Privacy Policy
Last updated: [24-7-2026]
- About this policy
Brokernet Australia Pty Ltd ABN 46 089 228 848, trading as Austgroup Insurance Brokers (“we”, “us” or “our”), is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in connection with our insurance broking, risk advisory, claims assistance, premium funding and related services.
We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles, where they apply to us. We may also be required to comply with other privacy, financial services, insurance, taxation, anti-money laundering and record-keeping laws.
This policy applies to our clients, prospective clients, claimants, insured persons, authorised representatives, business contacts, website users, job applicants and other people whose personal information we handle.
- What is personal information?
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.
Some personal information is classified as sensitive information. Sensitive information may include information about a person’s health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, professional memberships or criminal record.
Insurance applications and claims can require us to handle sensitive information, particularly health, medical, occupational and claims information. We will only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for our activities and where we have consent or another lawful basis for doing so.
- What information do we collect and hold?
The kinds of personal information we collect and hold depend on the services we provide and may include:
- your name, date of birth and contact details;
- residential, postal and business addresses;
- identity and verification information;
- information about your business, occupation, employment or professional activities;
- financial, banking, payment and credit-related information;
- information about your assets, property, vehicles, equipment, operations and risks;
- insurance requirements, policy details and insurance history;
- previous losses, incidents and claims history;
- information supplied in insurance proposals, declarations, questionnaires and renewal documents;
- health, medical, disability or other sensitive information relevant to an insurance application or claim;
- information about directors, employees, contractors, beneficiaries, insured persons and other people connected with a policy;
- communications with us, including correspondence, meeting notes and, where disclosed to you, telephone or video recordings;
- information required to investigate, manage, defend, settle or recover an insurance claim;
- website and technology information, such as IP addresses, browser details, device identifiers, cookies and website activity;
- marketing and communication preferences; and
- recruitment information, including résumés, qualifications, references and employment history.
Where you provide us with information about another person, you should ensure that you are authorised to do so and, where appropriate, make them aware of this Privacy Policy.
- How do we collect personal information?
We usually collect personal information directly from you when you:
- contact us or request advice, a quotation or insurance services;
- complete an application, proposal, renewal, claim or other form;
- communicate with us by telephone, email, online form, post or in person;
- use our website or digital services;
- attend an event, meeting or consultation;
- subscribe to communications or participate in a survey; or
- apply for employment or contracting opportunities.
We may also collect personal information from other sources, including:
- your authorised representatives, family members, employees or advisers;
- insurers, underwriting agencies, wholesale brokers, reinsurers and Lloyd’s market participants;
- premium funders, financial institutions and credit providers;
- insurance assessors, loss adjusters, investigators and claims managers;
- medical practitioners, hospitals and health service providers;
- lawyers, accountants and other professional advisers;
- employers, business partners and referral sources;
- government agencies, regulators, courts and public registers;
- third parties involved in an incident, loss or claim;
- fraud prevention, identity verification and risk information providers;
- publicly available sources; and
- technology, analytics, marketing and data service providers.
If we receive personal information that we did not request, we will determine whether we could have lawfully collected it. Where appropriate and legally permitted, we will securely destroy or de-identify information we do not need.
- Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?
We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:
- understand your circumstances, objectives, insurance needs and risk profile;
- provide insurance broking, risk advisory and related services;
- obtain and compare insurance quotations;
- negotiate, arrange, place, vary, renew or cancel insurance policies;
- communicate with insurers, underwriting agencies, wholesale brokers and reinsurers;
- arrange premium funding or other payment facilities;
- administer your insurance portfolio and maintain client records;
- provide renewal reminders and ongoing service;
- assist with the preparation, submission, management and settlement of claims;
- investigate, assess, defend or recover amounts relating to a claim;
- verify your identity and prevent fraud, misconduct and illegal activity;
- process payments, commissions, refunds and invoices;
- respond to questions, requests, complaints and disputes;
- comply with our legal, regulatory, licensing, audit and professional obligations;
- manage our business, service providers, systems, security and records;
- improve our services, systems and client experience;
- conduct research, analytics and service reviews;
- communicate information about services, insurance developments and events that may be relevant to you;
- assess employment and contracting applications; and
- facilitate a business restructure, merger, acquisition or sale.
We may also use or disclose information for another purpose where you have consented, where you would reasonably expect us to do so, or where it is otherwise required or permitted by law.
- What happens if you do not provide information?
You are not required to provide personal information to us. However, insurance and financial services providers require sufficient and accurate information to assess risks, determine policy terms, arrange cover, assess funding applications and manage claims.
If you do not provide relevant information, or if the information provided is incomplete or inaccurate, we may be unable to:
- provide appropriate advice or services;
- obtain quotations;
- arrange or renew insurance;
- assist with a claim;
- arrange premium funding; or
- meet our legal and regulatory obligations.
The absence of relevant information may also affect an insurer’s decision to offer cover, the terms of cover or the outcome of a claim.
- Who may receive your personal information?
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:
- insurers, underwriting agencies, underwriters, wholesale brokers and reinsurers;
- other Australian Financial Services Licensees and their authorised representatives;
- insurance markets and intermediaries, including Lloyd’s brokers and syndicates;
- premium funders, financial institutions and credit providers;
- claims managers, loss adjusters, assessors, investigators and recovery agents;
- medical practitioners, hospitals and health service providers;
- lawyers, accountants, actuaries, consultants and other professional advisers;
- emergency services and health authorities;
- repairers, builders, valuers and other claim service providers;
- regulators, government agencies, courts, tribunals and law enforcement bodies;
- auditors, compliance advisers and dispute resolution bodies;
- identity verification, fraud prevention and risk information providers;
- mailing, document management, data storage, cloud, cybersecurity and technology providers;
- marketing, analytics, communication and client relationship management providers;
- related companies and business partners;
- a person you authorise us to deal with, including a family member, employee, broker, lawyer or other representative;
- parties involved in a proposed or completed business sale, merger, restructure or transfer; and
- any other person where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
We do not sell or rent personal information.
Where we engage service providers, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to ensure that they handle personal information securely and only for authorised purposes.
- Overseas disclosure
Insurance broking can involve international insurance markets. We may disclose personal information to overseas recipients where:
- an insurer, reinsurer, underwriter, underwriting agency, wholesale broker or intermediary is located overseas;
- insurance is placed through the Lloyd’s market or another international insurance market;
- a claim involves an overseas insurer, service provider, incident or asset;
- we use cloud hosting, software, communication, data storage or support services located overseas; or
- another overseas disclosure is reasonably necessary to provide the requested services.
Overseas recipients may be located in [insert countries where practicable, for example the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Singapore and other jurisdictions relevant to insurers and technology providers].
The privacy and data protection laws of another country may differ from Australian law. Where required, we will take reasonable steps in the circumstances to ensure that an overseas recipient handles personal information consistently with applicable Australian privacy requirements.
In limited circumstances, we may ask you to consent to an overseas disclosure after explaining that the protections that would otherwise apply may not apply to that disclosure.
- How do we hold and protect information?
We may hold personal information electronically, in cloud-based systems, in email and document management systems, and in physical files.
We take reasonable steps appropriate to the nature of the information and our operations to protect personal information against misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
These steps may include:
- access controls and user authentication;
- password and account management procedures;
- network, device and cybersecurity protections;
- secure storage, transmission and backup practices;
- staff privacy and security training;
- confidentiality obligations;
- controls over physical records and office access;
- service provider assessments and contractual protections; and
- incident response and data breach procedures.
No electronic transmission or storage method is completely secure. You should take care when sending personal or sensitive information electronically and contact us if you would prefer to use another communication method.
- Retention and disposal
We retain personal information for as long as it is reasonably required to provide services, administer policies and claims, maintain business records, resolve disputes and meet legal, regulatory, insurance and professional obligations.
Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record, the policy or claim involved and applicable legal requirements.
When personal information is no longer required and we are not legally required to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy it or de-identify it.
- Data breaches
We maintain procedures for responding to suspected or confirmed privacy and cybersecurity incidents.
Where a data breach is likely to result in serious harm and the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme are met, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required by law.
We may also notify insurers, regulators, law enforcement agencies, technology providers or other relevant parties where appropriate or legally required.
- Website, cookies and analytics
When you visit our website, our website or technology providers may automatically collect information such as:
- your IP address;
- browser and device type;
- operating system;
- pages visited;
- links selected;
- date, time and duration of visits;
- referring website; and
- general geographic information.
We use this information to operate and secure the website, understand how visitors use it, measure performance and improve our services.
Our website may use session cookies, persistent cookies, analytics tools, pixels and similar technologies. These technologies may remember preferences, support website functions, measure traffic or assist with advertising and communication activities.
You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the operation of some website features.
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites and recommend reviewing their privacy policies.
- Online forms and electronic communications
Information submitted through website forms, email or other electronic channels is transmitted over the internet. Although we take reasonable precautions, internet communications may not always be secure.
Please avoid sending highly sensitive information through an unsecured channel. You may contact us to discuss an alternative method of providing information.
Information submitted through quotation, claim, employment or contact forms will be used for the purpose for which it was submitted and for related insurance, service, administration and communication purposes.
- Direct marketing
We may use your contact details to send information about:
- insurance products and services;
- renewals and risk management matters;
- regulatory or industry updates;
- events, articles, surveys and business updates; and
- services or offers that we reasonably believe may be relevant to you.
We will only send direct marketing communications where permitted by law.
You may opt out at any time by:
- using the unsubscribe facility in an electronic communication;
- contacting us using the details below; or
- changing your communication preferences where that option is available.
We will process opt-out requests within a reasonable period. Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending service communications relating to an existing policy, claim, transaction or legal obligation.
You may ask us to identify the source from which we obtained your personal information for direct marketing purposes, unless it is impracticable or unreasonable for us to provide that information.
- Accessing your personal information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you.
To protect your information, we may require you to verify your identity and provide sufficient details to identify the information requested.
We will respond within a reasonable period. In some circumstances permitted by law, we may refuse access or provide only limited access. If we refuse a request, we will generally provide written reasons and information about available complaint mechanisms.
We do not charge a fee for submitting an access request. We may charge reasonable costs associated with locating, compiling or providing access to information, but we will discuss any proposed charge with you first.
- Correcting your personal information
We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, up to date, complete, relevant and not misleading.
You may ask us to correct information that you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
We will respond within a reasonable period and will not charge you for making a correction request or for correcting your information.
If we refuse to make a requested correction, we will generally explain why and provide information about available complaint mechanisms. You may also ask us to associate a statement with the information indicating that you consider it to be inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
- Anonymity and pseudonyms
Where practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym.
However, insurance applications, policy administration, premium funding and claims generally require us to know your identity and obtain accurate identifying information. Anonymous or pseudonymous dealings may therefore be impracticable or legally unavailable for many of our services.
- Complaints and privacy enquiries
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy should be directed to our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer
Brokernet Australia Pty Ltd
Suite 3/286 Fitzgerald St, Perth WA 6000
Telephone: 08 9227 9473
Email: [email protected]
Please include sufficient information for us to understand and investigate your concern.
We will:
- acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable period;
- investigate the circumstances;
- request further information where necessary; and
- provide a response explaining the outcome and any action we propose to take.
We aim to resolve privacy complaints promptly and fairly.
If you are not satisfied with our response, or we have not responded within a reasonable period, you may be entitled to complain to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Telephone: 1300 363 992
You may also have access to another regulator or external dispute resolution scheme, depending on the nature of the complaint.
- Automated decisions
We may use software and digital systems to support administrative processes, compare insurance products, identify risks, detect fraud, manage applications or communicate information to insurers.
[Choose the applicable version before publication:]
Option A – no significant automated decisions
We do not currently arrange for computer programs to make decisions solely or substantially through automated processing that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests.
Option B – automated processing is used
We arrange for computer programs to use personal information in connection with decisions that may significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests.
The kinds of personal information that may be used include [describe information].
The kinds of decisions made, or supported, by these systems include [describe decisions, such as eligibility, risk classification, pricing, policy administration or claim referral].
Where required, you may contact us for further information about these processes.
This section should be reviewed before 10 December 2026 and whenever our use of automated systems changes.
- Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information-handling practices, services, technology or legal obligations.
The current version will be published on our website and will state the date it was last updated. We encourage you to review it periodically.
- Contact details
For questions about this Privacy Policy or our handling of personal information, contact:
Brokernet Australia Pty Ltd
ABN: 46 089 228 848
AFSL or authorised representative details: [details]
Address: Suite 3/286 Fitzgerald St, Perth WA 6000
Telephone: 08 9227 9473
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.austgroup.com.au