This statement applies to:

• O’Connors Strata & Property Specialists Pty Ltd (O’Connors Strata)

• Any other associated company of O’Connors
  

Our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act)

O’Connors Strata (Company) complies with the Privacy Act, which regulates how we may collect, use, disclose and store personal information and how individuals may access and correct personal information held about them.

In this privacy policy, personal information (as defined in the Privacy Act) means information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion.

Collection

We collect personal information about individuals who have an interest in the property of organisations managed by us. These include owners corporations, community and neighbourhood associations, home unit companies, stratum lots and other private property holdings (schemes). Collecting your personal information is essential for us to be able to perform our role under our agreements with schemes.  

Our policy is that personal information must only be collected, disclosed and used by it for the purposes of managing the affairs of those schemes according to the laws to which they and the Company are subject. In particular, any relevant legislation and any other associated Acts that require the collection of personal information about those individuals.

These purposes may include:

• the protection, maintenance and repair of the scheme;

• the insurance of the organisation and the scheme;

• the raising and distribution of moneys;

• the election of representatives;

• the enforcement of by-laws and other applicable laws;

• compliance with the requirements of statutory and judicial bodies;

• the making of decisions about a scheme’s affairs;

• the collection of rent and various outgoings from tenants and occupants;

• the collection of information relating to the sale or lease of a property within a scheme.

We also collect personal information as part of our normal communication processes directly related to those purposes, including when an individual:

• writes to, or emails, our staff;

• phones us and we may store their phone number on our telephone system;

• hands us their business card or other contact information in a physical or electronic form.

You should also note that e-mail is sometimes not a secure way to communicate and be aware of this when sending personal information to us.

Use and Disclosure

We only use personal information for the purposes for which it was given to us or for purposes that are directly related to one of our functions or activities, and we do not give it to other agencies, organisations or anyone else unless one of the following applies:

• the individual has consented;

• the individual would reasonably expect or has been told that information of that kind is usually passed to those individuals, bodies or agencies;

• it is required or authorised by law;

• it will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to somebody’s life or health;

• it is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of public revenue.

For operational purposes, the Licensee in Charge may approve the disclosure of personal information to individual staff within O’Connors Strata or any other associated company.

Data Quality

We take steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate, up-to-date and complete. These steps include maintaining and updating personal information when we are advised by individuals that their personal information has changed and, at other times, as necessary.

Data Security

We take steps to protect the personal information we hold against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure and against other misuse. These steps include password protection for electronic files, securing paper files in secure locations and physical access restrictions. When no longer required, personal information is destroyed in a secure manner, or it is deleted.

Access and Correction

Owners or occupants in schemes may gain access to their personal information according to the laws by which the information is collected and held. However, we may refuse access to personal information where the information sought is mixed with other information that would disclose personal information about another owner or occupant in a scheme.

We may also refuse access to information that affects the privacy or safety of another person or the public, compromises legal proceedings or where the law generally and/ or a court/tribunal requires it to be denied, or where the request is considered to be frivolous or vexatious.

Contacting Us

If you wish to contact us about how we have collected, held, used or disclosed your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer by post or e-mail using the contact details set out at the end of this policy. You should, at that time, provide all information that our Privacy Officer might require in order to consider your concerns.

Complaints

Our Privacy Officer will consider and respond to your complaint within a reasonable time. Generally, provided that our Privacy Officer has received all information required in order to consider your complaint, that response would be made within 28 days of receiving your complaint. Our Privacy Officer will let you know if further information is required and, if so, the timeframe within which they expect to respond to your complaint.

We regularly review all our policies and procedures and may change this privacy policy from time to time.