Privacy Statement

The Village Markets Pty Ltd Privacy Policy Statement

Effective 12 March 2014

By using the thevillagemarkets.co website, you agree that we can place cookies on your device as described in this The Village Markets Privacy Policy Statement and our Cookie Notice.

Your privacy and the law

The Village Markets is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, along with any other applicable privacy laws and codes, when collecting, using, disclosing, holding, handling and transferring any personal information. Where practical and legally permissible to do so, you have the option of providing information to us and dealing with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym.

At The Village Markets, we have ongoing practices, procedures and systems in place to ensure that we manage personal information in an open and transparent way. Further information about these practices, procedures and systems are contained in our policy set out below.

Key Definitions

In this statement, unless otherwise specified, the following definitions will apply:

"Act" means Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or any replacement law.

"Administrators" means Superannuation Administration Corporation ABN 80 976 223 967 and Corporate Services Network Pty Ltd ABN 30 074 864 609;

"The Village Markets " (also referred to as "we", "us" or "our") and is The Village Markets Pty Ltd ACN 165 235 816

"The Village Markets" means an applicable entity in The Village Markets.

"The Village Markets Website" means a website or mobile application owned or operate by an entity in the The Village Markets global group of companies (including www.thevillagemarkets.co).

"APP" means the Australian Privacy Principles contained in Schedule 1 of the Act.

"Authorised Representative" means a person authorised in accordance with sections 916A and 916B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to provide financial services on behalf of an Australian Financial Services Licence holder (including financial planners).

"Privacy Statement" means this The Village Markets Privacy Policy Statement.

About this Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement explains how The Village Markets manages your personal information. It provides you with a general overview of:

  • Collecting your personal information: the type of information we may collect and how we collect this information from you;
  • Using and Disclosing your personal information: the ways and purposes we may use and disclose your information;
  • Cross-Border Disclosures of your personal information: our approach to disclosing your information to third party and overseas recipients;
  • Holding and storing your personal information: the ways we hold, store and secure your information;
  • Accessing and Correcting your personal information: how you may access and change information we hold about you; and
  • Resolving your privacy issues: how you may raise any issues with our management of your information in accordance with the APPs.

This Privacy Statement will apply to any personal information we may collect directly from you or other sources (where relevant and legally permissible).

We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time. Any updates can be accessed via our website or by contacting our office to request a hard copy be sent to you (which will be provided at no cost). We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Statement so that you will be aware of our privacy practices. This Privacy Statement was last updated on 12 March 2014.

Collecting your personal information

What is personal information?

Personal information is generally considered as information or opinion that allows others to identify you. This includes your name, gender, contact details, as well as your health and risk profile information.

Why do we collect your personal information?

We will generally collect personal information which is reasonably necessary to offer and administer our services and products offered by the The Village Markets.

We may also collect personal information to be able to develop and identify products and services that may interest you, to conduct market or customer satisfaction research or to develop, establish and administer alliances and other arrangements with other organisations in relation to the promotion, administration and use of our respective products and services.

What type of information can we collect from you?

The type of information we collect will depend on the type of product or service you request. Generally, however, we may collect information such as your name, contact details, date of birth, gender, phone number and address.

We do not collect sensitive information about you.

What can happen if you don't provide us with your information, or provide us with incomplete or inaccurate information?

If you do not provide the information we request, we or those involved with the provision of the service or product may not be able to provide the appropriate type or level of service or product.

How do we collect this information?

Unless impracticable or unreasonable to do so, we will collect information directly from you. This may occur, for instance, when you make use of our website, or when you contact us through telephone, email, online or hard copy communication in order to subscribe to our newsletter or apply for a stall with us or any other kind of administrative form.

Are there any other ways The Village Markets can collect your personal information?

The Village Markets may also collect information by online means when you:

  • Visit The Village Markets Website

The Village Markets or its affiliates may collect information during your visit to an The Village Markets Website through the use of cookie technology. By using an The Village Markets Website and associated microsites, you agree to the processing of your personal information as explained in this Privacy Statement, including placing cookies on your device as described in the Cookie Notice.

We collect personal information from The Village Markets Websites to fulfil your request for products and services and to improve your online experience. We strive to limit the amount of information collected to support the intended purpose of the collection.

We may ask you for some or all of the following types of information when you register for events, request services, manage accounts, access various content and features or directly visit our websites:

  • contact information, such as name, e-mail address, postal address, phone number and mobile number;
  • user name, password, password reminder questions and password answers;
  • communication preferences, such as which newsletters you would like to receive;
  • search queries;
  • contact information about others when you refer a friend to a particular site or service (note: this information is used solely to facilitate requested communications); and
  • information posted in community discussions and other interactive online features.

In some instances, The Village Markets automatically collect certain types of information when you visit our websites and through emails that we may exchange. Automated technologies may include the use of web server logs to collect IP addresses, "cookies" and web beacons. The collection of this information aims to allow us to improve the effectiveness of The Village Markets websites and our marketing activities.

The Village Markets Websites may contain links to other sites which are outside our control and are not covered by this Statement. If you access other sites using the links provided, the operators of these sites may collect information from you which will be used by them in accordance with their privacy statement. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on other websites you visit. The Village Markets is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of linked sites or any use of those sites.

Please be aware that The Village Markets Websites may contain links to sites maintained by other The Village Markets entities that are not governed by this Statement but by other privacy statements that may differ slightly from this Statement. We encourage you to review the privacy statement of each website you visit.

You may apply for employment with The Village Markets through our websites. Any information submitted for the purposes of applying for employment with The Village Markets will be collected, disclosed and held in accordance with this Privacy Statement. Otherwise, our employee records are exempt from the Act and are not covered by this Privacy Statement.

Engage with The Village Markets through Social Media

You can engage with us through social media websites or through features such as plug-ins or applications on The Village Markets Websites that integrate with social media sites. You may also choose to link your account with us to third party social media sites. When you link your account or engage with us on or through third party social media sites, plug-ins, or applications, you may allow us and our affiliates to have ongoing access to certain information from your social media account (e.g., name, e-mail address, photo, gender, birthday, the posts or the 'likes' you make).

If you post information when you interact with our websites through social media sites, plug-ins or other applications, depending on your privacy settings, this information may become public on the Internet. You can control what information you share through privacy settings available on some social media sites. For more information about how you can customise your privacy settings and how third party social media sites handle your personally identifiable information, please refer to their privacy help guides, privacy statements and terms of use.

Access our Websites through Mobile Devices

If you access our websites on your mobile telephone or mobile device, we may also collect your unique device identifier and mobile device IP address, as well as information about your device's operating system, mobile carrier and your location information.

When you provide us your mobile device phone number as your contact phone number, you consent to the use of your mobile device phone number for the purposes identified in this Statement. If you choose to receive notifications from us on your mobile device (e.g. text notifications), you also consent to the use of your mobile phone number for that purpose.

How do we notify you and obtain your consent?

In most cases we will obtain your consent to the purposes for which we intend to collect, use and disclose your personal information either at the time you engage us to provide you with a product or service, or as soon as practicable.

Otherwise, unless we hear from you by one of the means set out in this Privacy Statement, by visiting an The Village Markets Website or using any of our products or services, or otherwise by providing us with your information, you agree to your information being managed in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

You may modify or withdraw your consent at any time by completing a Personal Information Request Form and submitting this form to us as directed on the form. If you do not give us consent or subsequently modify or withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide you with the products or services you want.

If you provide us with information about other individuals (such as employees, dependents etc.) you must obtain their consent for us to use their information in accordance with our Privacy Statement prior to your disclosure to us or otherwise let us know if this is not the case.

How do we deal with unsolicited information?

Where we receive information that we have not requested (“unsolicited information”), we will determine whether that information is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities. If it is, we will handle the information in the same way that we handle information we have requested. If not, we will take steps to destroy or de-identify the information.

Using and disclosing your personal information

How can your personal information be used?

We will generally only use and disclose your personal information for the purpose that it was collected, any related purpose that you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose it for, or as permitted under this Privacy Statement or under law. The Village Markets otherwise has a duty to maintain the confidentiality of its client’s information unless disclosure is permitted with your consent or compelled under law.

Your information may be used for the following purposes:

  • to provide information, products or services you requested;
  • to determine your eligibility and process applications for products and services that you have requested;
  • to provide information and services as requested by clients;
  • to understand and assess your ongoing needs and offer products and services to meet those needs;
  • to carry out client communication, service, billing and administration;
  • to administer claims;
  • to conduct data analysis;
  • to execute monitoring and training;
  • to develop new services;
  • to market products and services; and
  • to conduct processing necessary to fulfil other contractual obligations for the individual.

We will only use and disclose your sensitive information for the purpose it was collected or for any other directly related purpose that you would reasonably expect us to use it for. With your consent, we may use or disclose your information for additional purposes from time to time.

Who can access your personal information?

We may disclose your information to other companies within The Village Markets and the following affiliates or third party service providers to assist us in providing, managing and administering our services and products:

  • Administrators;
  • our Authorised Representatives;
  • authorised service providers;
  • external IT service providers, infrastructure and other third parties where required by law; and
  • entities related to The Village Markets for the purpose of offering you other products and services (provided, you have not elected to opt-out of receiving such information).

Can your information be used for direct marketing?

As indicated above, unless you notify us otherwise, we may use your personal information to let you know about products and services from The Village Markets that we think may be of interest to you. You can choose not to receive this information from us (including product or service offerings from us on behalf of our affiliates and business partners) or related bodies by contacting our Privacy Officer, your The Village Markets representative or by completing and submitting a Personal Information Request Form.

Cross border disclosures of your personal information

What is our approach to disclosing your information to third parties and overseas recipients?

We may also disclose personal information to third parties such as our contractors, agents and service providers when we outsource certain functions, including market research, direct marketing, claims handling and recruitment. This would also include our third party storage providers whom we may use from time to time to store information physically or electronically. Our affiliates and third parties may be based locally or they may be overseas where we have a presence or engage such parties, including but not limited to the United States of America, United Kingdom, Singapore, India and the Philippines.

Disclosure may also be made to government, law enforcement, dispute resolution, statutory or regulatory bodies, or as required by law (including the Corporations Act and the Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorism Financing Act)

In these circumstances, The Village Markets will generally take reasonable steps to ensure we have contracts in place that contain an obligation for them to comply with the Act and the Privacy Statement (to the extent applicable).  We will also make every effort to ensure that we only have business dealings with third parties that value privacy and information security the same way as us. However, by providing us with your consent to collect, use, disclose and hold your information in accordance with this Privacy Statement, you acknowledge that we will no longer be required to take reasonable steps to ensure the overseas recipient’s compliance with the Act in relation to the handling of your information and we will not be liable to you for any breach of any Australian privacy law by these overseas recipients under the Act or otherwise, and on this basis, you consent to such disclosure.

Holding and storing your personal information

How do we hold your information?

Your information may be held in physical format, as electronic data, or in our software or systems. In particular, we may store your information in cloud or other types of networked or electronic storage.

What is our information security policy?

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference and loss and implement physical, technical and administrative security standards to secure and protect your personal information from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Steps we take include implementing and imposing:

  • confidentiality requirements on our employees and other representatives, as well as third parties;
  • policies on document storage security;
  • security measures for access to our systems;
  • only providing access to information once proper identification has been given;
  • controlling access to our premises; and
  • website protection security measures. 

Further information about our data security practices can be provided on request. Notwithstanding the above you should be aware that no data protection and security measures are completely secure. Despite all the measures we have put in place, we cannot guarantee the security of your information, particularly in relation to transmissions over the Internet. It may also not be practicable to know in which country your information may be held where networked or electronic storage solutions are adopted. Accordingly, any information which you transmit to us is transmitted at your own risk. You must take care to ensure you protect your information (for example, by protecting your usernames and passwords, policy details etc.) and you should notify us as soon as possible after you become aware of any security breaches.

How long do we hold your information for?

When all of our legal obligations to retain your information have expired or we no longer need your information for a purpose that it was collected, we will take such steps as are reasonable to destroy or de-identify it.

Accessing and correcting your personal information

How can I access and correct my information?

We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information that we collect, hold and disclose is accurate, up to date and complete.  However, we also rely on you to let us know of any changes or corrections required to your information. You should contact us at any time to update your personal information or advise us that the information we hold is not accurate, up to date or complete.

You can access or update your personal information, including opting out of receiving any marketing from The Village Markets, in the following ways:

  • if you have created a profile or an account on our website, you can update you information once you login;
  • contact your The Village Markets Group Representative or our Privacy Officer (on the contact details at the bottom of this Privacy Statement);
  • complete and submit a Personal Information Request Form to your The Village Markets Group Representative or our Privacy Officer;
  • if you receive electronic communications, such as an e-newsletter, you may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions included in the communication;
  • if you previously chose to receive push notifications on your mobile device, you may manage your preferences either through your device or the application settings.  Alternatively, you may uninstall the application by using the uninstall process available on your mobile device; and
  • as described in our Cookie Notice, you may adjust your browser settings to accept or refuse cookies.

If we do not provide you with access or refuse to update your information, we will provide you with the reason for refusal and inform you of any exceptions relied upon.

Your request to provide information will be dealt with in a reasonable time from receipt of your request and we may recover from you our reasonable cost of supplying you with this information.

Resolving your privacy issues

If you have any questions or would like further information about our privacy and information handling practices, please contact us by one of the following means:

Attn: Privacy Officer
The Village Markets
+61 497 816 243
privacyofficer@thevillagemarkets.co

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of the Act or this Privacy Statement, you may:

  • complete and submit the Personal Information Request Form to your The Village Markets Group representative; or
  • contact our Privacy Officer directly on the contact details below.

Attn: Privacy Officer
The Village Markets
Email: privacyofficer@thevillagemarkets.co
Phone: +61 497 816 243

We are committed to respecting your privacy and we will respond to you as soon as reasonably possible.

If, however, you feel that your complaint has not been resolved, then you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on the details below:

Post:
GPO Box 5218
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Online: http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint