Privacy Policy

Leeward Group Pty Ltd ACN 655 605 502

Leeward Group Pty Ltd ACN 655 605 502 and its related corporations (collectively called Leeward Group) is a provider of shipping agency and associated services.

This Privacy Policy provides information on how Leeward Group will handle personal information about individuals collected by it.

General

Leeward Group is committed to protecting your personal information.  It is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out in the Privacy Act.  Except where a permitted general situation (as defined in the Privacy Act) applies, this Privacy Policy will apply to all dealings with Leeward Group (whether in person or via telephone, email, correspondence or using its website) which involves personal information.

Leeward Group encourages you to check its website regularly for any updates to this Privacy Policy.

Other privacy issues

As well as the provisions of this Privacy Policy, there may also be specific and additional privacy provisions which apply to specific transactions you may have with Leeward Group.  Because those specific and additional provisions also relate to your privacy protection, you should review them wherever they are accessible to you when dealing with Leeward Group.  In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Privacy Policy and those other specific and additional provisions, the specific and additional provisions will apply.

What is “personal information”?

“Personal information” means information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not and whether the information or opinion is recorded in material form or not.

What information is collected by Leeward Group?

Leeward Group may collect personal information in order to carry on its business as a provider of shipping agency and associated services.  This information will depend on your relationship with Leeward Group and how you use its services.

Generally, the main reasons Leeward Group would collect personal information are:

  • To provide shipping agency and associated services – In the course of providing those services, Leeward Group is likely to collect personal information about individual clients and third parties.

  • For marketing – Leeward Group collects contact details from clients, in order to be able to send them newsletters, updates or to otherwise market its services to them.

  • To respond to comments, enquiries or requests which may be made by clients (whether made via email, letter, phone or via the website).

The personal information collected by Leeward Group usually comprises of:
Name and address
Contact telephone number
Email address
Occupation
Date of birth
Bank account

Leeward Group does not generally collect sensitive information about individuals unless required by applicable laws or rules.  “Sensitive information” includes information about race, political or religious beliefs, sexual preferences, criminal convictions and health information.

How much of your personal information you choose to disclose to Leeward Group is up to you.  However, if you choose not to provide certain information to Leeward Group, it may not be able to provide you with the services you require.

How the information is collected

Leeward Group collects personal information in a number of ways, including:

  • Directly from you, when you provide information by telephone, in application forms or other documents or via its website.

  • Directly from you, when you first ask Leeward Group to provide services to you.

  • From third parties or publicly available sources (such as credit reporting agencies, from an individual’s past or current employers or from an individual’s bank or financial institution).

Leeward Group will collect personal information directly from you wherever reasonable and practical to do so. If we receive personal information that Leeward Group did not solicit, it will determine, as soon as reasonably practical, whether it could have lawfully collected information as part of its functions or activities.  If it is not satisfied that it could have lawfully collected information, then it will (if it is lawful and reasonable) destroy the information or ensure that it is de-identified.

While individuals may choose to deal with Leeward Group anonymously or under a pseudonym (where lawful and practical), doing so may render Leeward Group unable to provide the relevant services or do business with you and in those circumstances, Leeward Group may request that an individual identify himself or herself.  If the individual declines to do this, Leeward Group may refuse to provide any services to that individual.

Use and disclosure of personal information

Leeward Group only uses and discloses personal information for the purpose for which it was provided or as may be authorised under the Privacy Act.

The primary use of any personal information is to enable Leeward Group to communicate with you, in the course of providing services to you or in marketing Leeward Group’s services.  You may at any time opt out of receiving any marketing materials by contacting Leeward Group on  admin@leeward-group.com.au or sending a request in writing to Leeward Group.

Leeward Group may transfer your personal information to overseas countries.  The most likely example is where its business records are maintained on servers or cloud-based platforms based overseas.  In those circumstances, Leeward Group will take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient does not breach the APPs in relation to the information transferred to it.

Sometimes, personal information may need to be disclosed to external service providers or third parties engaged by Leeward Group in order for those service providers to fulfil their service obligations to Leeward Group.  Examples of this would include IT service providers who assist in managing Leeward Group’s servers and networks and other consultants engaged on behalf of a client who may require access to certain personal information held by Leeward Group in relation to that client.

Where personal information is disclosed to an external party, Leeward Group will take reasonable steps to ensure that the external party treats that information confidentially and in accordance with the APPs.

There may be circumstances in which it is necessary for Leeward Group to collect an individual’s government related identifier (which include things such as tax file numbers or Centrelink reference numbers).  It will not use or disclose those identifiers unless it is required or authorised to do so by law, by a court or tribunal order or in order to fulfil its obligations to a state or territory authority.

Keeping information secure

Leeward Group uses procedures to ensure that any personal information it holds is kept accurate, complete and safe.  Access to personal information and the use of that personal information within Leeward Group is appropriately limited to prevent misuse or unlawful disclosure of that personal information.  Where the personal information Leeward Group collects is no longer required, Leeward Group will delete the information or otherwise permanently identify it.

Personal information may be stored by Leeward Group in hard copy form or electronically.  Some of the ways in which Leeward Group keeps your information secure are:

  • requiring employees and contractors to enter into confidentiality agreements;

  • ensuring computer systems have appropriate security measures preventing unauthorised access;

  • maintaining appropriate access controls for its premises; and

  • maintaining security measures over its website.

Keeping information accurate

Leeward Group will take reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information it collects, uses or discloses is kept accurate, complete and up to date.  If any time you believe your personal information is not accurate, complete or up to date, please contact Leeward Group (contact details are set out later in this Policy).

Using Leeward Group’s website

Like most websites you visit, Leeward Group uses cookies and other technology to assist it in determining what parts of its website are most popular and to help it ensure that its online advertising is bringing clients to its products and services.

Cookies are very small pieces of text data that a web server can store on, and later retrieve from, a user’s computer.  They do not permanently identify you but they do identify your browser.  Cookies can either be “persistent” or “session” based.  Persistent cookies are stored on your computer, contain an expiration date and may be used to track your browsing behaviour on return to the issuing website.  Session cookies are short-lived and are only used during a browsing session and expire when you shut down your browser.

Leeward Group’s website uses persistent cookies, to record your preferences in relation to the use of its site and to provide it with other information about how its website is being used.  It enables Leeward Group to recognise your browser if you return to its website in the future, which enables Leeward Group to present information that may be most relevant to you based on your previous visits.

The information collected is not linked to your identity in any way or any other information provided by you.

If you send an email

Leeward Group preserves the content of any email you send to it, if it believes it has a legal requirement to do so.  Any personal information, including your email address which is included in your email, will be used or disclosed in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy.  Your email address will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided and will not be added to a mailing list or used for any other purpose without your consent.

Any email containing suspected non-business or inappropriate material may be reviewed by Leeward Group’s email administrator and not delivered to the addressee.

Use of social networking pages

From time to time, Leeward Group may set up and manage a home page for social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter or an interactive forum or blogging site.  If you use those pages or sites on the Leeward Group website, you should be aware that any personal identifying information you submit can be read, collected or used by other users of those sites and could be used to send you unsolicited messages.  Leeward Group is not responsible for this if you choose to submit personal indentifying information to those sites.

Accessing and correcting personal information

You may request access to personal information that Leeward Group holds about you.  Leeward Group will acknowledge your request within five business days of the request being made.  If Leeward Group intends to deny you access, it will usually advise you in writing and the reasons for this within 10 business days of the acknowledgement of request.  If Leeward Group intends to grant access, access will usually be granted within 10 business days of acknowledgement of your request or, if the request involves complex considerations or multiple photocopying, within 20 business days.  Leeward Group will inform you as to the appropriate time frame.

While Leeward Group cannot charge any application fee for you to apply to access your personal information, it reserves the right to charge you a fee to actually give you access to that personal information.  This is intended to cover any costs incurred by Leeward Group involved in locating and collating information as well as providing copies to you.

Once your request has been processed by Leeward Group, it may forward the required information to you by mail or email or you may personally inspect it at the location where the information is held.

Under the Privacy Act, Leeward Group may refuse to grant access to personal information in certain circumstances.  These include:

  • a belief that giving access would pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual or to general public health or public safety;

  • it would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals;

  • denial of access is required or authorised by law or court or tribunal order;

  • the request is frivolous or vexatious;

  • giving access would be unlawful; and

  • legal proceedings against Leeward Group are under way or anticipated and that information would not be accessible by way of discovery process in those proceedings.

If Leeward Group does not agree to make any correction or amendment to your personal information, you may give to us a statement about the requested corrections and Leeward Group will ensure the statement is apparent to any users of that relevant personal information.

If Leeward Group does not agree to give you access to your personal information or to correct it, it will give you written reasons in what you are able to do to complain about that refusal.

Queries and complaints

Most queries can be sorted out over the phone but if Leeward Group is unable to help you immediately, you may be asked to put your question in writing and forward it to it.

Leeward Group will review your request or complaint and, where necessary, refer it to the appropriate person in Leeward Group.  Leeward Group will reply to you within 28 days of receipt of your letter.

If you consider that Leeward Group has not dealt with your complaint to your satisfaction, you may be able to escalate the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.  Contact details are as follows:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
SYDNEY NSW  2001
Email: enquiries@aoic.gov.au
Telephone: 1300 363 992

Contacting Leeward Group

To contact Leeward Group about any privacy matter or to notify it that you wish to be removed from any distribution list, you may either:

  • Send Leeward Group an email to admin@leeward-group.com.au

  • Write to:
    Privacy Officer
    Leeward Group
    13/35 Paringa Road, Murarrie QLD 4172