Privacy policy

Working together

This privacy policy applies to the BTO Group Pty Ltd (ABN 36 287 458 089). This policy explains how BTO handles personal information and complies with the requirements of the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“Privacy Act”). If you have any further questions in relation to this policy, please contact enquiries[at]btogroup.com.au.

This policy relates to the BTO’s collection and handling of personal information that is covered by the Privacy Act. It is not intended to cover categories of personal information that are not covered by the Privacy Act.

Collection of personal information

BTO collects personal information from clients, customers, employees, contractors and other individuals. We collect this information when it is necessary for business purposes.

The main types of personal information BTO collects relate to the contact details and organisational roles of our clients, suppliers and other business contacts. Typically, this information includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and job titles. In the course of providing professional services to our clients, we may collect more detailed personal information.

We collect most information directly from individuals when we deal with them. The personal information we collect may be provided in forms filled out by individuals, face to face meetings, email messages, telephone conversations or by third parties. If you contact us, we may keep a record of that contact.

Use of personal information

The main purposes in collecting personal information about individuals are: to provide our services; to respond to an individual’s request; to maintain contact with clients; to keep clients and other contacts informed of the services we offer and industry developments that may be of interest to them, and to notify them of service offerings, seminars and other events we are holding; for general management and reporting purposes, such as invoicing and account management; for recruitment purposes; for purposes related to the employment of our personnel and providing internal services to our staff; and all other purposes related to our business.

We may use personal information about individuals to market our services, including by email. However, individuals always have the opportunity to elect not to receive further marketing information from us by writing to BTO, or by contacting us. Please allow 28 days for your request to be processed.

Alternatively, if we have contacted you by email, you may use the unsubscribe function in that email to notify us that you do not want to receive further marketing information from us by email.

If we collect 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.

Employee records are not generally subject to the Privacy Act and therefore this policy may not apply to the handling of information about employees by BTO. For information about our practices relating to employee information, please contact us directly.

Disclosure of personal information

BTO does not routinely disclose personal information to other organisations unless: required by law; use or disclosure is permitted by this policy; we believe it necessary to provide you with a product or service which you have requested (or, in the case of a partner or employee of BTO, it is necessary to maintaining or related to your role at BTO); to protect the rights, property or personal safety of any member of the public or a customer of BTO or the interests of BTO; some or all of the assets or operations of BTO are or may be transferred to another party as part of the sale of some or all of BTO' business; or you give your consent.

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

BTO 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). This means that individuals and organisations outside of BTO will sometimes have access to personal information held by BTO and may collect or use it from or on behalf of BTO. This may include, but is not limited to, independent contractors and consultants, travel service providers, mail houses, off-site security storage providers, website hosts, electronic database managers, or event managers, credit managers and debt collecting agencies. We require our service providers to adhere to our privacy guidelines and not to keep this information or use it for any unauthorised purposes.

If BTO’s staff obtain products or services offered by a third party pursuant to an agreement or arrangement between that third party and BTO, such as a credit card provider, we may provide your personal information to that third party, including information that relates to your use of such services.

Transfer of information outside Australia

BTO may transfer personal information outside Australia to countries whose privacy laws do not provide the same level of protection as Australia’s. BTO may also use overseas facilities to process or back-up its information. As a result, we may transfer your personal information to our overseas facilities for these purposes.

However, any such transfer of information does not change any of our commitments to safeguard your privacy and the information remains subject to existing confidentiality obligations.

Privacy on our web sites

This policy also applies to any personal information we collect via our websites, including www.btogroup.com.au. In addition to personal information you provide to us directly (such as where you make a request or complete a registration form), BTO may also collect personal information from you via its websites.

Cookies may be used on some areas of our websites. A cookie is a small software application which allows a website to recognise a previous user and to observe how a user navigates within a website. Cookies are now used as a standard by many websites. BTO uses cookies to improve the navigational experience of visitors to our websites and to make them easier to use.

If you are concerned about cookies, most browsers now recognise when a cookie is offered and permit you to opt out of receiving it. If you are not sure whether your browser has this capability, you should check with the software manufacturer or your internet service provider. In most cases, you can refuse a cookie and still fully navigate the BTO websites.

In order to properly manage our websites, we may log certain statistics about the users of the sites, for example the users’ domains and browser types. None of this information specifically identifies an individual and it is used solely to ensure that our websites present the best possible navigational experience for visitors.

Whenever a registered member logs in to our websites, they will be identified by their user name and password. The information we collect about members’ use of our websites is used purely for measuring site performance and in assisting to resolve any technical difficulties.

Because BTO wants your website experience to be as informative and resourceful as possible, we provide a number of links to websites operated by third parties. BTO is not responsible for the privacy practices or policies of those sites. We encourage you to review each website’s privacy policy, especially if you intend to disclose any personal information via that site. A link to another non-BTO website is not an express or implied endorsement, promotion or warranty of the products or services offered by or accessible through that site or advertised on that site.

Security of personal information

Depending on the purpose for which we have collected personal information (for example, registration for a BTO event or a request for particular information or material), we may store some of the information electronically in BTO’s customer relationship management system. Some or all of this personal information may be available to partners and authorised staff of BTO for use in accordance with this policy.

BTO will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to keep secure any information which we hold about you, whether electronically or in hard-copy, and to keep this information accurate and up to date. We also require our employees and data processors to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by BTO.

BTO aims to achieve industry best practice in the security of personal information which it holds. It is our policy to destroy personal information once there is no longer a legal or business need for us to retain it.

Access to information

We will provide access to personal information upon request by an individual, except in the limited circumstances in which it is permitted for us to withhold this information (for instance, where granting access would infringe another person's privacy).

When you make a request to access personal information, we will require you to provide some form of identification (such as a driver’s licence or passport) so we can verify that you are the person to whom the information relates. In some cases we may also request an administrative fee to cover the cost of access.

If at any time you want to know what personal information we hold about you, you may contact us by writing to BTO or by contacting us.

Corrections and concerns

If you believe that information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date, or if you have concerns about how we are handling your personal information, please contact us and we will try to resolve those concerns.

If you wish to have your personal information deleted, please let us know and we will take reasonable steps to delete it (unless we need to keep it for legal, auditing or internal risk management reasons).

If BTO becomes aware of any ongoing concerns or problems concerning our privacy practices, we will take these issues seriously and work to address these concerns. If you have any further queries relating to our privacy policy, or you have a problem or complaint, please contact us.

Effect of policy

BTO operates in a dynamic business environment. Over time, aspects of our business may change as we respond to changing market conditions. This may require our policies to reviewed and revised. BTO reserves the right to change its privacy policy at any time and notify you by posting an updated version of the policy on this website.

The amended policy will apply between us whether or not we have given you specific notice of any change.

This policy was last updated in December 2009.

Further information

For information about this policy please contact us.

Legal

The information contained in this Web site is for general guidance on matters of interest only. The application and impact of laws can vary widely based on the specific facts involved. Given the changing nature of laws, rules and regulations, and the inherent hazards of electronic communication, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in information contained in this site.

Accordingly, the information on this site is provided with the understanding that the authors and publishers are not herein engaged in rendering legal, accounting, tax, or other professional advice and services. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional accounting, tax, legal or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a BTO professional.

While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this site has been obtained from reliable sources, BTO is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this site is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

In no event will BTO, its related partnerships or corporations, or the partners, agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this site or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Certain links in this site connect to other Web sites maintained by third parties over whom BTO has no control. BTO makes no representations as to the accuracy or any other aspect of information contained in other Web sites.

Email privacy

By submitting your email address, you acknowledge that you have read the privacy statement for this site and you consent to our processing the data in accordance with that privacy statement to include international transfers.

If you change your mind at any time, please contact us.

Linking policy

Certain links in the website connect to other sites maintained by third parties that may or may not be presented within a frame on the website. BTO has not verified the contents of such third party sites and does not endorse, warrant, promote or recommend any services or products, that may be provided or accessed through them or any person or body which may provide them.

BTO has not issued or caused to be issued any advertisements which may appear on these website.