Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy is designed to communicate how we manage your personal information, including the collection, use and disclosure of that information, and how you can access or correct your personal information.

Gill McKerrow & Associates is committed to protecting the privacy of its clients, customers, employees and contractors. We collect and manage your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) and other privacy laws.

We may alter this policy from time to time by publishing updates on our website. You should check our website periodically to ensure you are familiar with our current policy.

In this Privacy Policy, ‘Gill McKerrow’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to Gill McKerrow & Associates Pty Ltd (ABN 44 010 124 919) and any entity operating in Australia that is owned or controlled by Gill McKerrow & Associates Pty Ltd.

Generally speaking, the main purposes for which we collect and hold personal information is to provide quality information and advice within the range of professional services we offer, which include:

Bookkeeping;
Accounting and Taxation;
Self-managed Superannuation Funds;
Business Advisory Services; and
Estate Planning.

Personal information we collect

The types of personal information we collect from you will depend on the nature of our engagement with you. Our ability to provide quality services is dependent on us obtaining certain personal information, including, but not limited to:

your personal details, such as your name, date and place of birth, gender, job title and occupation;
your contact details, such as your home and business addresses, telephone numbers and email address;
your location and activities;
your business and associated companies or entities;
your educational qualifications, employment history, salary and referee reports;
memberships (including professional associations);
information about your family structure, including personal information about your spouse and dependents;
messages, emails, voicemail and other correspondence;
your comments and feedback, including responses to surveys;
your interaction with websites, including our website; and
how and when you use our services.

It may be necessary in some circumstances for us to collect some forms of sensitive information about you in order to provide specific services to you. This may include:

Government identifiers such as your drivers’ licence, passport and Medicare card numbers and visa/work permit status;
Government-issued identification numbers such as your tax file numbers;
current financial and accounting information including details or your assets, liabilities, income and expenditure;
financial information such as credit card and bank account details, shareholdings and details of investments;
details of superannuation and insurance arrangements;
commitments and Centrelink eligibility; and
other information, including your medical history and copies of reports, to the extent that they are relevant and necessary to enable us to perform our services.

We will provide you with the opportunity to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym in your dealings with us where it is lawful (eg. when making a general enquiry). Generally, it is not practical for us to interact with you anonymously or pseudonymously on an ongoing basis. If we do not collect personal information about you, we may not be able to provide the products/services you require and you may not be able to participate in other programs and activities we manage and deliver.

How we collect your information

We collect and hold personal information from clients, customers, employees, contractors and other individuals. Generally, we collect personal information from you directly, via face to face meetings, telephone conversations, email messages and our online client portal, although sometimes it may be necessary to request information from a third party. For example, we may collect information from a personal representative, a publicly available record, and a financial advisor or banks where you have authorised disclosure to us. If we are unable to collect the personal information we seek, we may not be able to provide you with the products and services you require.

Cookies & Website Use

Our website under the domain name www.gillmckerrow.com.au may use ‘cookies’ from time to time. A cookie is a piece of information that allows our system to identify and interact more effectively with your device. The cookie helps us to maintain the continuity of your browsing session and remember your details and preferences when you return to the site. You can configure your web browser software to reject cookies, however some parts of our website may not have full functionality in this case. If you post messages to our website, social media or blog, we collect and may keep the information in those messages.

Use of personal information

The main purposes for which we collect, hold and use personal information are:

to provide quality services in accordance with the terms of our engagement and service agreements, such as bookkeeping, taxation, accounting, superannuation, business advisory and estate planning services;
to provide, improve and manage the services we can offer you, including responding to queries, developing new products, conducting surveys and seeking feedback;
to maintain contact with you and keep you informed about our products, services, industry developments, seminars and other events;
to administer and manage service offerings, including charging, billing, sending payment reminders and collecting debts;
for recruitment purposes;
for credit reporting;
to verify your identity and personal information;
to comply with laws or regulations in relevant jurisdictions;
for the engagement of service providers, contractors or suppliers relating to the operation of your business;
to manage and correspond with you generally including in relation to any complaints;
to maintain and update our records; and
to provide technical support and/or general customer care.

When you instruct us to perform agreed services you consent to the collection, storage and use of your personal information as outlined in this policy and for any other use you may separately authorise. If you choose not to provide us with personal information, we may be unable to provide specific services to you.

We may also collect, hold and use your personal information provided to us for the purpose of marketing our services. This may take the form of an email, SMS, mail or other forms of communication. If you do not wish to receive any marketing material from us, you can opt out at any time, by:

clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ function in our email communications; or
contacting us on (07) 3378 7399 or email info@gillmckerrow.com.au to advise use to cease sending any future marketing material.

If we collect, hold or use personal information in ways other than as stated in this policy, we will ensure we do so pursuant to the requirements of the Privacy Act.

Disclosure of personal information

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will not disclosure your personal information, unless:

the use or disclosure is permitted by this policy;
we believe it is necessary to provide you with a product or service which you have requested (or, in the case of a partner, employee or contractor of Gill McKerrow, it is necessary for maintaining or related to your role at Gill McKerrow);
you give your consent;
some or all of the assets or operations of Gill McKerrow are or may be transferred to another party as part of the sale of some or all of Gill McKerrow's business; and
such disclosure is otherwise required or permitted by law, regulations, rules or professional standards.

Gill McKerrow uses a range of service providers to help us maximise the quality and efficiency of our services and our business operations (including internal business requirements, such as recruitment and human capital requirements). We may provide your information to trusted third party service providers who assist us with recruiting, auditing, accounting, bookkeeping, legal issues, business consulting, banking, payment, debt collection, data processing, data analysis, audit insurance, financial services, website, IT support, software and technology services.

We use Cloud Based Software in connection with the provision of some services, so it is possible that your information may be viewed by our service providers overseas. This includes but is not limited to our overseas contractors and service providers such as Xero, Centra Networks, Backoffis, Microsoft, Practice Protect and Class Super.

When you provide personal information to us, you consent to the disclosure of your information outside Australia and acknowledge that we are not required to ensure that overseas recipients handle that personal information in compliance with Australian Privacy Law. We will however take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipient deals with your personal information in a way that is consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) including by agreeing to comply with the terms of this policy.

For research and promotional purposes, we may also share non-personal, de-identified and aggregated information. Except as set out in this policy, we do not sell to or trade personal information with third parties.

Security of your personal information

We store your Personal Information electronically and in hard copy form, both on our premise and with the assistance of third party service providers. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure any personal information we hold is secure and protected from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

The security measures taken include:

controlled access to our premises
industry standard encryption to secure access to all electronic files;
firewalls to protect electronic information;
virus protection software which is updated regularly;
secure online client portal for the transfer of sensitive documents;
onsite servers;
confidentiality contracts with all staff and contractors; and
training of all personnel regarding the protection of client personal information in keeping with the Privacy Act.

We may store, process or back-up your personal information on servers that are located in Australia or overseas (including through third party service providers). Where appropriate, Gill McKerrow has agreements with its storage providers to keep all personal information they store secure, using reasonable and appropriate security methods.

While we take all of these precautions, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information. If we suspect an unauthorised party has gained access to your personal information, we will undertake an assessment of the suspected breach. If a breach has occurred, we will notify you as soon as possible after becoming aware of it and where required by law, will also notify the Privacy Commissioner.

We will securely destroy or de-identify personal information we no longer require, if possible.

Given the continued advancement in technology and insecure nature of email communication:

no financial statements or income tax returns will be sent as email attachments without secure access passwords, unless the individual has requested this in writing; and
documents considered to contain sensitive information will be uploaded to our secure client portal and a login provided to the intended recipient.

Links to Third Party Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. Those links are provided for convenience and may not be current. We take no responsibility for the privacy practices of the owners of those websites or the content on those websites and have no control over or any rights in those websites. Privacy Policies related to those websites may be different from this policy, so you should take the time to check them before using the websites.

Access your information or apply for correction

You are entitled to access the personal information we hold about you. Please contact our Privacy Officer to request access by contacting us using the details set out below.

You will not be charged for making the request, but you may be charged for any reasonable costs and outgoings incurred in providing you with access to your personal information if requested.

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is accurate and up to date. You can help us do this by letting us know of any changes to your circumstances or if you notice any errors in the information we hold.

We will correct your information upon receiving details of the change in your circumstances or of any errors in the information we hold.

We can decline requests for access to personal information in certain circumstances under the APPs. If we do, we will notify in writing of our reasons.

Questions or complaints – how to contact us

If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this Privacy Policy or our management of your personal information, or would like to make a complaint, you can contact us by:

Phone: 07 3378 7399
Email: info@gillmckerrow.com.au
Sending a letter to: The Privacy Officer, Gill McKerrow & Associates, PO Box 4, INDOOROOPILLY QLD 4068

We take all complaints seriously and will respond to you within a reasonable period of time unless we consider your complaint to be frivolous or vexatious or if we are unable to verify your identity.

For more information about privacy generally, or if you aren’t satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint, or consider that we have breached the APPs or the Privacy Act, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

Our Liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.