This privacy policy (“the policy”) describes how Ascend Accounting Pty Ltd (Ascend Accounting), uses and shares the information you provide to us and the information we collect in the course of operating our business and in using our website. This privacy policy is aligned with the Australian Privacy Principles as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Introduction

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and visitors to our website. This privacy statement is intended to set out the basis upon which any personal data or information that we compile, or that you provide to us, may be collected and processed by (or on behalf of) us.

Who we are

Ascend Accounting Pty Ltd, ACN 646 260 175
Level 1, 147 Coronation Drive, Milton QLD 4064
E [email protected]

Personal information held about you

We collect personal information from you in the course of our business, including when you contact or request information from us, when you engage our services or as a result of your relationship with one or more of our clients.

The types (categories) of personal information we will hold about you include:

1. information establishing your identity (for example, name, residential and work addresses, phone number, email address, date of birth, copies of identification documents) and publicly available information (which may include information relating to your family and associates);
2. where you are a corporate client or where relevant to your organisational structure, details about persons with an interest in or connection to you, including shareholders, partners, trustees, settlors, protectors, enforcers, beneficiaries, staff and corporate contacts;
3. any other information relating to you which you may provide to us.
4. Sensitive personal information is only collected where it is necessary to provide you with a specific service or you have consented to that collection. For example, where we have been appointed to look after your affairs, where we are in possession of a power of attorney or where we gather dietary requirements when inviting you to hospitality events.

The information is required to be provided under our contractual terms and also to fulfil our statutory and regulatory obligations.

Where you determine not to provide the data or request us to cease processing your data, we may need to cease provision of our services to you.

How we will use information about you

We use your information to provide the service for which you have engaged us, which includes:

1. providing third parties with your information where we identify a need to engage or liaise with the third party in order to deliver the services requested
2. our own business purposes (for example, issuing invoices, recovering a debt, managing client matters and archiving, conflict checks, assessing and managing our operations and risks, and bringing or defending any dispute or litigation concerning the services provided to you; and
3. fulfilling our legal and/or regulatory and/or financial and/or other reporting obligations, including in relation to anti money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

We may confirm some of the information that you provide to us with external sources, open source information (via the internet), consulting public registers or a client that is a company and to which you are connected.

We may also acquire information about you from other organisations to ensure that the information is accurate, up to date and to prevent or detect crime. This may include a client to which you are connected, for example, as a director, beneficial owner or officer.

People who contact us by telephone

When you call us and elect to leave a voicemail, we will retain this voicemail on our systems in accordance with our data retention procedures.

People who email us

Any email sent to us, including any attachments, is checked for reasons of security and monitoring purposes. Email monitoring or blocking software is also used.

People who make a complaint to us

If you make a complaint to us, your contact details, the nature of your complaint and sufficient information to enable us to confirm your identity will be retained on our systems in line with our data retention procedures.

Sharing your information

The information we collect about you will not be transferred to or stored outside Australia (or a jurisdiction with equivalent data protection requirements) unless it is to support provision of the accounting and/or tax service you have requested.

We share personal data with other professional advisers used by us to provide you with accounting and/or tax services.

We may disclose or transfer your information for the purposes set out in this privacy statement to:

1. our employees, agents and service providers, who are required to maintain the confidentiality of this information;
2. companies and organisations that assist us to provide the services for which you have engaged us;
3. regulatory, police or law enforcement authorities and fraud prevention agencies, where we are compelled or permitted or required to do so by order of a court or governmental or administrative tribunal or by law, regulation or any other legal requirement; or
4. any other person where disclosure is made at your request or with your consent.

Protecting and storing your information

The information we collect about you is stored under our control and with our selected archive and data backup service providers.

We have put in place security procedures plus technical and organisational measures that we consider appropriate to safeguard your personal information and which are intended to guard against unauthorised or unlawful access to, alteration, disclosure or destruction of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of or damage to personal data. Access to internal data servers is limited to specialist personnel and is controlled using defined policies.

We will only retain the information gathered for as long as is necessary, having regard to relevant laws and regulations and our data retention procedures. Such information may be retained after a matter has been closed, and for client identification purposes in accordance with our data retention procedures.

Access to your information and correction

If you would like access to some or all of the personal information we hold about you please e-mail or write directly to: [email protected]

You may ask us to correct, remove or cease processing information if you think it is inaccurate or where you wish us to cease provision of services.

If you agree, we will try to deal with your request informally, for example by providing you with the specific information you need over the telephone.

We may ask for certain personal information when you contact us in order to confirm your identity.

Complaints

Should a situation arise where you feel the need to complain about how we process and/or retain your data we request that you contact us so that we may address your concerns.