Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and manage your personal information.

What is personal information?

In this Privacy Policy, “personal information” has the meaning given in the *Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)*. Broadly, it refers to information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

Examples of personal information include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and occupation.

What personal information do we collect and hold?

We may collect and hold personal information including:

• Your name
• Mailing or street address
• Contact details (such as phone number and email address)
• Age or date of birth
• Profession, occupation or job title
• Complaint details
• Any additional information you provide to us directly or indirectly through:

• Our websites or online platforms
• Our representatives
• Customer service interactions
• Surveys
• Visits or other communications

We may also collect information that does not personally identify you, such as anonymous survey responses or aggregated website usage data.

How do we collect your personal information?

Where reasonable and practicable, we collect your personal information directly from you. This may occur when you:

• Access and use our website
• Contact us by phone, email, or in writing
• Speak with our representatives
• Enter into a contract with us or complete application forms
• Participate in competitions or promotions
• Request information or materials
• Complete surveys, provide feedback, or make a complaint

We may also collect personal information from third parties, including:

• Our franchisees operating under Edwards Real Estate Co
• Credit reporting agencies, law enforcement agencies, and government bodies
• Your authorised representatives (such as lawyers, accountants, or financial advisers)
• Your employer
• Publicly available sources, including third-party websites
• Other organisations where you have provided your consent

Cookies and website data

When you access our website, we may place a “cookie” (a small data file containing a unique identifier) on your device. Cookies help us:

• Recognise your device
• Track your activity on our website
• Remember your preferences
• Measure website traffic and usage patterns
• Improve our products and services

Our cookies do not collect personal information. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies if you prefer.

We may also record information such as:

• Pages visited
• Date and time of visits
• IP address

This information helps us analyse trends, administer our website, and improve user experience.

What if you do not provide your personal information?

• If you choose not to provide the personal information requested, we may:
• Be unable to provide certain products or services to you
• Be unable to provide information about products, services, promotions, or special offers
• Be unable to tailor website content to your preference

Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

We collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information for purposes including:

• Conducting our business activities
• Providing products and services
• Responding to enquiries and providing information
• Sending communications you request
• Providing access to secure areas of our website
• Improving website performance and functionality
• Administrative, marketing (including direct marketing), planning, recruitment, research, and development purposes
• Sharing information with related bodies corporate, franchisees, real estate agents, contractors, and service providers
• Updating our records
• Managing and responding to complaints
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations

Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Our employees, related bodies corporate, contractors, franchisees, and their real estate agents
• Suppliers and third-party service providers, including:
• IT service providers
• Web hosting providers
• Payment processors
• Mailing houses and couriers
• Data entry providers
• Debt collectors
• Utilities providers
• Professional advisers (such as accountants, solicitors, and consultants)
• Any organisation where you have given express consent

We may also combine or share information collected from you with information collected by our related bodies corporate or franchisees within Australia.

Direct marketing

We may send you marketing communications about our products and services that we believe may interest you. These may be sent by mail, SMS, or email in accordance with applicable laws, including the *Spam Act 2003 (Cth)*.

You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe facility included in our communications.

Accessing and correcting your personal information

You may request access to personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the details on our website.

Where access is granted, we will provide suitable access (such as by email or mail). We may charge a reasonable administrative fee for providing access and will inform you of any applicable charges in advance. There is no fee for making a request or for correcting your information.

In certain circumstances, we may refuse access (for example, where access would impact the privacy of others or breach confidentiality obligations). If this occurs, we will provide written reasons.

If you believe your personal information is incorrect, incomplete, or inaccurate, please contact our Privacy Officer. We will take reasonable steps to correct it.

Overseas disclosure

We may disclose personal information to related bodies corporate or third-party service providers located overseas for purposes outlined above, including data hosting and IT services.

Your information may be stored in cloud systems or servers located outside Australia. By using our services, you consent to such disclosure. We take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Security

We may store your personal information electronically or in hard copy. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Security measures include:

• Data encryption
• Identity and access management controls
• Advanced email filtering
• Continuous monitoring of digital systems
• Regular vulnerability assessments
• Physical security measures at our premises
  Regular security audits

However, as the internet is inherently insecure, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted online. Any information you transmit to us electronically is at your own risk.

Third-party links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites for your convenience. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices, policies, or content of those websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites before providing personal information, as their policies may differ from ours.