Privacy Policy

Introduction

PHL SURVEYORS respects your privacy and is committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and other relevant State laws that govern our services. This Privacy Policy informs you how and why personal information is collected, stored, used, disclosed, and protected by PHL SURVEYORS.

Application

This Privacy Policy:

a. applies to all instances where personal information is collected from you or third parties; and
b. must be adhered to by all PHL SURVEYORS employees, contractors, board members, volunteers, agents, and representatives with access to personal information.

Other PHL SURVEYORS terms and conditions may also apply to you in addition to this Privacy Policy. In this Privacy Policy:

a. “personal information” has the definition given to it under the Privacy Act.
b. “sensitive information” has the definition given to it under the Privacy Act.
c. “stakeholders”, “you”, “your”, and “yourself” refers to the individual about whom we collect personal information.
d. “we”, “our”, and “us” refers to PHL SURVEYORS.
e. “website” means https://www.phlsurveyors.com.au/.

Acceptance and amendment of policy

This Privacy Policy replaces all other privacy policies of PHL SURVEYORS and may be amended from time to time. Where there has been a material change to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by email or by putting a notice on our website.
Your continued use of the PHL SURVEYORS website, its services, or the provision of further personal information to us constitutes your deemed acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

What personal information do we collect?

Personal information

Where possible, PHL SURVEYORS will obtain your personal information directly from you.
We will only collect personal information from you that is necessary and relevant to our relationship with you, including to enable us to provide you with our services and is essential for our functions or activities. While the precise nature of the personal information we may require will depend on the specific service(s) that we are providing to you and the exact nature of our engagement and relationship with you, we may request that you provide some or all of the following information:

information that we may require to identify you or from which you may reasonably be identified, including your name, gender, date of birth, age, signature, personal identity number, employer, business or company names and numbers, home address and or business address;
information that we can use to contact you, including your telephone number, mobile number, email address, work address, and mailing address;
images from video surveillance;
images from facial recognition software;
biometric information;
details about your engagements with us and service preferences;
information that we need to employ or otherwise make payments to you or your business/company, such as your name, title, date of birth, citizenship, residency status, qualifications, work history, education history, bank account details, superannuation details, details of any relevant licences, uniform size, basic medical information (such as injuries or allergies) and contact details; and

We kindly note that the above is not an exhaustive list of the information we may request.

Sensitive information

The Privacy Act restricts us from collecting sensitive information about you including information about your religion, political views, ethnicity, criminal records, and sexual preferences. Generally, we will not collect sensitive information about you. However, should we need to, for instance, if you are applying for a job with us, we would not do so without first obtaining your consent.

We may also collect sensitive personal information where we are provided with such information directly by our clients or service providers. This may include:

government identifiers such as driver’s licence and passport;
your photograph, which may be utilised on an employee card and information;
tax file numbers;
health information and medical records;
information about racial or ethnic origins;
information about criminal convictions;

Anonymity and Pseudonymity

PHL SURVEYORS understands that some members of the public may wish to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym. Although anonymity is an important element of privacy, there are limited circumstances where PHL SURVEYORS allows this, such as when you submit a general enquiry with PHL SURVEYORS or browse our website.

You can browse our website without telling us who you are or revealing your personal information. We are, however, able to determine your IP address.

How we collect personal information

PHL SURVEYORS will collect personal information in several ways, including but not limited to:

directly from you. For example, when you complete forms provided to you by PHL SURVEYORS, including PHL SURVEYORS attendance forms or when you provide us with information by phone, email or in agreements;
at our offices or site-hosted meetings/events/engagements. The personal information will be utilised for identification purposes for building security, for safety measures and extending future invitations to meetings and events;
from our records of how you use our services;
your use of our website and cookies. A ‘cookie’ is a small file stored on your computer’s browser, which assists in managing customised website settings and delivering content. Cookies can facilitate a user’s ongoing access to and use of a site. They allow us to track usage patterns and compile data to help us improve our content and target advertising. You can change the settings in your browser to control how your browser deals with cookies;
from a third party or stakeholder as authorised by you;
if you engage or contract with us;
if we employ you or you apply for employment;
if you inquire about our services;
if you inquire through our website;
if you interact with us via social media platforms;
if you subscribe to any of our mailing lists or use any of our online applications;
if you make a complaint;
via our security cameras or other cameras installed (including pick-up areas and entrances); and
via identity scanning software, which may be utilised for visitor sign-in.

We may also collect personal information about you from:

relatives;
publicly available sources;
any person or third party authorised to act on your behalf or authorised to provide your personal information to us;
anyone sharing information with us for law enforcement purposes;
other sources or from individuals themselves to enable us to deliver professional services;
any persons you nominate if you submit an employment application to us; and
our related companies, including information about your transactions or other interactions with them, including browsing their websites and apps.

Confidentiality of personal information

Except as otherwise described in this notice, all personal information that is not public will always be treated as confidential. We restrict access to personal information, and PHL SURVEYORS employees will only utilise personal information to provide services to you.

How we store personal information

We want you to have continuing trust in PHL SURVEYORS and its services, so we have established reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure your personal information. We have implemented strict confidentiality practices for directors, employees, contractors, and service providers and invested in security software to protect against the possibility of cyber attacks or other external threats.

Third-party storage providers

We may store electronic records of your personal information with third-party software and storage providers. The third-party providers may utilise a secured electronic cloud server.
PHL SURVEYORS takes all reasonable measures to ensure that third-party providers or organisations store personal information in a safe and secure place and restrict their use of personal information.

How long do we retain your personal information?

Retention periods

We will only keep your personal information for as long as necessary and as required by law. The retention periods we apply to personal information consider:

legal and regulatory requirements and guidance;
limitation periods that apply in respect of taking legal action;
our ability to defend ourselves against legal claims and complaints;
good practice; and
the operational requirements of PHL SURVEYORS.

Personal information obtained by mistake or indirect collection

Personal information collected by mistake or indirectly and not required by PHL SURVEYORS to carry out its services will be handled according to applicable data protection laws.

Why we need to collect personal information

PHL SURVEYORS collects personal information for a range of purposes relating to our functions and activities, including:

to provide and improve optimal services and information;
to deliver a more personalised experience and service offering;
to employ you;

to conduct a range of internal administration activities, including investigating and handling complaints, processing applications, administering billing services and complying with regulatory and legal requirements;
to enter into agreements;
to comply with the applicable regulations and laws;
to prevent loss or fraud;
to cooperate with law enforcement agencies who may request certain personal information.

What happens if you don’t provide the personal information we have requested?

It is entirely your choice whether you provide us with your personal information. However, if you do not provide the personal information we have requested, we might not be able to:

enter into any agreements with you;
provide the services that you require;
provide you with specific website features and online browsing features;
investigate or resolve any complaints made by you;
process applications for employment;
create a PHL SURVEYORS account for you; and
process payments.

How we use and disclose personal information

We may use or disclose your personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected (“primary purpose”), i.e., providing surveying and planning services. In addition, we may use your information to provide you with other information that might be useful to you.

The sharing of your personal information (excluding sensitive data) for a reason other than the primary purpose or related to the primary purpose (“secondary purpose”) must comply with the Privacy Act or other relevant laws or have your explicit consent.

In privacy laws and regulations, a secondary purpose refers to using personal information in a different means to the primary or original purpose for which the information was collected. When personal information is initially gathered, it is typically for a specific and stated purpose, such as providing a service, processing a transaction, or fulfilling a contractual obligation. Any subsequent use of that information for a different purpose, which is not directly related to the original reason for collection, is considered a secondary purpose.

Under the Privacy Act, disclosure for a secondary purpose is generally not allowed unless an exception applies. Exceptions may include:

where you would reasonably expect PHL SURVEYORS to use or disclose your personal information for a secondary purpose;
where you have given your consent for your personal information to be used for a secondary purpose;
where the secondary use or disclosure is required or authorised by law or court or tribunal order; and
where a permitted general situation or health situation exists in relation to the secondary use or disclosure.

Use

We may use your personal information to:

consider your request for our services;
set up and activate your account with PHL SURVEYORS;
provide services to you;
facilitate and process your payments;
carry out or respond to your queries or requests;
provide information that has been requested;
facilitate reviews and seek your feedback in relation to services provided;
monitor or improve the quality and standard of service that we provide to you;
consider any concerns or complaints you may raise against us;
comply with our legal and regulatory obligations;
contract or engage with you;
better understand your preferences;
appropriately manage our business, such as assessing insurance requirements, conducting audits, and undertaking accreditation processes;
effectively communicate with third parties, including government agencies and departments.

If you have provided us with your personal information and do not wish to receive further information from

PHL SURVEYORS, you can send an e-mail to admin@phlsurveyors.com.au and tell us that you do not want to receive future communications.

Disclosure

We may share your personal information (excluding information that is considered sensitive information) with:

PHL SURVEYORS affiliates, directors, contractors, and employees;
other business partners to support your relationship with PHL SURVEYORS;
related entities, insurers, legal and financial advisors contracted with PHL SURVEYORS;
referees and referral organisations;
third-party surveying and planning providers or affiliates;
government departments where PHL SURVEYORS is required to do so;
anyone authorised by you to receive your personal information; and
our agents, successors and/or assignees.

We will not disclose any information to any other company for its use in marketing or solicitation without your consent.

How to access personal information or ask for a correction

Access

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect and hold is accurate, complete, and up to date. However, we rely on you to advise us of any changes to your personal information to help us maintain accurate, complete, and up-to-date information.

You can access your personal information by contacting us in writing. We will ensure that the personal information provided goes to the correct person and that personal information is not accessed incorrectly or fraudulently.

Correction

You are entitled to request a correction of your personal information if you consider it inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. After receiving your request, we will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information, and we can notify any past recipient of your personal information of the correction.

Website

IP Address

We can determine your IP address when you browse or use our website. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server, to administer our website, to measure the use of our website and to improve the content of our website.

Encryption technology

Our website does not necessarily use encryption or other technologies to ensure the secure transmission of information via the Internet. Users of our websites are encouraged to exercise care in sending personal information via the Internet.

Third-Party Links

PHL SURVEYORS’ website may contain links to other non-PHL SURVEYORS websites. PHL SURVEYORS is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites, and you should exercise your best judgement when sharing personal information on these websites.

Lodging a complaint and complaint handling

Complaints to PHL SURVEYORS

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of this Privacy Policy or the Australian Privacy Principles established under the Privacy Act, you can contact us using the contact details below. You will need to provide us with sufficient details regarding your complaint as well as any supporting evidence and information.

Your complaint will be referred to our Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer will investigate the issue and determine our steps to resolve your complaint. You can contact the Privacy Officer using the details set out below. We will contact you if we require any additional information and will notify you in writing of the outcome of the investigation.

Complaints to the OAIC

If you are not satisfied with our response or we fail to respond to your complaint within 30 days of receipt of your complaint, you can lodge a privacy complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The contact details for the OAIC are set out below:

Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
Ph: 1300 363 992
Fax: (02) 9284 9666
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/

How to contact PHL SURVEYORS

If you have any other questions, concerns or complaints about our Privacy Policy or its implementation, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Att: The Privacy Officer
Post: PHL SURVEYORS, 115 Yambil Street, Griffith, NSW, 2680
Ph: (02) 6964 3192

Email: admin@phlsurveyors.com.au
Website: www.phlsurveyors.com.au