What personal information do we collect?
We collect both personal information and non-personal information. In this Policy, personal information has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act.
We may collect personal information about:
- our clients, business associates, potential clients and their personnel;
- other individuals in the course of acting for our clients;
- our suppliers and their employees;
- our employees, partners, contractors, former employees, former partners, former contractors or prospective employees, contractors or partners; and
- other people who come into contact with a member of the Forvis Mazars Australia Group.
General personal information
In general, the personal information we may collect and hold includes name, date of birth, contact details (including email addresses, mailing address and phone number), occupation, company name, personal preferences, payment details, employment history, education and qualifications, testimonials and feedback and other information which assists us in conducting our business, providing and marketing our services and meeting our legal obligations. We may also collect and process information provided to us by our browser when you visit our website, for example the website you came from, your location information, IP address, web browser or device type and the time and date of access.
Sensitive personal information
We occasionally collect sensitive information about you if you have consented or we are required or authorised by law to do so. This is to enable us to give you the best possible service.
Sensitive personal information includes the following:
- Ethnic or racial origin;
- Political opinions;
- Membership of a political association;
- Religious beliefs or affiliations;
- Philosophical beliefs;
- Membership of a professional or trade association;
- Membership of a trade union;
- Sexual preference or practices;
- Criminal record;
- Health; and
- Biometric templates.
Credit personal information
Under recent changes to legislation, we are deemed a credit provider because we supply services with payment terms in excess of 7 days.
We may collect credit information from you as part of our normal provision of services. Credit information includes details of your financial arrangements with credit providers, credit applications and outstanding credit details. We do not share information with credit reporting bodies without your permission.
How do we collect and hold information?
The information that we collect depends on the nature of your interactions with us. We may collect personal information from you directly or indirectly, and in some instances from third parties. These interactions may include when:
- you engage us to provide you with human resource or industrial relation services;
- you sign up for services through our website;
- you register for seminars and events or complete surveys;
- you engage with us on our website or social media;
- you send an email or other correspondence to us or our employees;
- we collect personal information from a third party, such as the Australian Taxation Office, your financial institutions or your solicitor.
We may hold your personal information in physical files, electronically and in some instances through third party storage providers.
You may deal with us anonymously or with an alias at times (for example, to obtain general information about our services) but you will receive a better response if we know who you are or the service you require. When we provide our services to you, we will need to use your real name.
By providing us with this information, you expressly consent to our use of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy.
How do we protect your personal information?
We will take reasonable steps to protect personal information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records. Our personnel are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.
Where we no longer require your personal information, or are no longer required for statutory purposes, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.
Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information?
In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the primary purposes for which it was collected, including:
- to conduct our business;
- to provide and market goods and services;
- to communicate with you to provide or promote our products or services;
- to help us manage, develop and enhance our services, including our websites;
- to consider the suitability of prospective employees;
- to comply with our legal obligations; and
- to administer, maintain, support and provide upgrades to our services.
We may also use and disclose your personal information for a secondary purpose that is related to a purpose for which we collected it, where you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose your personal information for that secondary purpose.
We may also use or disclose your personal information for another purpose which you consent to or which is required or permitted by law. If at any time you receive material that you did not request or do not want to receive such material any more, you can opt out using the link in our direct marketing communications or please contact Privacy Officer at hrconsulting.au@forvismazars.com to unsubscribe or update your preferences.
Who do we disclose personal information to?
We disclose your personal information (including, in certain limited circumstances, your sensitive information) for the purpose for which it was collected:
- to other members of the Forvis Mazars Group;
- to entities who assist us in providing our services (including hosting and data storage providers and debt collectors);
- in confidence, to our advisers and insurers;
- in confidence, to third parties to improve our services and obtain feedback; and
- where the use or disclosure is authorised or required by or under an Australian law or court/tribunal order.
Are we likely to disclose your personal information overseas?
We are not likely to disclose your personal information overseas. However there may be situations where your information may be accessed or stored overseas by other companies who assist us in providing services or who perform functions on our behalf. Where we disclose your personal information to overseas third party service providers, we will at all times remain responsible for their handling of that information. Whenever possible, the personal information will only be transferred at your request to another country where we reasonably believe the privacy laws are substantially similar to our own. We will also take steps to require that those recipients protect that information from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, and from misuse, interference and loss.
How do you access, and correct your personal information?
Subject to the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act, you may seek access to and the correction of the personal information which we hold about you by:
- Contacting our Privacy Officer at hrconsulting.au@forvismazars.com. We may charge you a small fee under certain circumstances to cover our costs when giving you access but we will always confirm this with you first.
- Clicking on the unsubscribe link placed at the bottom of general email communications. We only retain personal information for a limited period of time, unless otherwise required by law. We will retain and use information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreement for up to a period of 10 years.
Online Policy and links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites operated by third parties. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the privacy practices of any third party website and we are not responsible for the privacy policies or content of any third party website. If you visit these websites, they will be governed by their own terms of use (including privacy policies). Our website uses Cookies and Google Analytics which allows us to identify the browsers used by those using our site. This information allows us to track usage patterns to measure the level of interest in various areas of our site. All browsers have the facility to notify users when they receive a Cookie and elect to either accept it or not. You can opt out of your information being tracked by Google Anaytics by visiting Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add On. In addition, each Internet Service Provider should be able to assist users with their preferences.
The information collected on our website will depend on how the facilities are used and may include some personal details. For example, if a person visits the website to browse or download information, our system will record the date and time of the activities, the information viewed or downloaded. In the event that a person enters information in the process of completing an email or any other on-line forms, we will collect the information submitted.
We use a third-party provider, MailChimp, to deliver our newsletter and other general marketing communication. We gather statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies to help us monitor and improve our mailings. For more information, please see MailChimp’s privacy notice. You can unsubscribe to our mailings at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any of our emails or by emailing us.
Children
We understand the importance of protecting children’s privacy, especially in an online environment. In particular, our websites are not intentionally designed for or directed at children under the age of 13. It is our policy to never knowingly collect or maintain information about anymore under the age of 13, except as part of a specific engagement to provide professional services which necessitates such personal information to be collected or for the purposes of ensuring compliance with our auditor independence policies.
European residents
In addition to the Privacy Act, if you are an individual in a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), our GDPR Collection Notice here provides further information about our processing of your personal information, the basis on which we collect your personal information and your additional data subject rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). The Forvis Mazars Group is a data controller for our website and services provided through our website at the address shown above.
How you can make a privacy related query or complaint
If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complaint about a breach of your privacy or the handling of your personal information by us, please contact Mark Sheridan (Privacy Officer) on the details below:
Mark Sheridan
Level 11, 307 Queen Street
BRISBANE QLD 4001
GPO Box 2268
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Phone: +61 7 3218 3900
Email: mark.sheridan@forvismazars.com
We may ask you to lodge your complaint in writing. Any complaint will be investigated by the Privacy Officer and you will be notified of the making of a decision in relation to your complaint as soon as practicable after it has been made, usually within 30 days.
If we are unable to satisfactorily resolve your concerns about our handling of your personal information, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on the details below:
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
Tel: 1300 363 992
