The Hrkac Group recognises the importance of privacy in respect to personal information. The Hrkac Group is committed to handling personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principals (APPs) detailed in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (Privacy Law).
These policies describe for clients, employees of client and potential clients how The Hrkac Group manages personal information. It relates to The Hrkac Group collection and handling of personal information covered by the Privacy Act. It is not intended to cover categories of personal information not covered by the Privacy Act.
The services that The Hrkac Group provide are governed by legislation, this includes:
The Hrkac Group collects a range of personal information to ensure that we provide high quality, professional advice. This information will be collected for the primary purpose of conducting professional advice. This may include:
Clients, including potential clients and past clients including
Company / trust names
Prospective, current past employees contactors including Your Employees personal details / information
Personal information about your spouse and/or dependants
Contact details include postal and residential addresses, telephone and email
Tax File Numbers and other government-issued identifiers
Employment details and related history
Details of investments, bank accounts and shareholdings
Details of superannuation and insurance
Sensitive information which is defined under the Privacy Law to include things such as race, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade association or union membership, criminal record or health information
Some personal information that is publicly available
Employee record information
Bank account and credit or debit card details
Professional advisors
Other third parties with whom we come into contact
It may also be necessary under certain circumstances for The Hrkac Group to collect sensitive information to provide specific advice. This may include information such as health information, professional qualifications or memberships.
You can elect not to provide this information. However, should you elect not to provide this information it may limit the extent or range of services that The Hrkac Group can provide. The Hrkac Group usually needs to use your personal information to provide specific advice therefore it is generally not practical to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym when dealing with The Hrkac Group.
Data collection process and how we hold personal information
In most cases The Hrkac Group will collect your personal information directly from you and/or from The Hrkac Group Accountants. This may be face to face, via written correspondence (including email), over the phone or when you complete a form, survey, contact us on our website or subscribe to a The Hrkac Group publication or via The Hrkac Group entities.
In some cases, The Hrkac Group may collect personal information from an authorised third party such as your employer where they are the client or from your personal representative.
The Hrkac Group takes measures to protect the security and confidentiality of the personal information we hold – both hard copy information and electronic (soft) form.
We may also collect information from your appointed professional advisors, such as accountants, lawyers, lenders/mortgage, financial advisors.
This includes physical measures such as alarmed and monitored offices with access passes for staff only, secure storage of physical files and technology security measures such as passwords, restriction of accesses, firewalls, encryption and digital certificates to protect electronic information.
The Hrkac Group collects, holds and uses personal information to enable us to conduct professional services. More specifically this may include:
The Hrkac Group does not routinely disclose personal information to other organisations unless:
We may also use the personal information you provide for the purpose of providing you with marketing material such as newsletters or articles that we believe may be of interest to you. However, you may request not to receive such information by contacting our Privacy Officer.
We may share non-personal, de-identified and aggregated information for research or promotional purposes. We do not however, disclose personal information to third parties for the purpose of allowing them to send marketing material to you.
We may also utilise the services of other third-party providers, such as our I.T. Providers, for its business and to deliver services to you. It may be necessary for us to disclose non-sensitive personal information to these providers from time to time. Such disclosure will be in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the APPs.
The types of third parties to who we may disclose personal information to include:
By giving The Hrkac Group your personal information, you consent to The Hrkac Group transferring and disclosing your personal information (including sensitive information) in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy. The Hrkac Group will take reasonable steps to notify you of the information collected, used and disclosed at all times (unless not allowed under relevant Law/Legislation).
For the purpose of this Document:
We may need to engage in enhanced identification and verification procedures. If we ask you for any relevant AML/CTF information and it is not forthcoming, we reserve the right to cease work immediately and make any necessary report to a relevant authority including AUSTRAC or the Federal or State police organisations. We may be required to collect, verify and maintain your personal information and information about any beneficial owners, controllers or related parties to comply with our obligations under applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and proliferation financing laws, including the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), associated rules and the “Customer Due Diligence” requirements of the anti-money laundering laws and counter-terrorism regimes.
You agree to provide all information and documentation reasonably requested for these purposes and acknowledge that we may make enquiries or searches of appropriate databases.
You acknowledge that where we are required by law, we may make reports or disclosures to regulatory authorities without notice to you and we are not permitted to inform you that such a report or disclosure has been made.
Inability to complete AML/CTF Requirements
Where we are unable to complete required Customer Due Diligence, or where Anti-Money Laundering/CTF concerns arise that cannot be satisfactorily addressed, we may suspend or refuse to provide services, or terminate this engagement, without liability and without being required to provide reasons where prohibited by law.
Regulatory requirements relating to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing may change during the term of this engagement. If such changes apply to the services that we provide, we may require additional information from you or amend this engagement letter to ensure ongoing compliance.
The AML/CTF rules can create the following exceptions to the use and/or disclosure of personal information:
external service providers for the purposes of independent evaluations of our AML/CTF program, audit, peer reviews, legal advice, consultancy, outsourced administration, issuing statements or handling mail
complying with our legal and regulatory obligations including, but not limited to, our AML/CTF Obligations (which may include lodging an SMR with AUSTRAC)
You may, at any time, request access to personal information that The Hrkac Group holds about them. We will provide you with access to this information on request, except in the limited circumstances it is permitted for us to withhold this information; for example, where granting access would infringe on another person’s privacy.
You will be required to provide some form of identification so we can verify that you are the person the information pertains to. For example, this may be your driver’s licence if making the request face to face or if over the phone or email, you may be asked to provide your full name, date of birth and address. The Hrkac Group may charge reasonable costs for providing such information.
The Hrkac Group will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information, we hold about you is accurate, up to date and complete. This may include asking you to confirm details such as an entity name, your role/title, your business or residential address, your email address and other personal details required to provide professional services to you.
If you believe that we hold information about you that is incorrect or is out of date, please contact us as soon as possible to update or correct that information. It is essential that you advise us of any changes to your personal details.
Whilst we take caution to protect your personal information and data, no data transmission over the internet or electronically can be completely secure. Many of the service providers or third parties you may deal with through your relationship with The Hrkac Group will also have privacy policies concerning the manner in which they collect, hold, use or disclose personal information which can be viewed on the relevant provider’s web site.
You may also assist us to keep your personal information secure by ensuring appropriate back-ups, security and virus check procedures are in place for any data or information provided to or received from The Hrkac Group electronically. Please use your discretion and exercise caution when providing your personal information.
The Hrkac Group may store, process or back-up some of your personal information on servers that are located overseas including through third party service providers. These servers are commonly located in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, and New Zealand.
If we are required to transact with or send information on your behalf to an overseas organisation for any other reason we will seek your consent.
The Hrkac Group approaches our communications on the Internet with respect for, and commitment to, individual privacy rights.
This site uses analytical and third-party cookies, to tell us about your navigation habits to improve the quality of our services and enhance your browsing experience. This data is used by search engines and marketing software to better serve our site visitors.
We collect personally identifiable information from our visitors, such as names and email addresses, obtained when visitors fill out forms, contact us via email or otherwise voluntarily provide this information to us. We may use or disclose personal information if we reasonably believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent improper conduct or a breach of law or if its use or disclosure is required or authorised by law. In all other circumstances, we will use personally identifiable information only for the purpose for which it is provided.
Under no circumstances will we sell, rent or otherwise disclose personal information to any third party.
The Hrkac Group support active self-regulation of this environment to ensure that responsible marketers can maintain the right to use all communication media to interact with its consumers. You agree that if you disclose your personal information to us, we may create a database record of information about you and use the information for marketing purposes. If in the future you receive marketing material from us, you will be provided with the opportunity to opt-out or un-subscribe at any time. You may contact us in writing or via email if you want to know what personal information, we hold about you.
The Hrkac Group endeavour to keep all information contained in our Website up-to-date. However, prices, listings, articles and other information are subject to change and are for information purposes only. We assume no responsibility for errors or omissions noted on this Website. Please verify all information via email or by telephone.
The Hrkac Group may use or disclose the Personal Information we hold about you for the purpose of direct marketing communications and information about our services, articles, opportunities, or events that we consider may be of interest to you. These communications may be sent in various forms, including mail, SMS, and email, in accordance with applicable marketing laws, such as the Spam Act, if there is a reasonable expectation that your Personal Information will be used for this purpose and you have not opted out of receiving direct marketing communications from us, or where you have provided your consent.
The Hrkac Group will not directly market to you using Personal Information that is considered Sensitive Information unless you have provided consent.
We may use technology (on certain emails) to determine whether the recipient has read, clicked on, or forwarded the email. This information is used to assess whether the content was relevant to the recipient. Where this technology is used, you will have the option to unsubscribe from the distribution list if you do not wish for this to occur.
Publications, products, content or services referenced herein or on the website are the exclusive trademarks of The Hrkac Group and the website’s Web Designer, including the “look” and “feel” of the website, our colour combinations, layout, and all other graphical elements. Any use of The Hrkac Group trademarks are strictly prohibited without the express permission from us and the website’s Web Designer. Other product and company names mentioned in this website may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
This Website may contain hyperlinks to Websites operated by parties other than The Hrkac Group. We do not control such Websites and is not responsible for their contents. Our inclusion of hyperlinks to such Websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such Websites or any association with their operators.
We may cancel, suspend, or restrict a service if we reasonably believe you or your authorised representative have:
We will take into consideration a client’s circumstances before taking any action in these scenarios.
Neither The Hrkac Group nor any of its directors, employees or other representatives will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this website. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory, direct, indirect or consequential damages, loss of data, income or profit, loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties.
You agree not to bring any claim against any or our Principals/Partners/Directors/Shareholders/Investors/Employees (as applicable) in their personal capacity.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable to you for:
Indirect, special or consequential losses or damages of any kind; or
Liability arising due to the acts or omissions of any other person or circumstances outside of our reasonable control, or your breach of these terms.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
Our liability may be limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Further information on schemes is available from the Professional Standards Councils’ website: http://www.psc.gov.au
We do not provide legal services (including no H.R. advice) and you should consult a registered legal practitioner, such as a solicitor or lawyer, should you require legal and/or H.R. services.
None of the material is or should be regarded as advice. Hrkac Group Accounting accepts no responsibility to any person who acts or relies in any way on any of the material without first obtaining specific advice with a qualified professional.
The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) maintains a register with details of registered, suspended and deregistered tax and BAS agents. This register is available to the public to search at: https://www.tpb.gov.au/public-register
You can search the Tax Agent and BAS Agents listing by clicking on the ‘Search the register’ button and following the steps.
You can also contact them by phone or email should you need to talk to them direct or can be found at: https://www.tpb.gov.au/help-using-tpb-register
For details of other information which we consider may be relevant to your decision to engage us to provide relevant services, please visit: https://hrkacgroup.com.au/
We also advise that you can make a complaint about a tax agent service you have been provided directly to the Tax Practitioners Board.
If you have any concerns about our costs or services, please speak to the person responsible for this engagement, who is identified in our engagement letter. To resolve your concerns, we have policies and procedures in place to deal appropriately with complaints and will use best endeavours to resolve a complaint or dispute to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved. We may require you to detail your complaint in writing to allow us to fully investigate any concerns that you raise.
For further information on how to make a complaint to the TPB and/or the TPB complaints process – please see their website: https://www.tpb.gov.au/complaints
General information about
Can be found in the documentation within this Client Relationship Letter.
In Regard to paragraphs 45(1)(d) and 45(1)(e) of the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024 – we do not have any prescribed events within the last 5 years to disclose.
The Website uses Cookies to track how users navigate within the site and to recognise returning visitors. This is done using small text files called cookies. Cookies do not contain Personal Information in of themselves but can be used to identify a person when combined with other information. The information is used to improve the site’s performance and provide users with more relevant content. Most websites you visit will use cookies.
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies and similar technologies as described in this Cookie Notice. You may withdraw or modify your consent to our use of Cookies at any time by disabling the use of Cookies on your web browser. Please note, that if you set your browser to refuse Cookies, this may impact your experience of our site and its functionality. We have given further information below on how to block cookies including on how you can manage your cookie preferences.
Types of Cookies we use
Essential/Strictly necessary Cookies – are Cookies are strictly necessary to operate core functions and features on our Website. Without these Cookies our site may not work as you would expect and you may not be able to do such things as logging in or registering with us.
Personalisation / Functional Cookies – these provide enhanced functionality and personalisation; they assist us to understand how you use our site and consume our information, so we can provide a more personalised experience. This information is usually anonymised.
Analytics Cookies – We or our service providers also use Analytic services (Google and other Analytics Cookies) to help us understanding how effective our content is, what interests our users have, and to improve how this website works and improve the quality of experience we provide to our site users generally.
How to manage your Browser Controls – Block Cookies: Most web browsers give you the option to either allow or block Cookies for selected sites or to delete the Cookies that have already been recorded from particular or all websites. Refer to the ‘Help’ section of your browser for instructions on how to do this. Please note, however, some site functionality may be affected if certain Cookies are disabled.
The Privacy Officer
201 Melbourne Road,
Rippleside, Victoria, 3215
03 5224 2366
If you require a copy of our Privacy Policy in another form, please contact us.
We reserve the right to update this policy at any time without notice. Any changes will be published on our Website and therefore you should always refer to that as the current version.
