This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use, protect and disclose any information you provide to us when you use this website..
Wardle Partners Pty. Ltd. (Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors) is dedicated to safeguarding the privacy of personal information obtained through our operations as a professional services firm. We recognise that we collect and hold various information in our capacity as your accountant and advisor. Consequently, we maintain our commitment to adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and any relevant privacy code registered under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).
Definitions
“Personal information” refers to information or an opinion that identifies or could reasonably identify an individual.
The personal information we collect is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to providing the services you have requested from us. For example: where applicable, bookkeeping, accounting, taxation and advice, and loan applications.
Some specific types of personal information Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors may collect, and hold include, but are not limited to, the following:
Personal information directly provided to us, or is otherwise available in the public domain, is collected to assist us with the provision of services to our current and prospective clients.
A cookie is a small text file stored on your computer that helps us know which browser the operator is using, where they have been on our website, and any website to which they may link to use some of our features. Our website uses cookies to identify your computer, but a cookie does not identify you personally or contain any other information about you.
In conjunction with our Terms of Engagement, Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors collects personal information to allow us to provide professional services you have requested from us, including accounting, taxation, bookkeeping, superannuation fund establishment and administration, establishment of other entity types, business, other related services and loan applications.
The personal information we collect may also be used to facilitate our internal business processes, communicate with clients, prospective clients, and other external parties, send email newsletters, invite you to seminars or events we conduct or host, provide ongoing marketing information about our products and services, comply with our legal obligations, and deal with enquiries and complaints.
You may opt out of any marketing materials we send to you through an unsubscribe mechanism or by contacting us directly.
In certain circumstances, the law may permit or require us to use or disclose personal information for other purposes. We will not disclose information about you to any third parties unless the disclosure:
In certain circumstances, we may be required to collect government identifiers from or relating to you, such as your tax file number, Medicare number, Director ID, ABN, driver’s license details, or other information. We will not use or disclose this information unless you have provided your consent to the disclosure or otherwise where we are required or authorised to do so by law.
Special provisions apply to the collection and handling of tax file numbers. Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors is bound by the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015 issued under section 17 of the Privacy Act.
For tax clients, tax file numbers:
Sensitive personal information about our clients or prospective clients are not collected by Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors. If any of our clients or prospective clients elects to provide us with any sensitive personal information, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the sensitive information is securely protected.
Due to the nature of the professional services we provide, on occasion Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors may engage the services of contractors and third-party providers who may be located offshore to provide the services we have been engaged to perform. We may require that personal information be disclosed to these overseas recipients so that we may provide our services to you. The location of any overseas recipients of this information will depend upon the nature of the client assignment being conducted or contemplated. In the event that personal information is disclosed to overseas recipients, Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information is secure and treated in accordance with the APPs.
By engaging the services of Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors, you understand that your personal information may be disclosed to contractors and third-party providers who are located outside of Australia and consent to this information being shared with these recipients.
Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors is committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information and will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the personal information we collect is stored in a secure environment that is accessed only by authorised personnel to prevent misuse, loss, or unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.
All Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors employees and contractors are required to treat personal information as confidential.
We may need to maintain records for a significant period, but when we consider information is no longer needed, we will destroy or de-identify these records.
Our policy is that all electronic records are stored in Australia whenever this is commercially feasible. However, the engagement of services of contractors and other third-party providers, as well as the use of specialist software and cloud-based applications (e.g., Xero) may involve the storage of personal information at an overseas location, such as to New Zealand, the United States of America, and Vietnam in limited circumstances. However, it is not practicable for us to specify all countries that will have jurisdiction over such offshore storage of personal information. When personal information is stored in offshore locations, Wardle Partners will take all reasonable steps to ensure that all our contractors, third-party providers, and software applications comply with the APPs.
By engaging the services of Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors, you understand that your personal information may be stored outside of Australia and consent to this information being shared with these external servers.
Where it is possible, a backup of the data stored in the cloud server is taken daily.
Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors will endeavor to provide a secure environment and a reliable IT system, however, you need to be aware that there are inherent risks associated with the electronic storage and transmission of information (particularly via the internet), which we cannot guarantee to be 100% secure.
All reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information collected, used, or disclosed is accurate, complete, and up to date.
If you believe the information that we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete, please contact our Privacy Officer, and we will update the relevant information accordingly.
Under the APPs, a person has the right to request access to any of their personal information that we may hold about them and to advise us if the information should be corrected. The APPs set out the circumstances when we can refuse those requests, and if we do refuse a request, we will provide the person with a written notice that sets out the reason/s (unless it would be unreasonable to provide them).
Subject to our right to refuse access, Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors will respond to your request within a reasonable period after the request is made and will provide the information to you in the manner that you have requested.
Examples of circumstances where we may not be able to provide access to personal information include when:
If you wish to make an enquiry about your personal information at Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors or to make a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer:
We will respond to each request within a reasonable time.
If you have lodged a complaint with Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors and your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
Phone: 1300 363 992
General information about privacy, including the Australian Privacy Principles, is available at www.oaic.gov.au and by phoning 1300 363 992.
This Privacy Policy is not a static document, and Wardle Partners Accountants & Advisors reserves the right to make changes to this Policy from time to time for any reason, and any amended policy is effective upon posting to this website. Your use of our services will be deemed acceptance of this and any amended Policy.
Our current Privacy Policy is accessible on our website, and a copy can also be provided on request.
Last updated: June 2024