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At Financial Mandate Pty Ltd, we are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with and in compliance with the Privacy Act 1998 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APP). Financial Mandate Pty Ltd, its officers, Representatives and employees are required to obtain and hold information which personally identifies the persons with whom they transact.

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This document describes our current policies and practices in relation to the handling and use of personal information.

Why we collect and use personal information

We collect, store, use, and disclose personal information to provide you with relevant financial and credit products, advice, and services. Additionally, we may use your information for purposes such as:

Complying with legal obligations (e.g., identity verification)
Addressing your inquiries and complaints
Coordinating third-party services
Internal operations, including record keeping, data analysis, auditing, or training
Promoting other products and services that may be of interest to you

If you prefer not to receive direct marketing communications, please contact us.

Furthermore, we collect, use, store, and occasionally disclose personal information about financial advisers, credit representatives, and other business partners (including employees) to effectively manage and operate our business. We treat this information with the same level of care as that of our clients.

What personal information we collect

We request personal information that is essential for providing you with relevant products and services.

The types of information we may collect include (but are not limited to) your name, date of birth, contact details, financial information, employment status, and residency or citizenship information.

In some cases, we may also collect personal information about your family members when it is necessary for the advice or service we are providing to you.

For life insurance advice, we may gather sensitive information, such as your medical history, health, and lifestyle.

In general, we do not use or adopt government-assigned identifiers (such as Tax File Numbers, Medicare numbers, etc.) to group, sort, or identify individuals, even if you provide them.

We will only share this information with another entity if you give us explicit consent or if required by law (e.g., disclosing Tax File Numbers to product issuers or superannuation trustees).

We are also legally required to destroy or de-identify these identifiers once they are no longer needed. In certain cases, such as identity verification, we may collect your driver’s license or passport number.

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By law, we must keep certain records for a specific period. For instance, we are required to maintain records for at least seven years after providing advice, and Customer Identification Procedure records for the duration of your relationship with your adviser, plus seven years after you cease receiving services.

How we collect personal information

In most cases, we collect personal information directly from you when you:
Complete an application for financial or credit products
Fill out an identification form
Submit data collection documents
Use an online tool, such as a financial health check/budget planner
Provide us with any relevant documentation
File a complaint
Communicate with us in person, by phone, email, or through other electronic means
We may also collect personal information from other sources, such as:
Your financial adviser
A mortgage broker or credit representative
Professionals acting on your behalf, like a lawyer or accountant
Medical professionals
Other organizations that provide products or services jointly with us
Publicly available social media or websites
Your rights and the consequences of withholding information
You have the choice to provide or withhold your personal information. However, if you choose not to share certain details, it may affect the quality of the advice or services we can provide. For example, if we do not have enough information, your adviser may decline to offer advice. In some cases, we may also be unable to provide the requested services or advice if the information provided is insufficient.
If you wish to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym when dealing with us, please note that we may only be able to offer limited services or information. In many cases, we may not be able to assist you with your specific needs.
Accessing and correcting personal information 

You, or someone that you nominate, can request access to personal information we hold about you. We will deal with requests for access to your personal information as soon as possible and aim to respond within 30 days. The time we require will depend on the type of information requested and whether it is in physical or electronic format. There may be a cost involved with locating, copying or sending you the information you request. The cost will be discussed and agreed with you at the time.

There may be circumstances where we refuse to provide you with the information you request, for example when the information is commercially sensitive. In these situations, we will inform you and provide an explanation as to why. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, up to date and complete and relevant. We will update your personal information if you contact us. In most cases, you can update your personal information over the phone, by contacting your adviser. 

We may disclose your personal information to third parties where you have given consent or where it is reasonable to expect such disclosure.
From time to time, we may share your information with entities both within and outside the Financial Mandate Pty Ltd. The specific entities will depend on the product or service involved, but may include:

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• Individuals acting on your behalf, such as your financial adviser, solicitor, accountant, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, or attorney

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• Financial product and service providers, including financial planning software providers and paraplanners

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• For corporate superannuation members, your employer or your employer’s financial adviser

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• Lenders and other credit providers

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• Other organizations within the Financial Mandate Pty Ltd, including related bodies corporate and authorized advice firms

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• Medical practitioners and health service providers, such as pathology services

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• Companies involved in the payments system, including financial institutions, merchants, and payment organizations

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• Organizations assisting with business functions, like auditors, compliance consultants, direct marketing, debt recovery, and IT support

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• Our solicitors, insurers, courts, tribunals, and dispute resolution organizations

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• Other organizations providing products and services to you or contacting you on our behalf

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• Any entity we or our service providers are required or authorized by law to disclose your information to, such as law enforcement agencies or government and regulatory authorities, both in Australia and internationally

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• We may also disclose personal information about our financial advisers to professional organizations, companies, and consultants we work with.

Disclosure of personal information overseas 

We may disclose your personal information to service providers who operate outside Australia. The most common example of when we share your personal information overseas is when we work with overseas service providers who prepare financial advice documents. When we send your personal information to overseas recipients, we make sure appropriate data handling and security arrangements are in place. Your adviser or mortgage broker may have their own outsourcing arrangements to countries other than those detailed above. If so, they will disclose these arrangements separately to you. All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that offshore service providers comply with the Privacy Act. 

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How we protect your personal information

We are committed to ensuring that your personal information is stored securely. 
We have implemented security systems, practices, and procedures to safeguard your privacy. To store your personal information, we may use cloud storage or third-party servers.

When personal information is no longer needed, we take appropriate steps to securely de-identify or destroy the data.

Using our websites

Financial Mandate Pty Ltd’s website may contain links to other websites, whose operators may or may not follow a privacy policy or be governed by the Australian Privacy Principles. While you are not required to register your personal details to use our website, we do offer a registration service that allows you to receive product and service updates, newsletters, and other information. If you choose to register with us, we will collect personal information such as your name and email address.

If you are registered with us and wish to update your registration details or opt out of receiving further information at any time, you can do so by following the instructions on our website or by contacting us directly.

Our websites may use cookies, Google Analytics, and other analytics tools to identify your browser or collect other information while you use our site. A "cookie" is a small text file placed on your computer by a web server. These cookies may be permanent or temporary (session cookies), and are used for various purposes, including enhancing security and personalizing services.

Cookies are commonly used across websites, and you have the option to control how they are accepted by adjusting the preferences in your browser. All browsers allow you to be notified when a cookie is received, and you can choose whether to accept it. Please note that declining cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of the website. Your internet service provider or IT professional can help you set your cookie preferences.

Policy Updates

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We may amend or update our Privacy Policy as required by law or as our business processes or technology changes. We will post the updated policy on our website - www.financial-mandate.com.au

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Contacting us about privacy and Complaints

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If you have any queries or complaints about our Privacy Policy please contact us at:

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Mail          Level 1, 66 King St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone     (+61) 478 455 557
Email       info@financial-mandate.com.au
Website  www.financial-mandate.com.au

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The Privacy Officer will respond to your complaint within 30 days of its receipt. In the event that the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve your complaint or you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you may lodge a Privacy Complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

 

The contact details for OAIC are: 

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Mail             GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 
Phone        1300 363 992 
Email           enquiries@oaic.gov.au    
Website     www.oaic.com.au

   

You may also direct privacy complaints related to financial advice to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA): 

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Mail             GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone        1800 931 678 (free of charge) 
Email           info@afca.gov.org.au
Website     www.afca.org.au