Privacy Policy

In this policy, “us”, “we” or “our” means Northstar Accounting (ABN 86 617 309 252) and its related bodies corporate. We are committed to providing quality services to you and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your Personal Information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles contained within the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).

We may, from time to time, review and update this policy, including taking account of new or amended laws, new technology and/or changes to our operations. All personal information held by us will be governed by the most recently updated policy.

 

Your Privacy

This policy outlines the manner in which the personal information of potential clients, clients and/or their businesses, associates or partners is collected, handled, stored and used. The policy provides information about the care, integrity, and transparency with which we manage client data and personal information, in accordance with Australian regulations. This includes information such as your name, email address, identification number, or any other type of information that can reasonably identify an individual, either directly or indirectly. This policy is not intended to, nor can it, replace the provisions Acts themselves.

Personal information we may collect

Personal information is information, including opinion, whether true or not, about an individual that establishes reasonable identity. Such information may be recorded in material form, or not.

Due to the nature of the services we may provide you, it will be necessary for us to request and/or collect personal information about you. The types of personal information we may collect and hold includes (but is not limited to);

  • Names, and contact details
  • Date of birth and gender
  • Identification documents (e.g. licence, passport)
  • Tax file number
  • Assets and liabilities
  • Employment history
  • Personal income
  • Visa and work permit status
  • Superannuation details
  • Tax and financial statements
  • Information relating to insurances

Sensitive information

Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act to include information or opinion about such things as an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record, or health information.

Sensitive information will be used by us only for the primary purpose for which it was obtained, for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose, with your consent; or where required or authorised by law.

How we collect your information

In most cases, we will collect personal information directly from you via means such as online forms, emails, direct conversations, website, or other correspondence you send to us.

In some circumstances we may need to collect your personal information from third parties. This may include, but is not limited to, collection of your personal information from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) , your employer, family, or other sources.

We will not collect any personal information about you except when you have knowingly provided that information to us or authorised a third party to provide that information to us.

You are not obliged to provide any information that can identify you. However, due to the services we provide, failure to disclose personal information will impact our ability to provide appropriate services to you.

Where you provide us with another individuals personal information, such as the personal information of other members of your family group. We rely on you to have obtained consent before doing so, and to have taken reasonable steps to inform them of the matters set out in this Privacy Policy.

Where we consider that you may not be aware or would not have expected that we had collected personal information about you, we will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to let you know that we have collected the personal information, and our purpose for collecting it.

How we use your information

Personal information collected by us will only be used for the primary purpose in which it was collected unless you have consented to it being used for another purpose. We may also use your personal information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure

Generally, we may use your personal information;

  • As necessary to provide accounting and taxation services to you
  • To perform due diligence and probity checks prior to providing services to you
  • To assess your needs and improve the services we provide to you
  • For audit, regulatory and compliance purposes
  • For accounting and administrative purposes
  • For other purposes related to providing advisory services to you.

Disclosure of personal information

The personal information we hold will only be used for the provision of services to you. In some instances, it may be necessary for us to disclose your information to a third party. Unless you consent to this disclosure, we may not be able to provide you with the financial and advisory services you require. The types of third parties to whom we may disclose information include;

  • Financial institutions for the provision of financial products to you
  • Auditors, or compliance officers, as required by Law or Professional Associations
  • Organisations or individuals we may contract with to provide services to you (such as software providers and consultants)
  • Where the law requires or permits us to do so
  • Any organisation and/or persons who you request us to do so; this may include other financial, business, or advisory services.

Security

Northstar Accounting is committed to ensuring the security, privacy and confidentiality of personal information collected and held by us.

We take all reasonable precautions to safeguard your information so that it is not misused, lost, modified, accessed by unauthorised persons or disclosed without authorisation.

When your personal information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will destroy or permanently de-identify your personal information.

Access to your personal information

You may access the personal information we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your personal information, please contact us in writing.

In order to protect your personal information, we will require you to verify your identity before releasing the requested information.

Keeping personal information up to date

We take reasonable steps to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. If you find that the information we have is not up to date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as practicable so we can update our records and ensure we can continue to provide quality services to you.

Third party websites

Our website may include links to external sites we believe may suit some of your information needs. We do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or reliance of the information contained within such sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites beyond our control. As such, we recommend you read the privacy statement of each and every website that collects personal information.

Cookies

We may also use cookies (small files exchanged between a website server and your computer) on our website. If you do not want to allow cookies to be used to collect information, you can disable cookies on your computer by changing the security and privacy settings in your browser.

Complaints about privacy

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the manner in which we have handled your personal information, please contact us on 0402 258 133,  or in writing to Privacy Officer Northstar Accounting PO Box 62 ISLINGTON NSW 2296.