Protecting Your Privacy

Protecting your privacy and maintaining confidentiality in relation to your personal information is something we take very seriously at Brentnalls NSW Pty Ltd ABN 54 109 527 835 (“Brentnalls NSW”, “we” or “us”). Our Privacy Policy is designed to ensure that we communicate to our clients, as clearly as possible, how we manage their personal information. Accordingly, we encourage you to read this policy very carefully and to contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

Our management, use and disclosure of personal information and credit information is governed by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act),the Australian Privacy Principles (APP’s) set out in the Privacy Act and the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 (Cth). We reserve the right to amend or modify this Privacy Policy at any time however, an up to date copy of this document will remain available on our firm’s website at all times.

Personal Information

In order to provide the best possible accounting, taxation related and/or financial advisory services to you, Brentnalls NSW needs to collect and store your personal information.

Personal information is any information which might identify you or by which your identity might reasonably be determined. Personal information collected by Brentnalls NSW may include, but is not limited to, your name, birthdate, place of residence, email address, telephone number, bank account details, credit card details, superannuation details, taxation details (both past and present), accounting and financial information.

Whilst you can of course choose not to provide us with your personal information, Brentnalls NSW may be unable to provide you with services unless you opt to do so.

How We Collect Your Personal Information

Brentnalls NSW will, whenever possible collect your personal information from you directly. Where we are unable to obtain personal information directly from you we may request your consent, either written or verbal as appropriate, to obtain your personal information from a third party.

Ultimately, we may collect your personal information in a number of ways during the course of our relationship with you, including the following:

• during personal conversations with you;
• from documentation, hardcopy or digital media provided by you;
• from communications sent from you by fax, email, post or other means;
• when you forward or upload electronic data to our office network including by way of the client portal on our website and via other web based storage services such as DropBox;
• when you provide us with direct access to your electronic records or systems;
• from forms completed by you and returned to our office;
• from third parties when you have authorised us to do so;
• from event enrolment forms;
• when you visit our website; or
• when you connect with us using social media

It is possible also that we may collect personal information about you from other sources without your direct knowledge such as when funds are transferred from your bank account to our trust or general accounts and your bank account details are advised to us.

Regardless of how we collect your personal information, Brentnalls NSW will deal with your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy.

How We Use Your Personal Information

• to verify your identify;
• to contact and communicate with you;
• to provide you with agreed services;
• to notify you of any new or amended services offered by Brentnalls NSW relevant to the agreed service or otherwise;
• to assist you with technical support or support relating to the agreed service or otherwise;
• to carry out marketing initiatives relating to the services provided by Brentnalls NSW;
• to offer you additional services; and
• to comply with laws or regulations in relevant jurisdictions.

When instructing Brentnalls NSW to provide an agreed service you consent to the collection, storage and use of your personal information as outlined in this policy and for any other use you may otherwise authorise. Brentnalls NSW will only use your personal information for the provision of services to you and/or the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise expressly authorised by you.

Whenever possible, Brentnalls NSW will require you to specifically consent to any disclosure of your personal information to a third party where the disclosure of personal information is not in accordance with, or is unrelated to, the provision of services to you.

In order to provide quality, efficient and affordable services to you, it is possible that your personal information may be viewed by third parties with whom Brentnalls NSW has a vested relationship such as providers of auditing and bookkeeping services, audit insurance providers, accounting contractors, corporate secretarial contractors, actuarial certificate providers, providers of financial services, IT contractors and providers of software support.  We may use Cloud Based Software during the analysis of your data and during the provision of some services which may result in your data being stored on their servers which maybe located overseas.  Further, it is possible that your information may be reviewed by our overseas contractors, Backoffis Pty Ltd, with whom Brentnalls NSW has a close, long standing and valued association however that data will be stored on Brentnalls NSW servers that are located in Australia.

If at any time Brentnalls NSW is required by law to release your personal information, we must co-operate fully.

Once the provision of services to you is complete your personal information, both electronic and otherwise may be retained by Brentnalls NSW for a period of seven years or more in the event that future instruction for the provision of additional or ongoing services may be forthcoming.

Keeping Your Personal Information Secure

Brentnalls NSW is committed to the protection of your personal information whether stored electronically or on file, and takes all reasonable precautions to protect it from unauthorised disclosure, access or modification. We incorporate a number of systems and procedures to ensure your personal information remains secure, including the following:

• a requirement for all staff to agree in writing to client and work related confidentiality at the time they commence employment with Brentnalls NSW;
• electronically secure premises accessible only to Brentnalls NSW staff with access codes;
• securing our premises with an alarm;
• client and third party meeting rooms external to a secure work area;
• Your personal information is stored in secure electronic databases in a cloud (hosted) environment, managed by a third party and located in Brisbane, Australia.  This information is stored in a secure data centre and we use a number of appropriate security measures and technology to protect this information;
• the use of secure links and client portal for the transfer of sensitive documents between ourselves, our clients and other external parties;
• placing passwords and varying access levels on databases to limit access and protect electronic information;
• the use of firewalls, encryption, passwords and digital certificates;
• using 2 Factor Authentication wherever possible including our servers but also online  software such as Xero, MYOB, DocuSign and Deloittes
• protocols for fast and effective action in accordance with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) Notifiable Data Breach (NDR) scheme;
• training for all staff regarding the protection of client personal information in keeping with the Privacy Act and the NDR scheme;
• the use of passwords for access to our network and restrictions within our database to ensure that staff only access the information required to perform their duties; and
• security shredding bin for the disposal of written information.

Brentnalls NSW will correspond with you by email if you indicate that this is appropriate and acceptable to you. In providing this direction you acknowledge also that the internet is not a secure environment and that the transmission of personal information over the internet is at your own risk and cannot be guaranteed by Brentnalls NSW.

Website Cookies

If you access our website, we may collect additional information about you in the form of your IP address or domain name.

Our website uses ‘Cookies’. Cookies are small text files placed on your computer when you first visit the site and are used on some parts of our website. Most browsers now recognise when a cookie is offered and permit you to refuse or accept it. If you are not sure whether your browser has this capability, you should check with the software manufacturer, your company’s IT help desk or your Internet service provider. We sometimes use cookies to analyse statistical data such as the date and time that you accessed the site and the internet address of the site that linked you to our site. We do not and are not able to use cookies to gain personal information.

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and any linked websites are not subject to our Privacy Policy and related procedures. Before disclosing information on any other website you should examine the terms and conditions and privacy policy of that organisation.

Direct Marketing

Brentnalls NSW will, on occasion, use your personal information such as your address or contact details, to provide you with industry information or to introduce you to additional services that we offer. In this regard, we may, for example, send you written communications, electronic newsletters and/or invitations to events. If at any time you do not wish to receive information such as this, we invite you to contact us on 02 8252 5555 or email admin@brentnallsnsw.com.au to unsubscribe where offered when the communication is electronic and we will not send you any further information.

Accessing and Amending Your Personal Information

We encourage you to always communicate with us immediately there is a need to access or update your personal information.

You can at any time request access to your personal information or request that we update your personal information by contacting us on 02 8252 5555, by written communication, or by emailing us at admin@brentnallsnsw.com.au

You may only access your own personal information. We will attempt to handle all requests for access to personal information in a reasonable time period. In the event that information requested is substantial, Brentnalls NSW may charge a fee to cover the cost of retrieval and provision of the information to you. Additionally, Brentnalls NSW reserves the right to deny access to personal information where the request for same is considered to be frivolous or vexatious.

Complaints Regarding Breaches Of Privacy

If at any time you believe Brentnalls NSW to be in breach of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth),the Australian Privacy Principles (APP’s) set out in the Privacy Act, and the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 (Cth), we encourage you to contact us on 02 8252 5555 or to lodge a complaint in writing addressed as follows:

The Practice Manager
Brentnalls NSW
GPO Box 7020
SYDNEY NSW 2001

If you are unsatisfied with our response you may contact the Federal Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992. Alternatively you may write to the Director of Complaints, Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 1042.