1. Introduction

Financial Strategies Group (ABN to be inserted) (‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using our website at finstrat.com.au or engaging our services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. What Is Personal Information?

Personal information is any information or opinion about an identified or reasonably identifiable individual. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Your name, date of birth, and contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• Financial information, including income, assets, liabilities, tax file number (TFN), and superannuation details
• Business information, including ABN, company structure, and financial records
• Government-issued identifiers where required by law
• Information about your financial goals, circumstances, and risk profile

3. How We Collect Personal Information

   3.1 Directly from You

   We collect personal information directly from you when you:

• Complete our website contact or enquiry forms
• Engage us as a client for accounting, tax, financial planning, or advisory services
• Attend meetings, telephone calls, or video conferences with our team
• Provide documents such as tax returns, financial statements, or identity documents
• Subscribe to our newsletter or download resources from our website

   3.2 From Third Parties

   With your consent, we may also collect personal information from:

• The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and other government agencies
• Financial institutions, superannuation funds, and insurance providers
• Employers or other advisers acting on your behalf
• Publicly available sources where permitted by law

   3.3 Automatically via Our Website

   When you visit finstrat.com.au, we may automatically collect certain non-personal data including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site. This is used to improve our website and user experience.

4. Why We Collect Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information to:

• Provide accounting, tax, business advisory, financial planning, and asset protection services
• Assess your financial needs and prepare tailored strategies
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations (including ASIC, ATO, and AUSTRAC requirements)
• Communicate with you about your account, services, or updates
• Issue invoices and process payments
• Improve our services and website
• Send you marketing communications (with your consent, where required)

We will not use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those stated above unless you have consented or we are required to do so by law.

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may share your personal information with:

• The ATO, ASIC, APRA, and other regulatory bodies as required
• Third-party software and cloud service providers (e.g., accounting software, document management platforms) — only for the purpose of delivering our services
• Legal, financial, or other professional advisers where necessary to deliver your services
• Banks, lenders, and financial institutions with your authorisation

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Overseas Disclosure of Personal Information

Some of our third-party service providers (such as cloud storage or practice management software) may store data on servers located overseas. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers comply with standards equivalent to the Australian Privacy Principles.

By providing your personal information to us, you consent to it potentially being disclosed to overseas recipients where necessary.

7. Security of Your Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Encrypted document storage and file transfer
• Secure client portals with access controls
• Staff training on privacy obligations
• Regular review of our IT security practices

Despite our best efforts, no data transmission or storage is completely secure. If you suspect a breach of your personal information, please contact us immediately.

8. Tax File Numbers

We collect and handle Tax File Numbers (TFNs) in accordance with the Tax File Number Guidelines 2011 issued under the Privacy Act 1988. TFNs are used solely for the purpose of providing taxation services and will not be disclosed to any person or organisation except as permitted under law.

9. Retention of Personal Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with our legal obligations. Under Australian law, tax and financial records are generally required to be retained for a minimum of five (5) years. After this period, we securely destroy personal information that is no longer required.

10. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete information
• Opt out of receiving direct marketing communications
• Complain about a breach of your privacy rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 13 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe (generally 30 days).

11. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser. We may use:

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function properly
• Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our site (e.g., Google Analytics)

You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, though this may affect the functionality of some parts of our website.

12. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to external sites that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and recommend you review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

13. Contact Us and Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to access or correct your personal information, or wish to make a complaint, please contact us:

Financial Strategies Group

Website: finstrat.com.au
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

14. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated Policy will be posted on our website at finstrat.com.au with the revised effective date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.