Privacy Policy
Respecting
your privacy
We respect
your personal information, and this Privacy Policy explains how
we handle it. The policy covers Finance Works Qld Pty Ltd.
This
Policy also includes our credit reporting policy, that is, it
covers additional information on how we manage your personal
information collected in connection with a credit application,
or a credit facility. We refer to this credit-related
information below as credit information.
What
personal information
do we collect and hold?
General
information
The types
of information that we collect and hold about you could include:
·
ID
information such as your name, postal or email address,
telephone numbers, and date of birth;
·
other
contact details such as social media handles;
·
financial
details such as your tax file number; and
·
other
information we think is necessary.
When the
law authorises or requires us to collect information
We may
collect information about you because we are required or
authorised by law to collect it. There are laws that which
require us to collect personal information. For example, we
require personal information to verify your identity under
Australian Anti-Money Laundering law.
What do we
collect via your website activity?
If you’re an internet customer of ours, we monitor your use of
internet services to ensure we can verify you and can receive
information from us, and to identify ways we can improve our
services for you.
If
you start but don’t submit an on-line application, we can
contact you using any of the contact details you’ve supplied to
offer help completing it. The information in applications will
be kept temporarily then destroyed if the application is not
completed.
We also know that some customers like to engage with us through
social media channels. We may collect information about you when
you interact with us through these channels. However, for all
confidential matters, we’ll ensure we interact with you via a
secure forum.
To improve our services and products, we sometimes collect
de-identified information from web users. That information could
include IP addresses or geographical information to ensure your
use of our web applications is secure.
How do we collect your personal information?
How we
collect and hold your information
Unless
it’s unreasonable or impracticable, we will try to collect
personal information directly from you (referred to as ‘solicited
information’). For this reason, it’s important that you
help us to do this and keep your contact details up-to-date.
There are
a number of ways in which we may seek information from you. We
might collect your information when you fill out a form with us,
when you’ve given us a call or used our
website.
We
also find using electronic means, such as email or SMS, a
convenient way to communicate with you and to verify your
details.
How we
collect your information from other sources
Sometimes,
we will collect information about you from other sources as the
Privacy Act 1988 permits. We will do this only if it’s
reasonably necessary to do so, for example, where:
·
we collect
information from third parties about the loan or lease made
available to you arising out of the services we provide you;
·
we can’t
get hold of you and we rely on public information to update your
contact details; or
·
we
exchange information with your legal or financial advisers or
other representatives.
What if
you don’t want to provide us with your personal
information?
If you
don’t provide your information to us, it may not be possible:
·
for us to
give you the credit assistance you seek from us;
·
to assist
in finding a loan or lease relevant to your circumstances;
·
verify
your identity or protect against fraud; or
·
to let you
know about other products or services that might be suitable for
your financial needs.
How we
collect and hold your credit information
We will
collect your credit information in the course of you answering
the enquiries we make of you relating to the credit assistance
you seek from us. In addition to what we say above about
collecting information from other sources, other main sources
for collecting credit information are:
·
your
co-loan applicants or co-borrowers;
·
your
guarantors/proposed guarantors;
·
your
employer, accountant, real estate agent or other referees;
·
your
agents and other representatives like the person who referred
your business to us, your solicitors, conveyancers and
settlement agents;
·
organisations that help us to process credit applications;
·
organisations that check the security you are offering such as
valuers;
·
bodies
that issue identification documents to help us check your
identity; and
·
our
service providers involved in helping us to process any
application you make for credit through us.
What do we
do when we get information we didn’t ask for?
Sometimes,
people share information with us we haven’t sought out (referred
to as ‘unsolicited information’). Where we receive
unsolicited personal information about you, we will check
whether that information is reasonably necessary for our
functions or activities. If it is, we’ll handle this information
the same way we do with other information we seek from you. If
not, we’ll ensure we do the right thing and destroy or
de-identify it.
When will
we notify you that we have received your information?
When we receive personal information from you directly, we’ll
take reasonable steps to notify you how and why we collected
your information, who we may disclose it to and outline how you
can access it, seek correction of it or make a complaint.
Sometimes
we collect your personal information from third parties. You
may not be aware that we have done so. If we collect
information that can be used to identify you, we will take
reasonable steps to notify you of that collection.
How do we
take care of your personal information?
We store
information in different ways, including in paper and electronic
form. The security of your personal information is important to
us and we take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse,
interference and loss, and from unauthorised access,
modification or disclosure. Some of the ways we do this are:
-
document storage security policies;
-
security measures for access to our systems; and
-
only
giving access to personal information to a person who is
verified to be able to receive that information
We may
store personal information physically or electronically with
third party data storage providers. Where we do this, we use
contractual arrangements to ensure those providers take
appropriate measures to protect that information and restrict
the uses to which they can put that information.
What
happens when we no longer need your information?
We’ll only
keep your information for as long as we require it for our
purposes. We may be required to keep some of your information
for certain periods of time under law. When we no longer
require your information, we’ll ensure that your information is
destroyed or de-identified.
How we use
your personal information
What are
the main reasons we collect, hold and use your information?
Collecting your personal information allows us to provide
you with the products and services you’ve asked for. This means
we can use your information to:
-
give
you credit assistance;
-
give
you information about loan products or related services;
-
consider whether you are eligible for a loan or lease or any
related service you requested;
-
assist
you to prepare an application for a lease or a loan;
-
administer services we provide, for example, to answer
requests or deal with complaints; and
-
administer payments we receive, or any payments we make,
relating to your loan or lease.
Can we use
your information for marketing our products and services?
We may use or
disclose your personal information to let you know about
about
other products or services we or a third party make available
and that may be of interest to you.
We will always let you know that you can opt out from
receiving marketing offers.
With your consent, we may disclose your personal
information to third parties for the purpose of connecting you
with other businesses or customers. You can ask us not to do
this at any time. We won’t sell your personal information to any
organisation.
Yes, You
Can Opt-Out
You can let us know at any time if you no longer wish to
receive direct marketing offers from us. We will process your
request as soon as practicable.
What are
the other ways we use your information?
We’ve just told you some of the main reasons why we collect
your information, so here’s some more insight into the ways we
use your personal information
including:
·
identifying you;
·
telling
you about other products or services we make available and that
may be of interest to you, unless you tell us not to;
·
allowing
us to run our business efficiently and perform general
administrative tasks;
·
preventing
any fraud or crime or any suspected fraud or crime;
·
as
required by law, regulation or codes binding us; and
·
any
purpose to which you have consented.
Who do we
share your personal information with
To make sure
we can meet your specific needs and for the purposes described
in ‘How we use your personal information’, we sometimes need to
share your personal information with others.
We may
share your information with other organisations for any purposes
for which we use your information.
Sharing
Your Information
We may use
and share your information with other organisations for any
purpose described above.
Sharing
with your representatives and referees
We may
share your information with:
·
your
representative or any person acting on your behalf (for example,
lawyers, settlement agents, accountants or real estate agents);
and
·
your
referees, like your employer, to confirm details about you.
Sharing
with third parties
We may
share your information with third parties in relation to
services we provide to you. Those third parties may include:
·
the
mortgage aggregator through whom we may submit loan or lease
applications to lenders or lessors on the mortgage aggregator’s
panel;
·
the
Australian Credit Licence holder that authorises us to engage in
credit activities;
. we receive services to support the broking services we give you. We receive
mortgage aggregation services from Choice Aggregation Services and compliance services from BLSSA Pty Ltd. Sometimes they collect
personal information about customers to manage customer enquiries or complaints, commission payments or file reviews. If you want to
find out how they manage your personal information, please click on the link below:
http://www.choiceaggregationservices.com.au/privacy
·
referrers
that referred your business to us;
·
valuers;
·
lenders,
lessors, lender’s mortgage insurers and other loan or lease
intermediaries;
·
organisations, like fraud reporting agencies, that may identify,
investigate and/or prevent fraud, suspected fraud, crimes,
suspected crimes, or other misconduct;
·
government
or regulatory bodies (including ASIC and the Australian Tax
Office) as required or authorised by law. In some instances,
these bodies may share the information with relevant foreign
authorities;
·
guarantors
and prospective guarantors of your loan or lease;
·
service
providers, agents, contractors and advisers that assist us to
conduct our business;
·
any
organisation that wishes to take an interest in our business or
assets; and
·
any third
party to which you consent to us sharing your information.
Sharing
outside of Australia
We are not
likely to disclose your information to organisations overseas.
However, we may store your information in cloud or other types
of networked or electronic storage. As electronic or networked
storage can be accessed from various countries via an internet
connection, it’s not always practicable to know in which country
your information may be held
How you can generally access your information
We‘ll
always give you access to your personal information unless there
are certain legal reasons why we can’t. You can ask us in
writing to access your personal information that we hold. In
some cases we may be able to deal with your request over the
phone.
We will
give you access to your information in the form you want it
where it’s reasonable and practical.
We
may charge you a small fee to cover our costs when giving you
access, but we’ll always check with you first.
We’re not
always required to give you access to your personal information.
Some of the situations where we don’t have to give you access
include when:
-
we
believe there is a threat to life or public safety;
-
there is an unreasonable impact on other individuals;
-
the request is frivolous;
-
the information wouldn’t be ordinarily accessible
because of legal proceedings;
-
it would prejudice negotiations with you;
-
it would be unlawful;
-
it would jeopardise taking action against serious
misconduct by you;
-
it would be likely to harm the activities of an
enforcement body (e.g. the police); or
-
it would
harm the confidentiality of our commercial information.
If we
can’t provide your information in the way you’ve requested, we
will tell you why in writing. If you have concerns, you can
complain. See ‘Contact Us’.
How do you
correct your personal information?
How we correct your information
Contact us
if you think there is something wrong with the information we
hold about you and we’ll try to correct it if it’s:
-
inaccurate;
-
out‑of‑date;
-
incomplete;
-
irrelevant; or
-
misleading.
If you are
worried that we have given incorrect information to others, you
can ask us to tell them about the correction. We’ll try and help
where we can - if we can’t, then we’ll let you know in writing.
What additional things do we have to do to correct your credit
information?
If you ask
us to correct credit information, we will help you with this in
the following way.
Helping
you manage corrections
Whether we
made the mistake or someone else made it, we are required to
help you ask for the information to be corrected. So we can do
this, we might need to talk to others. However, the most
efficient way for you to make a correction request is to send it
to the organisation which made the mistake.
Where
we correct information
If we’re
able to correct the information, we’ll let you know within five
business days of deciding to do this. We’ll also let the
relevant third parties know as well as any others you tell us
about. If there are any instances where we can’t do this, then
we’ll let you know in writing.
Where
we can’t correct information
If we’re
unable to correct your information, we’ll explain why in writing
within five business days of making this decision. If you have
any concerns, you can access our external dispute
resolution
scheme or
make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner.
Time frame for
correcting information
If we
agree to correct your information, we’ll do so within 30 days
from when you asked us, or a longer period that’s been agreed by
you.
If we
can’t make corrections within a 30 day time frame or the agreed
time frame, we must:
-
let
you know about the delay, the reasons for it and when we
expect to resolve the matter;
-
ask
you to agree in writing to give us more time; and
-
let
you know you can complain to our external dispute resolution
scheme or the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner.
How do
you make a complaint?
How do you generally make a complaint?
If you
have a complaint about how we handle your personal information,
we want to hear from you. You are always welcome to contact us.
You can
contact us by using the details below:
Barry
Pittman (barry@financeworks.com.au)
Mo. 0423 807 414 or Warren Merry (warren@financeworks.com.au)
Mo. 0423 807 413
We are
committed to resolving your complaint and doing the right thing
by our customers. Most complaints are resolved quickly, and you
should hear from us within five business days.
Need more help?
If you still feel your issue hasn't been resolved to your
satisfaction, then you can raise your concern with the Office of
the Australian Information Commissioner:
·
Online:
www.oaic.gov.au/privacy
·
Phone:
1300 363 992
·
Email:
enquiries@oaic.gov.au
·
·
Mail:
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 or GPO Box 2999 Canberra ACT 2601
What additional things do we have to do to manage your
complaints about credit information?
If your
complaint relates to how we handled your access and correction
requests
You may
take your complaint directly to our external dispute resolution
scheme or the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner. You are not required to let us try to fix it
first.
For all
other complaints relating to credit information
If you
make a complaint about things (other than an access request or
correction request) in relation to your credit information, we
will let you know how we will deal with it within seven days.
Ask for
more time if we can’t fix things in 30 days
If we
can’t fix things within 30 days, we’ll let you know why and how
long we think it will take. We will also ask you for an
extension of time to fix the matter. If you have any concerns,
you may complain to our external dispute resolution scheme or
the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Letting
you know about our decision
We’ll let
you know about our decision within 30 days or any longer agreed
time frame. If you have any concerns, you may complain to our
external dispute resolution scheme or the Office of the
Australian Information Commissioner.
Contact
Us
We care
about your privacy. Please contact us if you have any questions
or comments about our privacy policies and procedures. We
welcome your feedback.
You can
contact us by using the details below:
Barry
Pittman (barry@financeworks.com.au)
Mo. 0423 807 414 or Warren Merry (warren@financeworks.com.au)
Mo. 0423 807 413
What if
you want to interact with us anonymously
or use a pseudonym?
If you have general enquiry type questions, you can choose to do
this anonymously or use a pseudonym. We might not always be able
to interact with you this way, however, as we are often governed
by regulations that require us to know who we’re dealing with.
In general, we won’t be able to deal with you anonymously or
where you are using a pseudonym when:
·
it is
impracticable; or
·
we are
required or authorised by law or a court/tribunal order to deal
with you personally.
What do we do with government-related identifiers?
In certain circumstances we may be required to collect
government-related identifiers such as your tax file number. We
will not use or disclose this information unless we are
authorised by law.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This
Policy may change. We will let you know of any changes to this
Policy by posting a notification on our website, correspondence
via post or e-mail or you may contact us for a copy of the most
up to date policy at any time/ or specify other method.
|