1. Our commitment

Connect Australia Pty Ltd respects your privacy and handles personal information with care. This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information through our website, enquiry forms, consultations, email, telephone, social-media pages and other business activities.

We aim to manage personal information consistently with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and other applicable Australian privacy, marketing and records-management requirements.

2. Personal information we may collect

Depending on your dealings with us, we may collect:

• your full name, residential or business address, email address and telephone number
• identity and contact-verification information used to confirm that an enquiry is genuine and reduce fraud, impersonation and spam
• information about your organisation, position, circumstances, objectives and the services you request
• correspondence, appointment details, file notes and records of our communications
• documents provided for consultation pre-reading, application writing, engagement, strategic advice or service coordination
• billing and transaction records, although payment-card information may be processed directly by a payment provider
• technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, website activity, cookies and similar data
• information provided through Facebook, LinkedIn or another social-media service, including messages, comments, lead forms and page interactions
• information provided by your authorised representative, preferred professional provider, referral source or another person where authorised or reasonably expected.

Some matters may involve sensitive information, including health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, political opinions, professional memberships or criminal-record information. We collect sensitive information only where it is reasonably necessary for our work and with consent, or where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Please provide only information that is relevant to your enquiry. Do not send identity documents, financial records, health records or other sensitive material through public comments or social-media direct messages. We will advise you of an appropriate channel if such documents are required.

3. Why we collect and use personal information

We may collect, hold and use personal information to:

• identify you and confirm that an enquiry is genuine
• respond to enquiries and determine whether we can assist
• arrange and conduct consultations, including agreed document pre-reading
• provide strategic advisory, writing, engagement, application-support and coordination services
• communicate with you and manage our professional relationship
• work with your preferred professional provider, where authorised
• identify and, with prior disclosure, introduce suitable independent professional providers where requested
• issue proposals, engagement documents, invoices and receipts
• manage our website, social-media pages, records, security and business operations
• detect and prevent spam, fraud, misuse, threats or unlawful activity
• meet insurance, regulatory, contractual and legal obligations
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims
• improve our services and understand how our website and communications are used.

If required information is not provided, we may be unable to verify your identity, assess your enquiry, arrange a consultation or provide the requested service.

4. Enquiry forms and genuine-person checks

Our enquiry process may require a valid full name, telephone number and address. We use this information to contact you, confirm that you are a genuine person, reduce spam and protect our team and clients from impersonation or misuse.

We may use proportionate manual or technical checks, including CAPTCHA, email or telephone confirmation and comparison of the information you provide. We do not presently use personal information in a fully automated system to make decisions that significantly affect a person’s rights or interests. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide any notice required by law.

5. Consultations and advance documents

Where a consultation includes pre-reading, we may request relevant documents before the meeting. We use those documents to prepare for the consultation and provide the agreed service.

Sending information to us does not, by itself, create a legal practitioner-client, accountant-client, tax adviser-client or financial adviser-client relationship. Please do not send original documents or information beyond what we request.

6. Professional providers and our network

We may work with your preferred legal representative, accountant, tax adviser, financial adviser, business adviser, funding specialist, engineer or other professional where you authorise us to do so.

If you ask us to identify or introduce a provider from our professional network, we will disclose the proposed involvement before sharing personal information, unless disclosure is otherwise authorised or required by law. You may independently assess any provider and choose whether to engage that provider or another provider of your choice.

Connect Australia Pty Ltd does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. Where those services are required, you should obtain advice from an appropriately qualified and authorised professional. We do not sell personal information.

7. When we may disclose information

We may disclose relevant personal information to:

• people you authorise, including your preferred professional providers and representatives
• independent contractors and professional providers engaged to support an agreed service
• website hosting, cloud storage, email, security, payment, appointment, document-management and technology providers
• insurers, auditors and professional advisers
• government agencies, regulators, courts, tribunals or law-enforcement bodies where authorised or required by law
• another party where reasonably necessary to prevent a serious threat, investigate suspected unlawful activity or protect legal rights.

We seek to limit disclosure to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

8. Website, cookies and social media

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for essential functions, security, analytics and service improvement. You can usually control cookies through your browser, although disabling them may affect website operation.

When you interact with our Facebook, LinkedIn or other social-media pages, the platform may independently collect and use information under its own privacy policy. Public comments may be visible to other users. Do not post confidential or sensitive information publicly.

Our policy applies to information that Connect Australia Pty Ltd receives or controls. It does not replace the privacy terms of Meta, LinkedIn or another platform.

9. Direct marketing

We may send service information or marketing communications where we have consent or are otherwise permitted by law. Commercial electronic messages will identify us and provide a functional way to unsubscribe.

You may opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe facility or contacting us. We will action unsubscribe requests within the period required by law. Opting out of marketing will not prevent necessary communications about an existing enquiry, appointment or engagement.

10. Overseas processing

Some technology and social-media providers may store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States and other jurisdictions in which their systems, related entities or service providers operate.

Where Australian privacy law applies, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances before disclosing personal information overseas. Overseas recipients may be subject to different privacy laws.

11. Security and retention

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for our work, business records, dispute management and legal, insurance or regulatory obligations. When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy it securely or de-identify it, subject to lawful retention requirements.

If a data breach occurs, we will assess it and take appropriate action. Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner when required.

12. Access and correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. In some circumstances, access may be refused or limited as permitted by law. If so, we will explain the reason where required and available review options.

13. Privacy concerns and complaints

Please contact us first if you have a privacy question or complaint. Include enough information for us to understand and investigate the issue, but do not send unnecessary sensitive documents.

We will acknowledge the complaint and aim to provide a response within a reasonable period. If you are not satisfied, you may be entitled to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

14. Contact us

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our practices, services, technology or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on our website with its effective date.