Last updated: 4 June 2026
1. Who we are
Doctors Note Australia is operated by Walia Medical Pty Ltd (ABN 52158069080), located at 9 Old Belvidere Promenade, East Perth WA 6004. Dr Rupinder Singh Walia (AHPRA Registration MED0001647256) is the principal medical practitioner.
2. Information we collect
When you use our service, we collect the following information:
- Personal details: Full name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and residential address.
- Health information: Reason for your certificate application, symptoms described, and any relevant medical history you provide in your application form.
- Payment information: Payment is processed securely through our payment processors (Stripe and PayPal). We do not store credit card numbers on our servers.
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited — collected automatically to improve our service.
3. How we use your information
We use your information to:
- Assess and process your medical certificate application, including with the assistance of trusted technical service providers (such as hosting, email, payment and AI tools — see Section 4)
- Generate and deliver your certificate and accompanying clinical advice note by email
- Enable third parties you give your certificate to (such as an employer) to confirm its authenticity (see Section 5)
- Communicate with you about your application
- Comply with our legal and professional obligations under Australian healthcare regulations
- Improve our services and website functionality
4. Use of AI and automated tools
We use a secure artificial-intelligence (AI) service provided by Anthropic, PBC (based in the United States) to help our doctor process your application. Specifically:
- Drafting your advice note and triage screening: the clinical details you enter — such as your symptoms, the reason for your absence, its duration, and your industry — are sent to this service to draft a clinical advice note for the doctor to review and to flag applications that may not be suitable for an online certificate. For this purpose the information is sent without your name, date of birth or contact details.
- Doctor's AI review tool: when our reviewing doctor uses an in-house AI tool to assist their assessment of your application, a fuller summary — which may include your name and date of birth together with your clinical details — is sent to the same AI service.
A registered doctor (Dr Walia) always makes the final clinical decision and reviews and may edit any advice before it is sent to you. The AI service does not make final clinical decisions and does not contact you directly. Anthropic does not use information submitted through its commercial API to train its models; limited data may be retained for a short period for security and abuse-monitoring purposes. Because this service is located overseas, please also read Section 9 (Overseas disclosure).
Our AI commitments:
- We use AI only to assist our doctor (drafting advice notes and triage screening) — it never makes the final clinical decision. A registered GP reviews, may edit, and is responsible for every certificate.
- Your information is never used to train AI models. Our AI provider does not train its models on data submitted through its commercial API.
- We do not sell or rent your personal or health information.
- We share your information only with the service providers needed to deliver the service (see Sections 8 and 9), each bound by security and confidentiality obligations.
- Every certificate carries the reviewing doctor's name and AHPRA registration number, and can be independently verified by its QR code or reference (see Section 5).
- We keep an internal audit record of the AI-assisted steps in your application as part of our clinical governance.
5. Certificate verification
Each certificate we issue includes a unique reference number and a QR code. Anyone you choose to give your certificate to (for example, an employer or education provider) can use the reference or QR code to confirm its authenticity at doctorsnote.com.au/verify. The verification page displays only limited information needed to confirm the certificate is genuine — such as your name, the dates covered, the issuing doctor and the issue/verification status. No diagnosis or symptom information is shown. Anyone who holds your certificate reference or QR code can perform this check.
6. Follow-up and check-in communications
After we issue your certificate, we may send you a small number of follow-up emails to the address you provided:
- Check-in email: Approximately 48 hours after your certificate is delivered, we may ask how you are feeling (improving, about the same, or worse). Your response is recorded for quality and safety purposes.
- Safety guidance: If you indicate you are feeling worse, you will be shown general guidance on seeking medical care, including emergency and crisis-support contacts. This is general safety information only — we do not provide ongoing monitoring or medical follow-up, and you should always seek care directly from a doctor or emergency services if you are unwell.
- Feedback and review request: Approximately 72 hours after delivery, we may invite you to share feedback or leave a public Google review. This is entirely optional and carries no obligation.
These messages are not essential service communications. You can opt out at any time using the "Unsubscribe" link in any of them — you will still receive your certificate and any essential clinical communications. We store your responses, any comments you choose to provide, and the dates these emails were sent.
7. Health records
As a registered medical practice, we are required to maintain clinical records in accordance with the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Your health information is stored securely and retained for the minimum period required by law (generally 7 years from the date of last entry, or until the patient turns 25 if a minor).
8. Sharing your information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information with the following categories of recipient, some of which are located overseas (see Section 9):
- AI service provider: Anthropic, PBC (United States) — for the AI-assisted drafting, triage and review described in Section 4.
- Payment processors: Stripe and PayPal — to process your payment securely.
- Email and analytics providers: Google (for email delivery and website analytics) and Brevo (for transactional and follow-up emails).
- Hosting provider: SiteGround, which hosts our website and data on Australian-based servers.
- Regulatory bodies: If required or authorised by law, including AHPRA, the Health Complaints Commissioner, or law enforcement agencies.
- People you give your certificate to: your certificate is sent to the email and phone number you provide, and anyone you give it to can verify it (see Section 5).
9. Overseas disclosure of your information
Some of our service providers are located, or process information, outside Australia. In particular:
- Our AI service provider (Anthropic) and payment processors such as Stripe and PayPal are based in the United States;
- Google may process information in the United States and other countries;
- Brevo is based in the European Union.
This means your personal information — and, in the circumstances described in Section 4, your health information — may be stored or accessed overseas. Where we disclose information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers handle it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through their contractual terms and security measures. By submitting your application you consent to these overseas disclosures. If you do not consent, please do not submit an application, and contact us to discuss alternatives.
10. Data security
We use industry-standard security measures including SSL encryption, secure hosting with SiteGround (Australian-based servers), and access controls to protect your personal and health information. Only authorised personnel with a legitimate need can access your records. Where information is shared with the service providers listed above, including those overseas, we rely on their security measures and contractual commitments to keep it protected.
11. Your rights
Under the Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to:
- Access your personal information held by us
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Make a complaint about how we handle your information
To exercise these rights, email us at doc@doctorsnote.com.au. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).
12. Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyse website traffic. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "last updated" date.
14. Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, contact us:
Email: doc@doctorsnote.com.au
Address: 9 Old Belvidere Promenade, East Perth WA 6004
Address: 9 Old Belvidere Promenade, East Perth WA 6004