Privacy Policy
Pinnacle Accounting & Advisory Pty Ltd
Our Commitment
Pinnacle Accounting & Advisory Pty Ltd (“Pinnacle”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information. We handle personal information in accordance with all applicable Australian privacy legislation, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose and protect your personal information.
Collection of Personal Information
We collect personal and sensitive information about individuals, including our clients, individuals associated with our clients, and our business contacts, in order to provide professional accounting, taxation, advisory and related services, and to manage our business operations effectively.
The types of personal information we may collect include (but are not limited to):
- Name and date of birth
- Contact details such as residential, business and postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses
- Bank account and credit card details for agreed billing and payment purposes
- Information about your financial, taxation or business circumstances relevant to the services we provide
- Sensitive information as defined under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including Tax File Numbers (TFNs) and Director Identification Numbers (DINs)
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us and the services you engage us to provide. Information is generally collected directly from you through meetings, correspondence, telephone calls, electronic communications, secure portals, shared folders, or forms.
We may also collect personal information from third parties, including but not limited to:
- Your authorised representatives (such as solicitors or financial advisers)
- Banks and financial institutions
- Regulatory and government bodies (including the ATO and ASIC)
- Third-party service providers engaged in connection with our services
We may collect personal information from third parties where:
- You have consented to the collection;
- We are authorised or required to do so by law; or
- It is unreasonable or impracticable to collect the information directly from you.
We may also collect information that is publicly available.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
We use and disclose personal and sensitive information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, and for related secondary purposes that you would reasonably expect, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.
Generally, we use personal information to:
- Provide accounting, taxation, advisory and related professional services
- Communicate with you and manage our client relationships
- Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
- Inform you of updates, changes or services that may be relevant to you
We may disclose personal and sensitive information to third parties where necessary, including:
- The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Financial institutions and service providers
- External contractors or professional advisers engaged to assist us
We will generally obtain your consent before disclosing personal information to third parties, except where disclosure is required or permitted by law, or in emergency situations.
By providing us with your personal information, you consent to its use and disclosure in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Disclosure of Personal Information Overseas
In some circumstances, personal information may be disclosed to recipients located outside Australia. This may occur, for example, where an overseas financial institution is involved and you have authorised us to make enquiries on your behalf.
We may also engage carefully selected overseas team members and support personnel to assist in providing our accounting, taxation and advisory services. These individuals operate under strict confidentiality agreements and are subject to the same privacy, security and professional obligations as our Australian-based staff.
Where overseas personnel are engaged:
- Access to information is limited to what is necessary for their role;
- All work is performed using secure, encrypted systems and firm-managed devices;
- Multi-factor authentication and access controls are enforced; and
- Personnel are vetted and trained in Australian privacy requirements and data security standards.
This model is consistent with practices adopted by many professional accounting and advisory firms to ensure efficient and timely service delivery.
In addition, some encrypted data may be stored, backed up or mirrored on secure servers located overseas by reputable third-party IT and cloud service providers. We take reasonable steps to ensure that all overseas recipients handle personal information in accordance with Australian privacy laws and standards.
We will not disclose personal information overseas without your consent unless otherwise permitted or required by law.
Third-Party Service Providers
We may engage third-party service providers (including IT and cloud service providers) to assist with our business operations. Where necessary, non-sensitive personal information may be disclosed to these providers, subject to confidentiality and privacy obligations consistent with this Privacy Policy and the APPs.
Social Media
You may choose to engage with Pinnacle through social media platforms. These platforms are public forums. Any personal information you choose to post may be viewed or shared by others, and we cannot control how third parties use that information.
Data Quality and Security
We take reasonable steps to ensure personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date. If your personal details change, please notify us.
We maintain physical, electronic and administrative safeguards to protect personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. However, no electronic transmission is completely secure.
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil its purpose or as required by law, after which it will be securely destroyed or de-identified.
Access and Correction
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and request corrections if necessary. Access may be subject to exceptions permitted by law.
Requests should be made in writing or by contacting our Privacy Officer. We may charge a reasonable fee for providing access. If access is refused, we will provide written reasons.
Government Identifiers
We may collect government identifiers such as Tax File Numbers where required or authorised by law. These identifiers are used and disclosed only as permitted by law or with your consent.
Cookies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to analyse website traffic and improve user experience. Cookies do not identify you personally.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings; however, this may affect website functionality.
Sensitive Information
We will only collect sensitive information with your consent, unless required or authorised by law. Where sensitive information is collected, we will notify you as soon as practicable.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. Any changes will take effect immediately upon publication on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Complaints and Further Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact us at [email protected]. We will review and respond to your enquiry within a reasonable timeframe and will use our best endeavours to resolve any issues.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for further assistance.