Privacy Policy & Terms and conditions

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PRIVACY POLICY 

Your privacy is important

Prime Accounting and Finance, understands that the details you provide us with are not only private and personal but that how we collect, use, hold, exchange and protect your information is important to you. It's imperative that you feel secure whenever you deal with us. It's also important that you understand how we protect your privacy, as well as how, when and where we may use your personal information. This Privacy Policy is our commitment to you on what our policies towards your privacy are. You can be confident in the fact that we abide by and are bound by the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) for the protection of personal information.

What information do we collect?

We collect personal information. Personal information means any information or opinion about you as an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not. For example identity and contact details, marital status and financial information. 

We may also collect sensitive information for specific purposes. For example, information about your health to enable the credit provider to assess an application you make for mortgage protection insurance and calculate any premiums. If we need this type of information, we will ask for your consent.

How do we collect your personal information?

We will always aim to collect your personal information directly from you. If for some good reason, we are unable to do so, we may involve another organisation. For example, we may need to request a credit report from a credit reporting body when you apply for a credit facility. Before doing so or prior to collecting the information we need, we will inform you of the type of organisations we intend to disclose your personal information to. We may also collect your personal information through third parties who undertake the collection on our behalf

Why do we collect your personal information?

We collect and receive personal information directly from you or from other business referrers in order to conduct our business so that we can:

• submit your application for credit to a supplier via our Aggregator partner  MORTGAGE AUSTRALIA GROUP PTY LTD ; 
• identify and tell you via direct marketing communications about other products or services offered by us or a third party that may interest you (unless you tell us not to); 
• administer our customer relationships;
• for internal purposes, including for reporting and analytical purposes;
• meet our legal and regulatory reporting obligations;
• establish a customer marketing program;
• system development testing purposes;
• ensure your security when visiting our website and to learn which areas of the site are of most interest to you and
• any other purpose related to the above.

Direct Marketing

As stated above, we may use the information we gather to provide you with targeted communications about products and services we think will be of interest to you. We may also send you details of offers or services provided by our business partners and related entities. These direct marketing offers and promotions are designed to make your life easier, not harder. 

You may at any time choose not to receive these communications. Doing so will not cost you anything, and we commit to ensure you stop receiving any unwanted communications as soon as possible. If you do not want to receive such marketing communications, please write to us at the following address:
 

The Privacy Officer at:
Prime Accounting and Finance
18 Batch Court, Harristown, QLD-4350  
 

or email the Privacy Officer at info@primeaccountingandfinance.com.au

 

Why do we exchange your information with another organisation?

As a Mortgage Broker, we aim to provide you with products and services which suit your requirements. That means we partner with other organisations who provide and support the products and services we offer. In order to submit your application to a supplier for consideration, we will need to provide such supplier with your personal information that we hold. 

As you will appreciate, in certain circumstances we may be compelled by law to disclose your personal information to various authorities. For instance, we may be required under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act to disclose details of financial transactions and we may also be compelled under tax laws to provide such information to regulators. 

Other organisations which we may exchange your personal information with may include:

· credit providers;

· credit reporting bodies;

· government and law enforcement agencies;

· our suppliers, associates, service providers or contractors (including, for example, call centre, stationery printing houses, mail houses, information technology, marketing agencies, and marketing research companies etc);

· any person who proposes to guarantee or has guaranteed repayment of any credit provided to you;

· mortgage insurers, brokers, originators and/or managers, financial consultants, accountants, lawyers or real estate agents;

·  MORTGAGE AUSTRALIA GROUP PTY LTD , our aggregator partner;

· those in connection with funding financial accommodation by means of an arrangement involving securitisation;

· third parties to enable them to contact you to offer their products and services or to determine if you would be interested in the products and services; and

· any person considering acquiring or taking an interest in our business.

This is to your benefit, and helps us to provide the products and services you would expect from Prime Accounting and Finance.

Before we disclose any of your personal information to any other organisation, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that:

• The organisation has the same commitment as us to the protection of your personal information; AND 
• You have consented to us doing so. 

By consent, we mean approval in writing, orally, or implied from your dealings with us. 

Disclosure of personal information overseas

We may hold or process your information on servers located overseas for filtering, hosting or storage purposes, reporting and analytical purposes and for system development testing purposes. If we do this, we make sure that such organisations have the appropriate data handling and security arrangements in place to ensure compliance with this Privacy Policy. Australia’s Privacy Act may not apply to such overseas organisations. 

Access to and correction of your personal information

It is important for us, and for you, that the information we hold is accurate and up to date. In this, we rely on you to help us. We ask that you contact us whenever there are any changes to your personal information, so that we can update our records. 

The personal information we hold about you is yours to access and correct, and as such we can provide you with general information, such as your name, address and contact details quite easily. There is no fee for making the initial request. More detailed information may not be as easy for us to access, and if necessary, in some cases there may be an access charge to cover the time we spend locating, compiling and explaining the information you ask for. If there is an access charge, we’ll give you an estimate up front and confirm that you’d like us to proceed. Generally, the access charge is based on an hourly rate plus any photocopying costs or other out-of-pocket expenses. You’ll need to make the payment before we start.

The process of providing you with access to or correcting your personal information may take up to 30 working days from the date of your request. If we refuse to give you access to or correct your information, we must give you written notice setting out the reasons for the refusal and the mechanisms available for you to complain about the refusal. 

If you need to access or correct your detailed information, just write to us at the following address:
 

The Privacy Officer at:
Prime Accounting and Finance
18 Batch Court, Harristown, QLD-4350  
 

or email the Privacy Officer at info@primeaccountingandfinance.com.au

 

Security and storage of your personal information

How long do we keep information about you?

By law, we are required to hold certain information about you, even after you are no longer a customer. We may also hold certain information about you if it is needed for a purpose which you are aware of or reasonably expect us to hold the information. When your information is no longer needed or required to be held by law, it will be destroyed or de-identified. 

How safe and secure is the information we hold about you?

We will take great care to protect your personal information by storing it in a secure environment, and when the information is no longer needed for any purpose for which the information may be used or disclosed, it will be destroyed or permanently de-identified. We will also take reasonable steps to protect any personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. 

Online security

Our website uses encryption techniques to enhance your privacy and security when using Prime Accounting and Finance’s website. 

What are 'cookies' and how do they work? 

Cookies are small data files that are downloaded from our web servers, and stored on your hard drive. A cookie is a string of letters and numbers that uniquely identify the computer you are using, and the customer number and access code you may have used to register at the site. Cookies are used on the Company Name web site. We track a visitor's journey through our site. This allows us to see at a glance which pages and information is of most interest to visitors. This type of cookie contains no personal information at all; simply a record of your journey through the site. Most browsers can be configured to refuse to accept cookies. You can also delete cookies form your hard drive. However, doing so may hinder your access to valuable areas of information within our site. 

If you have a privacy complaint 

Prime Accounting and Finance values our customers. We will always aim to be fair and responsive. If you have a complaint, including a complaint about Prime Accounting and Finance’s compliance with the APPs, you have the right to expect that we will handle it in a friendly and professional way. When we receive a complaint, we look on it as valuable feedback that may help us to improve the services we offer and to ensure your needs are met in a satisfactory and appropriate manner. If you wish to complain, at any time, about the handling, use or disclosure of your personal information, or about Prime Accounting and Finance’s compliance with the APPs, just write to us at the following address:
 

The Privacy Officer at:
Prime Accounting and Finance
18 Batch Court, Harristown, QLD-4350  
 

or email the Privacy Officer at info@primeaccountingandfinance.com.au
 

We will make all efforts possible to investigate your complaint, and advise you of the outcome as soon as possible. If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction, you can then refer your complaint to the Australian Information Commissioner, who can be contacted at:
 

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Level 3
175 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000 

More information

You can request further information about the way we manage the personal information that we hold by writing to:
 

The Privacy Officer at:
Prime Accounting and Finance
18 Batch Court, Harristown, QLD-4350  
 

or email the Privacy Officer at info@primeaccountingandfinance.com.au
 

General Terms and   conditions

1. Who may instruct us

You confirm that you, and any other   person you nominate in writing from time to time (provided we have   acknowledged such nomination), are authorised to give us instructions and   information on behalf of all persons we are acting for and to receive our   advice and documents on their behalf.

If we are acting for a business, and we receive   conflicting advice, information or instructions from different persons, we   may refer the matter to the board of directors, partners or proprietors (as   applicable) and act only as requested by them.

2. You and your [spouse/partner]

We will advise you and your [spouse/partner] on the basis   that you are a family unit with shared interests. We may deal with either of you and may   discuss with either of you the affairs of the other. If you wish to change   these arrangements, please let us know.

3. Know your customer

We may be required to verify your identity for the   purposes of the anti-money laundering laws. We may request from you such   information as we require for these purposes and make searches of appropriate   databases.

4. Your responsibilities

You must provide us with all information necessary for dealing with your affairs including information which we reasonably request, in sufficient time to enable our services to be completed before any applicable deadline. We will rely on such information being true, correct and complete and will not audit the information [except to the extent we are specifically engaged to provide audit-related services];

You authorise us to approach such third parties as may be appropriate for information that we consider necessary to deal with your affairs.

You must keep us informed on a timely basis of changes in your circumstances that may affect our services. 

5. Qualifications on our services

To the extent our services involve the performance of services established by law, nothing in the engagement letter or these terms reduce our obligations under such law. 

You must not act on advice given by us on an earlier occasion without first confirming with us that the advice is still valid.

Our services are limited exclusively to those you have engaged us to perform. Unless otherwise specified in the engagement letter, our services cannot be relied upon to disclose irregularities and errors, including fraud and other illegal acts, in your affairs. [Neither an audit nor a review will be conducted and, accordingly, no assurance will be expressed.]

Where our engagement is recurring, we may amend our engagement letter and these terms where we consider it is necessary or appropriate to do so. If you do not accept such amendments, you must notify us promptly in which case you may terminate our engagement in accordance with section 18 below and those amendments will not apply prior to such termination. 

6. Reliance on advice

We will endeavour to record all advice on important matters in writing. Advice given verbally is not intended to be relied upon unless confirmed in writing. If we provide verbal advice (for example during a meeting or telephone conversation) that you wish to rely on, you must ask us to confirm the advice in writing.

7. Investment and financial advisory advice 

We will not provide you with investment or financial advice regulated under the Corporations Act 2001(Cth).

8. Professional obligations

We will comply with the professional and ethical standards of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board, available at apesb.org.au. This includes APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards), which among other things contains provisions that apply if we become aware of any actual or potential ‘non-compliance with governing laws or regulations’ (NOCLAR). Where any such non-compliance poses substantial harm (such as serious adverse consequences to investors, creditors, employees, auditor, group auditor or the public), we may be required to disclose the matter to an appropriate authority. 

9. Conflicts of interest

We will inform you if we become aware of any conflict of interest in our relationship with you (including between the various persons this engagement letter covers) or in our relationship with you and another client. Where conflicts are identified which cannot be managed in a way that protects your interests then we will be unable to provide further services to some or all of the persons to whom this engagement applies. If this arises, we will inform you promptly.

We may act for other clients whose interests are not the same as or are adverse to yours, subject to the obligations of conflicts of interest and confidentiality referred to above.

10. Fees and payment 

Our fees will be charged on the basis set out in the engagement letter and have been set based on the level of skill, responsibility, importance and value of the advice, as well as the level of risk. 

If we have provided you with an estimate of our fees for any specific work, this is an estimate only and our actual fees may vary.

We may provide a fixed fee for the provision of specific services. If it becomes apparent to us, due to unforeseen circumstances, that a fixed fee is inadequate, we may notify you of a revised figure and seek your agreement to it.

In some cases, you may be entitled to assistance with your professional fees, particularly in relation to any investigation into your tax affairs by the ATO. Assistance may be provided through insurance policies you hold or via membership of a professional or trade body. Other than where such insurance was arranged through us, you will need to advise us of any such insurance cover that you have. You will remain liable for our fees regardless of whether all or part are to be paid by someone else.

Any disbursements and expenses we incur in the course of performing our services will be added to our invoices where appropriate.

Unless otherwise agreed to the contrary, our fees do not include the costs of any counsel, or other professionals or third parties engaged with your approval.

We may charge interest on late paid invoices at the rate of the RBA cash rate. We may also suspend our services or to cease to act for you on giving written notice if payment of any fees is unduly delayed. 

We intend to exercise these rights only where it is fair and reasonable to do so.

11. Lien

If permitted by law or professional guidelines, we may exercise a lien over all materials or records in our possession relating to all engagements for you until all outstanding fees and disbursements are paid in full.

12. Client monies

We do not maintain a trust account for dealing with client monies on their behalf. 

13. Confidentiality

We will take all reasonable steps to keep your information confidential, except where: 

· we need to disclose your information to our service providers (including auditors of client monies if applicable) or regulatory bodies in performing the services, our professional advisers or insurers or as part of an external peer review from time to time. Our files may also be subject to review as part of the quality review program of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand . By accepting this engagement you acknowledge that, if requested, our files relating to this engagement will be made available under this program. We will take reasonable steps to ensure any such recipient (other than a regulatory body) keeps such information confidential on the same basis; 

· we are required by law, regulation, a court of competent authority, or those professional obligations referred to in section 8 above, to disclose the information; 

· we provide limited information (but only to the extent reasonably necessary) to potential purchasers (or their professional advisors) of our practice but we will take reasonable steps to ensure that any such recipient keeps the disclosed information confidential; 

· we use the information for training purposes, in the development of products or technology, in research or as source material for industry or other benchmarking data or studies; or 

· you give us permission to disclose the information. 

We may retain your information during and after our engagement to comply with our legal requirements or as part of our regular IT back-up and archiving practices. We will continue to hold such information confidentially.

Where we use the information for training purposes, product or technology development, research or as source material for industry or other benchmarking data or studies, the identity of any individual or entity to which such information relates will not be identifiable from the output of the activity for which the information is to be used or disclosed.

We may mention that you are a client for promotional purposes.

14. Privacy

You must make all necessary notifications and obtain any necessary consents for us to process personal information you provide to us. We collect and use that personal information for the purposes of providing the services described in the engagement letter to you and we will comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) when processing that personal information. Our privacy policy provides further details of our privacy practices. 

15. Ownership of materials

We own the copyright and all other intellectual property rights in everything we create in connection with this engagement. Unless we agree otherwise, anything we create in connection with this agreement may be used by you only for the purpose for which you have engaged us.

All working papers prepared by us (in any form whatsoever, including physical and electronic) remain our property. We will retain these papers in accordance with our normal record keeping practices in accordance with our professional and legal obligations. 

You agree we can use your logos and trade marks for the sole purpose of providing advice to you in connection with the engagement, unless you tell us otherwise.

16. Limitation of liability

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

You agree not to bring any claim against any of our principals, partners, directors, shareholders or employees in their personal capacity.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable to you for:

· indirect, special or consequential losses or damages of any kind; or

· liability arising due to the acts or omissions of any other person or circumstances outside our reasonable control, or your breach of these terms.

17. Limitation of third party rights

Our advice and information is for your sole use, and we accept no responsibility to any third party, unless we have expressly agreed in the engagement letter that a specified third party may rely on our work. 

18. Termination

Each of us may terminate this agreement by giving not less than 21 days’ notice in writing to the other party except where a conflict of interest has arisen, you fail to cooperate with us or we have reason to believe that you have provided us or any other person with misleading or factually inaccurate information, in which case we may terminate this agreement immediately. Termination will not affect any accrued rights.

19. Communication

You must advise of any changes to your contact details. We may send any communications to the last contact details you have provided. Unless you instruct us otherwise we may, where appropriate, communicate with you and with third parties via email or by other electronic means. The recipient is responsible for virus checking emails and any attachments. There is a risk of non-receipt, delayed receipt, inadvertent misdirection or interception by third parties in any form of communication, whether electronic, postal or otherwise. We are not responsible for any such matters beyond our control. 

20. Applicable Law

Our engagement is governed by Queensland law. The courts sitting in that QLD will have non-exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any dispute between us. 

21. Interpretation

If any provision of the engagement letter or these terms is void, that provision will be severed and the remainder will continue to apply. If there is any conflict between the engagement letter and these terms, these terms prevail.

22. Disputes and complaints

If you have any concerns about our costs or services, please speak to the person responsible for this engagement, who is identified in our engagement letter. To resolve your concerns we have policies and procedures in place to deal appropriately with complaints and will use best endeavours to resolve a complaint or dispute to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved. We may require you to detail your complaint in writing to allow us to fully investigate any concerns that you raise. 

Where your complaint concerns a tax agent service that we have provided, you also have the right to make a complaint to the Tax Practitioners Board in accordance with their complaints process described here https://www.tpb.gov.au/complaints. 

23. Third party responsibilities

We may utilise outsourced service providers and cloud computing service providers. To perform the services, we may provide these third parties with access to your data to the extent this is required to perform the services.

Your data will be stored in servers physically located in Australia (unless otherwise specified) and in accordance with the security practices of the third party service provider and our Privacy Policy.

24. Consumer Data Rights

You may consent for an Accredited Data Recipient under the Consumer Data Right (CDR) to disclose your CDR data to us.  You may nominate us as your Trusted Adviser for this purpose. As your Trusted Adviser, we will only access the data necessary to provide the services in this engagement letter.

25. Register of Tax Agents and BAS Agents available for you to search

The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) maintains a register with details of registered, suspended and deregistered tax and BAS agents. This register is available to the public to search at https://www.tpb.gov.au/public-register. 

We are obliged to advise clients of certain events which may influence your decision to engage us as your tax agent . 

There are no current issues about which are obliged to advise you

We are also obliged to advise you whether there are any conditions attached to our registration. 

There are no current conditions attached to our registration 

26. Your rights under Taxation Laws (including Tax Agent Services Act and the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination)

Please refer to the attached fact sheet published by the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) summarising your obligations to the ATO and your tax practitioner, and your tax practitioner’s obligations to you, the TPB and ATO.

The fact sheet is here: https://www.tpb.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-10/Information%20for%20clients%20factsheet.pdf
  

Disclaimer

Website General Advice Warning: 

· Information published on this website has been prepared for general information purposes only and not as specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in this document is General Advice and does not take into account any person’s particular investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs.  Before making an taxation or finance decision based on this advice you should consider, with or without the assistance of a qualified adviser, whether it is appropriate to your particular taxation, finance or any other needs, objectives and financial circumstances.  

· The articles, topics and ideas presented on this website has been prepared without taking into account your individual objectives, financial situation or specific needs.

· Before acting on any information you’ve seen or read about on this website, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.

· It is recommended to seek advice from a qualified professional relevant to your particular needs or interests. (For instance, Tax Advice from a Tax Agent, Credit advice from Mortgage Broker, Financial Advice from a Licensed Financial Adviser and so on and so forth).

· Prime Accounting and Finance disclaim all and any guarantees, undertakings and warranties, expressed or implied, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever (including human or computer error, negligent or otherwise, or incidental or consequential loss or damage) arising out of or in connection with any use or reliance on the information or advice on this site.

· The user must accept sole responsibility associated with the use of the material on this site, irrespective of the purpose for which such use or results are applied.

· The information on this website is no substitute for tax advice, credit advice or consultation.

For complaints, please contact us on 0466003408 during business hours or email info@primeaccountingandfinance.com.au or visit our office at 18 Batch Court, Harristown, QLD-4350. Your complaint will be managed and resolved through our internal policy & Procedure.