Swart & Sons Pty Ltd (Swart) respects the integrity of all personal information provided to us.  This Policy outlines how we manage personal information held about our clients, potential clients, contractors, employees and others.  We will comply with the Privacy Act 1988, including the National Privacy Principles (NPPs).

Why do we collect personal information?

Personal information is collected in order to conduct our business, to provide and market our services and to meet out legal obligations.  If we do not collect the personal information, or if information provided is incomplete or inaccurate, we may not be able to provide our services, or the services may be compromised.

Who do we collect personal information from?

Personal information may be collected, and held, about:

• Clients, potential clients, business associates, and their workers
• Suppliers, and their workers
• Prospective employees and contractors

What kind of personal information do we collect?

Depending on the nature of the relationship, the type of personal information we collect includes, but is not limited to:

• Name, title and occupation
• Address and contact details
• Banking and insurance information
• Other information which may assist in conducting our business, including providing marketing materials
• CCTV footage – for security purposes CCTV cameras are installed in parts of our premises, and your image may be recorded; by entering our premises you consent to us recording your image

Where personal information is provided as part of a job application it will be used to consider the application and to verify the information provided is true and correct; the information will form part of the employment records.

How do we collect personal information?

Personal information provided to us will generally be via completed forms and paperwork, face to face meetings, interviews, business cards, telephone conversations, email / hard copy correspondence and from third parties.

Personal information provided by third parties may include, but is not limited to, medical reports, employment agencies and referees.

Where information is collected from a third party, they represent, and we accept, that the information is given on the basis that they are authorised to do so and that the relevant person has consented to the information being provided.

Information collected from our website

Personal information from our website may be collected through subscriptions and emails.

Our website is hosted by a third party who may analyse website traffic through the use of cookies.  

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on a computer’s hard drive.  Once this has been agreed to, the file is added and the cookie helps to analyse web traffic or lets a person know when a particular site is visited.

Cookies allow web applications to respond to people as individuals.  The web application can tailor its operations to individuals’ needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about the preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used which helps us to analyse data and improve our website to best tailor it to our customers’ needs.  The information is used only for statistical purposes and the data is then removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us to provide a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages are most useful and which are not.  A cookie in no way gives us access to any computer or information about a person, other than the data shared with us.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but browser setting can usually be modified to decline cookies is preferred, however, declining cookies may prevent full access to the website.

How might we use and disclose your personal information?

We may use, and disclose, your personal information for the primary purpose for which it is collected, for reasonably expected secondary purposes which are related to the primary purpose and in other circumstances, as authorised by the Privacy Act.

In general we will use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• To conduct our business
• To provide and market our services
• To communicate with you
• To purchase from you
• To help us manage and improve our services

Who might we disclose your personal information to?

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Other members of Swart
• Other companies, or individuals, who assist us in providing services or who perform functions on their behalf
• Government, regulatory or law enforcement bodies, as required by law
• Anyone else who you authorise us to disclose it to

We also collect information from these organisations and individuals.  All information collected is treated in accordance with this Policy.

There may be certain circumstances where we may disclose your personal information, including:

• If you agree to the disclosure
• Where the information is required for operational purposes
• For the primary purpose for which it was collected, ie to provide you with services or to facilitate the provision of the services to you
• Where you would reasonably be expected to consent to information of the kind being passed to a third party
• Where disclosure is required, or permitted, by law or court order or to investigate suspected fraud or other unlawful activity
• If the disclosure will prevent, or lessen, a serious or imminent threat to someone’s life or health

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites.  Once a link is accessed from our website, we have no control over the other website.  Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information provided whilst visiting other websites.  Other websites are not governed by our privacy policy.  Caution should be exercised and the relevant statement read.

Personal information storage and security

When the personal information we collect is no longer required, we will remove or de-identify the personal information.  However, personal information may be retained for as long as it required to comply with applicable legislation.

We will take all reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by restricting access to electronic records and physical security measures.

We will endeavour to ensure that personal information held is accurate, complete and up to date.

Updating personal information

If any personal information provided to us is inaccurate, we can be contacted on the number shown below to update the information.  Similarly, if you wish to access your personal information, you can contact our Managing Director on the number below.

For security reasons we may ask you to provide us with evidence of your identity before we make any disclosure.  There may be some circumstances in which we deny access to some, or all of your personal information, as detailed in the Australian Privacy Principles.  In these cases, we will provide a written record of our decision, except to the extent where it would be unreasonable to do so.

Sending information overseas

At no time will we send your personal information overseas without:

• Obtaining your consent (in some cases this consent will be implied), or
• Otherwise complying with the NPPs

Our records may be stored using a third party cloud supplier whose facilities may be located in countries other than Australia.  While privacy rules are in place to protect personal information, an overseas recipient may not be subject to privacy obligations or to principles similar to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).  The overseas recipient may also be subject to a foreign law that could compel disclosure of personal information to a third party, for example, an overseas authority.

If you consent to the disclosure and the overseas recipient handles the information in breach of the APPs you will not be able to seek redress under the Privacy Act, may not be able to seek redress in the overseas jurisdiction and we will not be accountable under the Privacy Act.

By providing your personal information to us, you consent to us using and disclosing your personal information offshore.  If you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, please contact us.  Depending on the circumstances, however, this may mean we may not be able to provide the services you have requested.

Sensitive information

Some personal information which we collect is deemed as ‘sensitive information’.  Sensitive information includes information relating to a business’ website logon details, company documents or important files.

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which is was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited circumstances apply, ie where required by law.

Policy updates

This Policy will be reviewed at least yearly to take into account new laws and changes to our business.  

The most up to date revision of the Policy will be located on our website or can be obtained by contacting us.

Contact information

If you have any questions about this Policy or any privacy-related issues please contact us on 08 8262 6226.

If you require information about privacy that is not related specifically to Swart, you may wish to visit the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner oaic.gov.au.