Privacy policy
Updated 3 December 2024
This Privacy Policy sets out how the Australian Shareholders’ Association (ASA) collects, uses and discloses personal information gathered through its website, www.australianshareholders.com.au and other sources.
ASA is committed to protecting the privacy of members and non-members by ensuring the security of personal information and complying with its obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APP). Details of these can be found on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy-law/
About This Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how we manage your personal information, including:
(a) the kinds of personal information we collect and how we collect it;
(b) our reasons for collecting, holding, using and disclosing personal information;
(c) how you may access your personal information held by us and have it corrected;
(d) how you may complain about the way we deal with your personal information, and how we will deal with your complaint; and
(e) whether we will disclose your personal information to overseas recipients, and if so the likely location(s) of those recipients.
Personal information is generally any information or opinions that identify you personally such as: your name, details of your business, address, telephone number, and email address.
What we collect:
We receive information including name, address, telephone and email contact details and profile information from members and non-members on membership, membership renewal, other application forms, orders and registration forms.
We receive information from browsers when you visit our website, such as your server address, domain name, the date and time of your visit, the pages visited, and selected information for statistical purposes.
We collect personal information about your interactions with us. Whether that is in person, over the telephone, by email or online. Including when you register for our meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences or other ASA events.
We may make sound and image recordings of our events which may include photo or video recordings of you. Please let us know before arrival if you do not wish to be identifiable in recordings we may publish or otherwise disseminate. We may also collect personal information when you interact with us using social media platforms.
If you provide us with personal information about any other individuals (e.g. guests) you must ensure that they are aware of this Privacy Policy.
Sensitive information:
We will not collect, hold, use or disclose sensitive information (such as information about racial or ethnic origins, political or religious beliefs, gender, date of birth or health information) except with your consent or where required or permitted by law.
Use of your personal information:
Members and non-members
The personal information we collect is essential to our organisational activities because it is required to confirm membership of the ASA, event, workshop and conference participation or tailoring of members’ interests. The subscription process is used to ensure that your contact details are correct. We maintain and use this information in written and/or electronic form in order to provide you with information, products and services that will be of personal and/or professional benefit. We also use personal information to provide education and advocacy services, to conduct research and to provide special offers on behalf of our sponsors and partners. By ensuring that your profile information is current, you assist us to develop future strategies to benefit ASA membership and to represent investors’ interests to government and industry more effectively.
Unless you opt out, we may continue communications with you after cessation of your membership, by telephone, electronic messages (like email) and other means. Contact us or login to our website to completely opt-out.
Sharing of your personal information
We will not disclose or sell personal information that we collect about members or non-members. We may from time to time, however, provide personal information to sponsors. In these scenarios members will always have the opportunity to decline approval and request their personal information not be passed on to third parties.
For the delivery of member services we may provide personal information to our service providers who assist us with services including content production and mailing.
Unless you ask us not to, we may congratulate you on your membership or achieving a milestone with us (e.g. membership anniversary) in our publications.
Website and emails:
Like many other websites, our website may use ‘cookies’ from time to time. A cookie is a piece of information that allows our system to identify and interact more effectively with your device. The cookie helps us to maintain the continuity of your browsing session and remember your details and preferences when you return. You can configure your web browser software to reject cookies, however some parts of our website may not have full functionality if you do that.
When we send you emails or other electronic messages, we may record where you open the message and click on particular links. This helps us to better understand what information is of interest to you.
In some cases third parties may use cookies and other technologies such as web beacons and JavaScript on our website in connection with online services like website analytics, surveys and measuring the effectiveness of our online campaigns. The services we may use from time to time include Google Analytics, Membes (Customer Relationship Management system), Google, Adobe and Microsoft. You can find more details in the privacy policies for those services, including information on how to opt-out of certain areas.
External websites:
Although the ASA website looks to only include quality, safe and relevant external links, users should always adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned on this website.
ASA cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite our best efforts. Users should therefore note that they click on external links at their own risk and ASA cannot be held liable for any damage or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or policies of those sites, and we suggest that you review their privacy policies.
Sponsored links:
The ASA website may contain sponsored links. These will typically be served through our sponsorship partners. Clicking on these links will send you to the sponsor’s website. These sites may include the use of cookies. Users should note that they click on sponsored external links at their own risk.
Confidentiality and security:
We take reasonable precautions to protect the personal information we hold from:
(a) misuse, interference and loss; and
(b) unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
These include: protection of passwords using industry standard encryption, measures to preserve system security and prevent unauthorised access, and back-up systems to prevent accidental or malicious loss of data.
Paper copies are appropriately secured.
Documents verifying your identity will be stored in a secure electronic environment.
Unfortunately, all the risks involved in sending information through any channel over the Internet cannot be removed, as such you send information over the Internet entirely at your own risk.
Accidental or unauthorised use or disclosure:
In the event of accidental or unauthorised use or disclosure of personal information we shall take prompt action to remedy such breach and shall notify the individual and the Privacy Commissioner as required under the Privacy Act.
Our staff are trained in dealing with data breaches and we have in place a formal Business Continuity Plan.
External service providers contracted by us are bound to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act in relation to notification of data breaches.
Access to personal information:
We will take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold about you is accurate, up-to-date and complete.
We use iMIS software to manage our member and non-member lists. You can update your details easily via My Account, via the link on any emails that we send to you, or by advising us at the contact details outlined below.
Access
You have a right to ask for access to the personal information we hold about you.
Your personal information will usually be available within 30 days of your request. If there is a fee for accessing your personal information, we will confirm the amount before providing the information.
In some circumstances we may not be able to grant you access to your personal information (for example, if the release of your personal information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others).
Corrections
You have a right to ask us to correct the personal information we hold about you.
It is not always possible to remove or modify information in our databases, but we will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information, so it is accurate, up-to-date, complete, relevant and not misleading.
If we decline to make a correction, you may request us to attach to your personal information a statement that it is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
If we disclosed the information to a third party before correcting it, you may request us to notify the third party of the correction we’ve made. We will not charge you to request a correction, or for making a correction or attaching a statement.
Personal information shared outside of Australia
On occasion, we may disclose personal information to recipients in New Zealand, the United States and potentially other overseas jurisdictions but will not do so unless:
(a) reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that the information that is transferred will not be collected, held, used or disclosed by the recipient of the information inconsistently with the APPs; or
(b) we reasonably believes that the recipient of the information is subject to a law or binding scheme which has the effect of protecting the information in a way that is substantially similar to the APPs and that there are mechanisms that the individual can access to enforce that protection; or
(c) the individual concerned consents to the disclosure after being expressly informed that the overseas recipient is not bound to protect the personal information in accordance with the APPs or any substantially similar regime; or
(d) otherwise in accordance with the Privacy Act and APPs.
How long do we keep your personal information
We retain Personal Information for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or in some circumstances for longer periods where extended retention is required by law or regulation, and as necessary in order to defend our legal rights.
We will take reasonable steps to destroy your personal information or ensure it is de-identified if:
- there is no longer a need to use or disclose your personal information for any authorised purpose; and
- if we are not legally required to retain that information.
Changes to this Policy:
ASA reserves the right to make amendments to this Privacy Policy at any time. Please check back regularly if you have any concerns regarding your personal information.
Contact us:
ASA welcomes your feedback regarding this Privacy Policy.
Please contact us if you:
- wish to discuss any privacy issues; or
- have any concerns regarding your personal information;
- have a complaint regarding our compliance with this policy; or
- do not wish to receive any future communications.
Please contact us during business hours Monday to Friday by one of the following methods:
Call: 1300 368 448
Email: share@asa.asn.au
Mail: “Attention Privacy Officer” PO Box A398, Sydney South NSW 1235
We will consider and respond to a complaint within a reasonable time frame (usually 30 days). However, if your complaint is not resolved by our Privacy Officer you can refer it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001.