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Privacy Policy

Privacy Statement

Apiary Financial (ABN: 67 945 835 387) and Apiary Financial Planning Pty Ltd (ABN: 18 010 821 360) “Apiary Financial” respect and value our professional relationships with our clients and are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of information we collect from you. We are bound by, and are committed to supporting, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which set the standards for accessing, collecting, storing and using the personal information we obtain from you in the conduct of our business operations.

Our customers’ right to privacy is paramount. We understand the importance of information that identifies you (”personal information”) and we have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all personal information, howsoever obtained, is handled sensitively, securely, and in accordance with recognised privacy principles.

Collection of Information

To ensure that we can provide quality services to you, we may ask for personal details and any relevant information which concerns your dealings with us. We may require these details to contact you and provide a minimum level of service to you.

Generally, you have no obligation to provide any information requested by us. However, should you choose to withhold requested information, we may be unable to provide you with the services you require that are dependent on the provision of that information. This is particularly pertinent if the collection of that information is required by law.

We will not collect personal information about you as a client unless it is necessary for one or more of our functions or activities. The types of information we collect includes:

  • Names, job titles and contact details
  • Tax file numbers and other government-issued identification numbers;
  • Date of birth;
  • Gender;
  • Bank account details, shareholdings and investment details;
  • Superannuation and insurance arrangements;
  • Information in identification documents (for example, passport or driver licence);
  • Educational qualifications, employment history and salary details;
  • Personal information about your spouse and dependants;
  • Other personal information required to provide you with the services you require.

The information that we collect about you will be obtained by fair and lawful means, and not in an unreasonably intrusive way. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that when collecting personal information about you, you are aware of:

  • Our identity and contact details
  • The purpose for which we are collecting the information;
  • Your ability to access the information collected;
  • Any third party organisations to which that information may be disclosed;
  • Any law that requires the information to be collected;
  • The consequences (if any) for you if the information is not provided.

We will, insofar as is reasonable and practicable to do so, only collect the information directly from you or from a person authorised to act on your behalf. If this is not possible, and the information is collected from a third party source, we will only do so as permitted or required by law and will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of the details listed above, unless specific exemptions apply. In the instance that personal information collected via a third party could not have been lawfully and ethically obtained under Australian Privacy Principles, that information will be destroyed or de-identified.

Collection of Sensitive Information

We may be required to collect sensitive information from you or about you from a third party for the provision of certain insurance or financial planning services.

We may only collect sensitive information about you with your consent. (For the purposes of this Policy, sensitive information relates to the details of your racial or ethnic origins, religious beliefs and political opinions, trade union, association or professional memberships, sexual preferences and/or criminal record. It also covers information about your health). However, there are exceptions to the requirements listed above. For instance, we may be required to collect information by law in the following circumstances:

  • For the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal or equitable claim; or
  • Where it is necessary for the prevention of or to lessen a serious threat to the life or health of an individual.

In these circumstances, we are not required to advise you that we are collecting information about you.

Use and Disclosure of Information

Apiary Financial will not use or disclose any personal information if a request has been made not to do so.

Apiary Financial primarily only uses the information collected for the provision of services to our clients or our internal professional business requirements including:

  • Provision of professional services;
  • Responding to request and queries;
  • Recruitment purposes;
  • Engaging service providers, contractors or suppliers relating to the operation of our business;
  • Managing any conflict of interest or independence obligations or situations;
  • Meeting regulatory obligations; or
  • For any other business-related purpose

Business-related purposes may include using information we have about you in order to advise you of new legislation, interpretations, services and products that we believe may be of relevance or interest to you. At any time, you have the option to discontinue receiving any direct marketing communications from us.

We do not disclose personal information to third parties for the purpose of allowing them to send marketing material to you.

In the course of providing services to you, it may be necessary for us to disclose certain personal information about you to the following types of organisations:

  • Regulatory bodies, including accounting and other financial professional bodies;
  • Government agencies;
  • Your financial institution or any other financial institution with which you have any dealings;
  • Other financial advisors, agents or brokers whom you have any dealings;
  • Agents, contractors and professional advisors who assist us; and
  • Credit and debit agencies.

There may be other occasions where we are required by law to disclose your personal information to Government Departments, regulatory authorities, courts or other parties and advisers. For example, we may disclose your personal information to a court in response to a subpoena. We are not required to seek your consent before making such a disclosure if compelled by law.

We may also be required to disclose information about our clients to our service providers where we contract out certain management functions in connection with the conduct of our client’s affairs; for example, hosting our Web servers, providing legal services, IT support, courier deliveries and file storage. As a general rule, all such providers must comply with the same Australian Privacy Principles to which we are bound.

Whenever you engage us to perform work on your behalf, you authorise Apiary Financial to disclose your personal information to the types of agencies listed above.

We do not use any government related identifiers (E.g. Tax File Number, Australian Business Number) as identifiers within our organisation.

Accuracy and Correction of Personal Information

We endeavour to maintain current and accurate personal information about you and correct any errors as they arise, which may include notifying any third parties to whom we have disclosed your personal information in the course of our professional engagement with you.

You can advise us of changes to your personal information via telephone, facsimile, email, letter or in person at our office.

Security of Personal Information

We may hold information about you in a variety of media, including, but not limited to: paper, scanned documents, electronic files, discs, hard drives or other day to day electronic records (For example – stored emails). The Australian Privacy Principles require us take reasonable steps to protect that information from loss, misuse, alteration, destruction, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

To comply with these principles, we employ a number of means to protect your personal information including:-

  • Firewalls
  • Secure computer network
  • Secure electronic document transfer facilities
  • Password protection on all personal computers
  • Multi-Factor authentication
  • Regularly updated virus protection software
  • Controlled access to the premises
  • 24 hour monitored security system

Only authorised Apiary Financial personnel are provided access to personally-identifiable information and these employees are bound by a Confidentiality Agreement. These steps have been taken to ensure, as far as is possible, that unauthorised persons will not obtain access to your personal information.

Whilst we take all reasonable measures, data transmissions over the Internet cannot be guaranteed as fully secure. If you use the Internet to send us information, you understand that you do so at your own risk.

We will not retain any of your personal information for longer than is required, other than to satisfy legal, statutory or regulatory purposes. We will securely destroy or de-identify your personal information when it is no longer required by us.

Access to Personal Information

Subject to privacy law, we will provide you with access to any of your personal information in our possession upon request. We will only refuse a person access to, or correction of, their information if the request is vexatious, access would unreasonably impact on the privacy of others or granting access would be unlawful or reveal commercially sensitive information. In the event that your request for information is denied, we are obliged to provide you with the reason for that denial.

If you require access to your personal information, please contact us in writing. For security purposes, we will require proof of your identity before releasing any of your personal information to either yourself or an authorised third party representative acting on your behalf.

All requests for access will be handled as promptly as possible but may depend on whether such information is located in archives.

The majority of requests for access to personal information will be provided free of charge. However, we may charge a reasonable fee should your request require a substantial effort on our part.

Website

This Privacy Policy also applies to our website: https://apiaryfinancial.com.au.

We generally only collect personal information from our website when it is voluntarily provided; for example, upon submission of a contact form or an application for employment.

When you visit or download information from our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) makes a record of your visit and records the following information:

  • your Internet address;
  • your domain name (if applicable); and
  • the date and time of your visit to our website.

Our ISP also collects anonymous information only used for statistical and website development purposes including the pages accessed, the documents downloaded, links from other websites used to access our site and the types of browser used.

Cookies and Website Analytics

To improve your experience on our site, we may use ‘cookies’. Cookies are an industry standard and most major web sites use them. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

Our website uses Google Analytics, a service which transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We use reports provided by Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and webpage usage.

For more details about how we use cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

Links to Third-Party Sites

The Apiary Financial website contains links to third-party affiliates as a service to our users. Please be aware that we cannot control and are consequently not responsible for the information collection practices of such third-party websites. As these sites are not subject to our privacy standards, we encourage you to review and understand the privacy policies on these websites before providing any personal information to them.

Sending Information Overseas

Apiary Financial will only send personal information overseas if it is necessary in order to provide you with your requested services or if it is required by law. In such cases, we will obtain your consent to transfer your personal information, unless it is not practical to do so, the transfer is to your benefit and consent would likely be given. We will take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient is subject to laws or privacy principles similar to the APP, and that your personal information will not be used or disclosed by the recipient in a way that contravenes the APP.

Anonymity

You have the option of not identifying yourself, or using a pseudonym when dealing with us unless it is impractical or required or authorised by law.

It is generally not practical to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym in your dealings with us as we usually require your personal information to provide the specific services to you for which we have been engaged. If you choose to not identify yourself or to use a pseudonym, we may not be able to provide the services or fulfil the obligations we were engaged to perform.

Complaints Resolution

If you believe that your privacy has been prejudiced, you have a right to lodge a complaint with us.

If you have any queries, concerns or complaints regarding any aspect of this policy, please contact us in writing:

  • Email: info@apiaryfinancial.com.au
  • Mail: PO Box 1144, Milton QLD 4064

However, if you are dissatisfied with our complaints resolution process, you may refer your concerns to the Privacy Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

Further Information

Should you wish to obtain further information about the privacy legislation or the Australian Privacy Principles, we recommend that you visit the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) website at www.oaic.gov.au.

Consent

By using this Site, you consent to the collection, use, and storage of your information by us in the manner described in this Privacy Policy.

Amendments to this policy

We constantly review policies and procedures to ensure that our standards reflect any changes in law, technology, legislation or the market place. As a result, we reserve the right to make changes to this policy as required. This page will be updated to reflect changes accordingly.