Privacy policy
Maurice Blackburn respects your privacy and is committed to
protecting your personal information.
This Policy outlines the obligations which Maurice Blackburn has
in managing the personal information we hold about our clients,
potential clients, contractors and others.
Maurice Blackburn is bound by the National Privacy Principles
('NPPs') contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ('Privacy
Act').
In summary, 'personal information' is information or an opinion
relating to an individual which can be used to identify that
individual.
Why does Maurice
Blackburn collect personal information?
Maurice Blackburn collects personal information in order to
conduct our business, to provide and market our services and to
meet our legal obligations.
About whom do we
collect personal information?
The type of information we may collect and hold includes (but is
not limited to) personal information about:
- clients, associates and potential clients,
- suppliers and their employees; and
- prospective employees, employees and contractors.
What kinds of personal information do we
collect?
Maurice Blackburn provides legal and related services, including
providing information and advice to clients and parties related to
their matters including courts and statutory authorities. The
operation of our business frequently requires us to collect, use
and/or disclose both personal and sensitive information about
individuals.
In general, the type of personal information Maurice Blackburn
collects and holds includes (but is not limited to): names, birth
dates, addresses, contact details, occupations, medical history and
treatment, memberships and associations, financial and tax records,
family situation, criminal records and other information which
assist us in conducting our business, providing and marketing our
services and meeting our legal obligations.
In most cases, if the personal information we request is not
provided, we may not be able to supply the relevant service.
How do we collect
personal information?
Personal Information you provide: Maurice
Blackburn will generally collect personal information by way of
forms filled out by people, face-to-face meetings, interviews,
business cards, telephone conversations and from third parties.
Personal Information provided by other people:
In some circumstances Maurice Blackburn may be provided with
personal information about an individual from a third party, for
example a report provided by a medical professional or a reference
from another person.
Web site
Collection
Maurice Blackburn collects personal information from the web
site www.mauriceblackburn.com.au through receiving subscription
applications and emails. We also use third parties to analyse
traffic at that web site, which may involve the use of cookies.
Information collected through such analysis is anonymous.
How might we use and
disclose your personal information?
Maurice Blackburn may use and disclose your personal information
for the primary purpose for which it is collected, for reasonably
expected secondary purposes which are related to the primary
purpose and in other circumstances authorised by the Privacy
Act.
In general, we use and disclose your personal information for
the following purposes:
- to conduct our business
- to provide and market our services
- to communicate with you
- to purchase from you
- to comply with our legal obligations, and
- to help us manage and enhance our services.
To whom might we disclose your
personal information?
We may disclose your personal information to:
- other companies or individuals who assist us in providing
services or who perform functions on our behalf (such as mailing
houses, specialist consultants and barristers)
- courts, tribunals and regulatory authorities, and
- anyone else to whom you authorise us to disclose it.
We also collect personal information from these organisations
and individuals, and deal with that information in accordance with
this Policy.
Sensitive
information
Some personal information which we collect is 'sensitive
information'. Sensitive information includes: information relating
to a person's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions,
religion, trade union or other professional or trade association
membership, sexual preferences and criminal record, that is also
personal information; and health information about an
individual.
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the
purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary
purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited
circumstances apply (eg, where required by law).
Management of
personal information
The NPPs require us to take reasonable steps to protect the
security of personal information. Maurice Blackburn personnel are
required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and
the privacy of individuals.
Maurice Blackburn takes reasonable steps to protect personal
information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access,
modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security
and restricted access to electronic records.
Where we no longer require your personal information for a
permitted purpose under the NPPs, we will take reasonable steps to
destroy it.
How do we keep
personal information accurate and up-to-date?
Maurice Blackburn endeavours to ensure that the personal
information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. We
encourage you to contact us in order to update any personal
information we hold about you. Our contact details are set out
below.
You have the
ability to gain access to your personal information
Subject to the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act; you may
gain access to the personal information which Maurice Blackburn
holds about you by contacting our Privacy Officer.
We will require you to verify your identity and to specify what
information you require.
Updates to this
Policy
This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account
of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and practices
and the changing business environment.
Enquiries
If you have any questions about privacy-related issues please contact our
Privacy Officer, David Halstead on (03) 9605 2700.
Further information can be attained at the Office of the Federal
Privacy Commissioner who can be contacted at privacy@privacy.gov.au or
telephone 1300 363 992.