Privacy Policy
The privacy of your personal information is important to us at Pacific Mercantile.
We are committed to protecting and maintaining the privacy and security of your personal information. The National Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 1988 and other laws and codes apply.
Our staff are trained to respect your privacy in accordance with our standards, policies and procedures. All information collected through this site and other sources will be kept strictly confidential and held with the utmost care.
Sources of information
Pacific Mercantile collects business information and personal information relating to individuals from a range of sources such as ASX; ASIC; business names databases; the media; ITSA; Courts; credit publications; industry specific reports and journals; clients; third parties; and other publicly available publications.
Our obligations
The Privacy Act contains a set of standards for the handling of your personal information known as the National Privacy Principles (NPPs). These principles set out standards for the handling of your personal information that Pacific Mercantile must meet. They require Pacific Mercantile to:
- Only collect personal information about you that is necessary for the recovery of debt; accounts receivable; financial and credit management services; provision of credit and business information and credit risk assessment; or to meet any legal obligations imposed on Pacific Mercantile.
- Use only fair (accepted industry standards) and lawful ways to collect personal information.
- Collect personal information directly from a client, subject or debtor if it is reasonable and practicable to do so.
- When Pacific Mercantile collects personal information from the client, subject or debtor or as soon as practicable afterwards, we will take reasonable steps to make a client, subject or debtor aware of:
- why we are collecting information about them;
- who else we might give it to; and
- any other specified matters.
- Take reasonable steps to ensure the client, subject or debtor is aware of any information Pacific Mercantile collects even if Pacific Mercantile has collected it from someone else (a third party).
- Obtain consent to collect sensitive information about you unless specified exemptions apply.
- Only use or disclose personal information for the primary purpose of collection unless one of the exceptions in NPP 2.1 applies (for example, for a related secondary purpose within the client, subject or debtor's reasonable expectations, we have your consent or there are specified law enforcement or public health and public safety circumstances). Note that;
- If the information is sensitive (as defined under the Act) the uses or disclosures allowed are more limited.
- A secondary purpose within reasonable expectations must be directly related and the direct marketing provisions of NPP 2.1(c) do not apply.
- Take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information that Pacific Mercantile collects, uses or discloses is accurate, complete and up-to-date. The client, subject or debtor has a right to correct the information.
- Take reasonable steps to protect the personal information about you from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
- Take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information if Pacific Mercantile no longer needs it for any purpose for which we may use or disclose the information.
- Provide advice in a short document that sets out clearly expressed policies on the way Pacific Mercantile manages personal information and make it available to anyone who asks for it.
- If any individual asks, Pacific Mercantile will take reasonable steps to let the individual know, generally, what sort of personal information we hold, what purposes we hold it for and how we collect, use and disclose that information.
- If an individual asks us, we must give access to the personal information Pacific Mercantile holds about that individual unless particular circumstances apply that permit us to limit the extent to which we give access - these include emergency situations, specified business imperatives and law enforcement or other public interests.
- If it is lawful and practicable to do so, Pacific Mercantile will give individuals the option of interacting anonymously with us.
- Only adopt, use or disclose an individual's Commonwealth Government identifier if particular circumstances apply that would allow us to do so.
- Only transfer personal information overseas in particular circumstances and only if the country to which the information is being transferred has similar privacy standards which protect your information or where Pacific Mercantile has taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information it has transferred will not be held, used or disclosed by the recipient inconsistently with the NPP's.
Web-site information collection and dissemination practices
Pacific Mercantile may use your IP (Internet Protocol) address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web-site. We analyse our Web-site logs to improve the relevance of the content featured on the site. Whilst our Web-site logs are IP identifiable, no attempt is made to link them with any individual that browse the site. The site may uses cookies to ensure a persistent client state. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it.
Business Relationships
The Pacific Mercantile site may contain links to other web-sites. Pacific Mercantile is not responsible for the information handling practices or the content of such sites.
How to contact us
For further information please contact us at:
PO Box 865, Townsville Q 4810
E-mail: [email protected]