GMA ACCOUNTING & TAXATION

Menu
Contact us
  • Welcome to GMA

Privacy &Policy

GMA Accounting & Taxation Privacy Policy

GMA Accounting & Taxation (GMA) is committed to treating the personal information we collect in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012.
This Policy provides GMA a set of rules we must follow in managing the personal information we hold about our clients, potential clients, contractors and others, to comply with the Privacy Act.  The Privacy Act does not apply to acts or practices that are directly related to employee records of current or former employees.  In summary, ‘personal information’ is information or an opinion relating to an individual which can be used to identify that individual..

Your Options

You have an option in regards to your use of GMA website. You are not required to provide personal information when you visit our website, however if you request information about our services, events and industry updates or wish to apply for a job, we may require you to provide certain personal information. You do have the right to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym, but this may limit the services we can provide to you.

Collection of Information

The kinds of personal information we collect and hold

GMA collects personal information that is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, its services it provides such as business advice, taxation advice and services, audit and similar business activities. The personal information GMA can collect and hold includes the following:

  • name;
  • contact details;
  • Date of Birth;
  • Tax File Number and/or Australian Business Number;
  • business/mailing address;
  • title;
  • nature of business;
  • advice received from the client or prospective client that may contain additional personal information, such as family relationships and other business-related connections;
  • qualifications, memberships and other accreditations;
  • financial records.

GMA may collect certain information that is not directly and specifically provided by third parties, such as an IP address, browsing pattern on the site, click stream, and the status of cookies placed on a computer. GMA does not collect any personal information other than information reasonably necessary for, or directly relating to, the primary purpose for which GMA has been engaged or may be engaged, or its other functions and activities.

Social media

You may want to contribute to the various blogs, forums, wikis, and other social media platforms held by us and which we make available to you.  The various social media platforms purpose is to facilitate and share content.  We cannot be held accountable if you share personal information on these sites that is then used, misused or otherwise used by another user.

How we collect personal information

Wherever possible, we will only collect information from you personally, for example when we deal with you in person or over the phone, when you send us details via correspondence or when you subscribe electronically to our publications. On occasions, it may be necessary to collect your personal information from a third party. For example, we may collect personal information about you from your authorised or personal representative or from a publicly available record. If you provide us with someone else’s personal information, you should only do so when you have their permission. You must also take reasonable steps to inform that person of the guidelines set out in this Privacy Policy.

There may be at times some instances where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is very difficult to obtain the required personal information directly from you.  We will endeavour to notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected.

Use and disclosure of information

We will collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for the purposes of providing or offering goods and services to you, any purposes that you may reasonably expect, for any other purpose authorised by law, or for any other purposes disclosed to or authorised by you.  This can include disclosures to organisations that provide us with technical and support services, and professional advice.

By providing us with your personal information, you also give us permission to use and disclose your personal information for:

  • providing you with news and information about our goods and services;
  • providing you with the functionality on our website, and customising and improving your online experience with us;
  • personalising your experience with our products and services, for example, via connectivity with social media services;
  • sending you marketing and promotional material that we believe you may be interested in, either from any of our related entities or a third-party business which we consider may be of interest to you;
  • seeking your feedback on our services, or for market research purposes.

You may at any time request we discontinue sending you emails or other communications.
Your personal information may also be used and disclosed to protect our rights or property and that of our users and, where appropriate, to comply with legal processes, which may include disclosures to law enforcement, regulatory or government agencies.

Disclosures to third parties

Personal information may also be disclosed to other third parties in order to respond to your requests or inquiries, as part of a corporate transaction such as a sale, divestiture, merger or acquisition, or where those parties handle information on our behalf or we may be required by a statutory body to provide information such as.

  • superannuation details to a fund administrator;
  • Tax File Number Declaration to the Australian Taxation Office;
  • where GMA is required by law to provide personal information so that GMA complies with court orders, subpoenas or other legislation that requires us to provide personal information (for example, a garnishee order).
Overseas disclosures

Our business activities may require that personal information be disclosed to overseas recipients to deliver the services expected under the terms of our engagement or potential engagement. The location of any overseas recipients of this information will depend upon the purpose of the client task being conducted or considered.

If personal information is disclosed to overseas recipients, GMA will take all endeavour to ensure that any personal information is secure and treated in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Management of personal information 

We take reasonable measures to ensure the security of personal information.  Our employees are expected to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals. All employees are required to read this policy and understand their obligations regarding personal information.

We will undertake the most practical methods to ensure that personal information is protected from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records, firewalls, the use of encryption, passwords and digital certificates. 

We will retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, as required by law and the Australian Privacy Principles, or in accordance with our documentation retention policies. 

Once private and confidential information is no longer all relating documentation will be destroyed after a period has elapsed, for example Tax Returns and all documentation related to the tax return must be kept for a minimum of five years from the date of lodgement before it can be destroyed.

Accuracy of Information

GMA will endeavour that all personal information that has been collected, used or disclosed is accurate, complete and up to date. If a person believes that the information we hold is incorrect or out of date they contact GMA office staff and we will ensure that information is updated

Access to personal information we hold

You the right to request access to your personal information subject to the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act. 

These exceptions would include where:

  •  it is a frivolous or vexatious request
  •  information relates to a commercially sensitive decision making process
  •  access is unlawful
  •  information would prejudice enforcement activities relating to criminal activities and other breaches of law, or
  • denial of access is required or authorised by or under law.

If your request is denied, we will provide an explanation to why it was denied.  When you request specific information, we will need you to confirm your identity and to stipulate what information you need. A moderate fee may be charged for providing access. We will confirm with you of the likely cost in advance. 

Complaints and Feedback

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your privacy, or if you would like to make a complaint about a possible breach of this Privacy Policy or the Australian Privacy Principles, you may direct your correspondence to:

The Privacy Officer
266-268 Payneham Road
Payneham SA 5070
t: +61 8 8272 7419
e:  gerry@gmatax.net.au

All complaints are taken seriously, and we will reply to your complaint within a reasonable time frame.

If you think that we have not satisfactorily handled your complaint, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner whose contact details are as follows:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
t: 1300 363 992
e: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

Additional information

For further information about privacy and the protection of privacy, visit the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au