course;
- complete a quiz, assessment or activity;
- purchase a service or course;
- subscribe to emails;
- communicate through social media;
- provide feedback;
- make a complaint;
- otherwise communicate with Backing U.
Where appropriate and lawful, information may also be collected from:
- a parent or guardian;
- an authorised representative;
- a referring organisation;
- another service provider;
- an employer or organisation purchasing training;
- health or support professionals;
- publicly available sources;
- technology and service providers supporting the operation of our website.
Where practical, we will collect information directly from you.
6. Why We Collect Personal Information
Backing U may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:
Providing counselling and support
We may use information to:
- respond to enquiries;
- understand your support needs;
- arrange appointments;
- provide counselling or wellbeing support;
- provide telehealth services;
- communicate about appointments;
- maintain appropriate service records;
- support continuity of service;
- manage safety and risk;
- provide referrals where appropriate.
Providing online courses
We may use information to:
- create and administer your account;
- enrol you in courses;
- provide access to paid or complimentary content;
- monitor course progress;
- record lesson completion;
- administer quizzes and assessments;
- issue certificates;
- provide learner support;
- protect course materials from unauthorised access.
Processing purchases
We may use information to:
- process transactions;
- confirm payment;
- provide invoices or receipts;
- provide access to purchased services;
- manage refunds or payment enquiries;
- maintain required financial records.
Website administration
We may use information to:
- operate and secure our website;
- troubleshoot technical problems;
- prevent fraud and misuse;
- analyse website performance;
- understand how users interact with our services;
- improve accessibility and user experience.
Communication
We may use your information to:
- respond to your questions;
- provide administrative communications;
- send appointment reminders;
- provide important service updates;
- respond to complaints;
- send marketing material where permitted and appropriate.
7. Counselling and Telehealth Privacy
Information discussed during counselling or telehealth sessions is treated as confidential and handled with appropriate care.
However, confidentiality is not absolute.
Backing U may use or disclose information without your consent where permitted or required by law, including circumstances involving:
- a serious threat to life, health or safety;
- child protection or safeguarding obligations;
- suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation where reporting obligations apply;
- court orders, warrants or other lawful requirements;
- serious or reportable incidents;
- other circumstances where Australian law permits or requires disclosure.
Australian privacy law recognises circumstances where health information may be disclosed without consent, including certain serious threats to life, health or safety or where disclosure is required by law.
Where possible and appropriate, we aim to discuss confidentiality and its limitations with clients.
8. Telehealth Technology
Telehealth may involve communication through:
- video conferencing;
- telephone;
- email;
- secure digital platforms;
- other electronic communication systems.
We take reasonable steps to use appropriate systems and privacy practices.
However, no internet, telecommunications or electronic communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Clients accessing telehealth are encouraged to participate from a private environment where possible and to use devices and internet connections they consider appropriate for confidential communication.
9. Online Courses and Learner Accounts
If you create an account or enrol in a Backing U course, we may collect information concerning:
- your account details;
- enrolled courses;
- course access;
- lesson completion;
- assessment attempts;
- quiz responses;
- assessment scores;
- certificates;
- downloads;
- login and security activity.
This information may be used to operate the learning platform, provide learner support and verify course completion.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, Backing U courses are unaccredited personal development, wellbeing or professional development training.
10. Payment Information
Payments made through the website may be processed using third-party payment service providers.
Depending on the payment method used, the payment provider may collect information such as:
- cardholder name;
- card details;
- billing address;
- transaction information.
Backing U generally receives confirmation of payment and transaction information necessary to administer your purchase.
We do not intentionally retain complete payment card information where the transaction is processed directly by a third-party payment provider.
Payment providers maintain their own privacy and security practices, and users should review those providers’ privacy information where appropriate.
11. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.
Cookies are small files or identifiers used by websites to support functions such as:
- maintaining login sessions;
- remembering preferences;
- shopping cart functionality;
- protecting accounts;
- website security;
- analytics;
- measuring website traffic;
- improving website performance;
- understanding how visitors use the website.
You may be able to control or disable cookies through your browser settings.
Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality, including account login, online courses, purchasing and other interactive features.
12. Website Analytics
We may use analytics and website-performance services to understand general website activity, such as:
- pages visited;
- referral source;
- approximate geographic area;
- device type;
- browser type;
- time spent on pages;
- website errors;
- general interaction patterns.
Where reasonably possible, this information is used to understand website performance and improve our services rather than to identify individual users.
13. Marketing Communications
Backing U may send information about:
- courses;
- services;
- wellbeing resources;
- events;
- promotions;
- service updates;
- educational material.
We will provide an appropriate method for opting out of marketing communications.
Importantly, health information will not be used for direct marketing unless this is permitted by law and the necessary consent has been obtained.
Administrative messages relating to appointments, purchases, course access, account security or services you have requested are not necessarily marketing communications.
14. Social Media
Backing U may operate social media accounts and pages.
If you interact with us through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or other social networks, information may also be collected and processed by the relevant platform in accordance with its own privacy practices.
We recommend avoiding the posting of confidential health or counselling information in public comments.
Where appropriate, we may invite a person to communicate through a more private channel.
15. Reviews, Testimonials and Case Studies
Backing U may publish testimonials, reviews, feedback or educational case studies.
We will take reasonable steps to obtain appropriate permission before publishing identifiable client information.
Where case studies are used for educational purposes, we may:
- remove identifying information;
- change non-essential details;
- combine or generalise circumstances;
- use fictionalised examples.
We will not knowingly publish identifiable confidential counselling information for marketing purposes without appropriate authority.
16. When We May Share Personal Information
Backing U may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:
- provide the service you requested;
- administer the website or learning platform;
- process payments;
- provide technical or hosting services;
- communicate with you;
- obtain professional advice;
- comply with legal obligations;
- manage safety or risk;
- investigate fraud or misuse;
- respond to lawful government or regulatory requests.
Recipients may include:
- technology providers;
- website hosting providers;
- cloud storage providers;
- email providers;
- payment processors;
- telehealth providers;
- learning management system providers;
- IT support providers;
- professional advisers;
- contractors and service providers;
- government, regulatory, statutory or emergency authorities where required or authorised.
We do not sell personal information to advertisers.
17. Overseas Service Providers
Some technology, cloud hosting, email, analytics, payment, communications or software providers used by Backing U may operate or store information outside Australia.
The location of overseas processing may vary depending on the technology provider used.
Where Australian privacy requirements apply to an overseas disclosure, Backing U will take reasonable steps required by applicable privacy law.
If you would like further information about overseas service providers relevant to your information, contact:
APP 1 requires privacy policies to address whether information is likely to be disclosed overseas and, where practicable, identify the countries involved.
Before publishing: if you know the countries used by your hosting, email, payment, telehealth or analytics providers, I recommend inserting them here.
18. Third-Party Websites and Embedded Content
Our website may contain:
- links to third-party websites;
- embedded videos;
- social media content;
- external resources;
- payment gateways;
- booking systems;
- learning tools.
Third-party services may independently collect information when you interact with them.
Backing U is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of external services before providing personal information.
19. Storage and Security of Information
Backing U takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against:
- misuse;
- interference;
- loss;
- unauthorised access;
- unauthorised modification;
- unauthorised disclosure.
Security measures may include, where appropriate:
- access controls;
- account authentication;
- encrypted connections;
- secure hosting;
- software updates;
- backups;
- restricted access to sensitive information;
- technical monitoring;
- staff privacy practices;
- secure storage procedures.
No electronic storage or communication method is completely secure, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed.
20. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable:
- legal obligations;
- health or professional recordkeeping obligations;
- financial and taxation requirements;
- insurance obligations;
- dispute-resolution requirements;
- safeguarding obligations;
- legitimate business requirements.
When information is no longer required to be retained, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy it or de-identify it where appropriate.
21. Data Breaches
Backing U takes privacy and information security seriously.
If we become aware of a suspected data breach, we will assess and respond to it in accordance with applicable Australian law.
Where the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme applies and a breach is likely to result in serious harm, affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner may need to be notified.
We may also take steps such as:
- containing the breach;
- investigating what occurred;
- reducing possible harm;
- changing passwords or access;
- notifying relevant service providers;
- strengthening security controls.
22. Accessing Your Personal Information
You may request access to personal information Backing U holds about you.
Requests should be sent to:
Privacy Contact
Backing U
Email: site@backingu.com.au
We may need to verify your identity before providing access.
In some circumstances, Australian law permits or requires us to refuse access to some information. Where appropriate, we will explain the reason for the refusal and available complaint options.
The Australian Privacy Principles provide rights relating to access to and correction of personal information held by covered entities.
23. Correcting Your Personal Information
We aim to ensure personal information we hold is accurate, complete, relevant and up to date.
If you believe information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or outdated, please contact:
We may request sufficient information to identify the relevant record and verify your identity before making a correction.
24. Anonymity and Pseudonyms
Where practical and lawful, you may be able to make general enquiries or interact with certain parts of our website without identifying yourself or by using a pseudonym.
However, identification may be necessary where required to:
- provide counselling;
- manage appointments;
- assess safety;
- create course accounts;
- process payments;
- issue certificates;
- comply with legal or professional obligations.
Australian privacy law generally requires covered entities to provide an option for anonymity or pseudonymity where practicable, subject to exceptions.
25. Complaints About Privacy
If you believe Backing U has mishandled your personal information or breached your privacy, please contact us.
Privacy Officer / Privacy Contact
Backing U
Email: site@backingu.com.au
Please include:
- your name and contact details;
- a description of the issue;
- relevant dates or circumstances;
- what outcome you are seeking.
We will review privacy complaints and aim to respond within a reasonable period.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
26. Automated Decision-Making
Backing U does not currently intend to rely solely on automated computer-based decision-making to make decisions that significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests in relation to counselling or support services.
Technology may be used for administrative functions such as:
- course scoring;
- course completion;
- account security;
- website analytics;
- appointment administration.
If our use of automated decision-making materially changes, this Privacy Policy may be updated.
This section also helps future-proof the policy because additional APP privacy-policy requirements concerning certain significant automated decisions commence on 10 December 2026.
27. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Backing U may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:
- changes to our services;
- changes to our website;
- new technologies;
- changes to service providers;
- changes to legal or regulatory requirements;
- changes to our information-handling practices.
The current version will be published on our website with the date of the latest update.
We encourage users to review this policy periodically.
28. Contact Us
For privacy enquiries, requests for access or correction, or privacy complaints, contact:
Backing U
Privacy Contact: site@backingu.com.au
Website: backingu.com.au
Queensland, Australia