What we do with your information.

Who this covers

This policy applies to Land Owners Group (ABN 88 198 874 455) and to this website, landownersgroup.com.au.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Where something in this policy goes further than the law strictly requires of a business our size, we still intend to be held to it.

What we collect

Only two things, and one of them is optional.

What you type into the contact form

• Your first name and surname
• Your email address
• Your phone number, if you choose to give it
• The subject you select
• Whatever you write in the message

That message field is open text. People often describe their property, the notice they have received, the authority or company that contacted them, and their circumstances. We only ever hold what you decide to put there.

Please do not send confidential documents, contracts or legal advice through the form. It is a first point of contact, not a secure channel. If you have papers for us to look at, ring first and we will arrange a sensible way to get them to us.

What is recorded automatically

When you submit the form, our forms provider also records the internet protocol (IP) address you submitted from, your browser’s user agent string, and the page you came from. We do not use these to identify you. They exist because they are how the provider filters automated spam.

We also use Cloudflare Web Analytics to count visits. It sets no cookies and does not follow you across other websites. It tells us how many people looked at a page, and nothing about who they are.

Cookies, and Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand which pages people find useful and how they reached us. It sets cookies on your device and sends information to Google, including a randomly generated identifier, your approximate location from your IP address, and which pages you viewed.

It is off until you say yes. When you first arrive you will see a bar at the bottom of the screen asking whether you accept. Nothing is sent to Google and no analytics cookie is set before you accept. If you decline, the site works exactly the same and we simply do not measure your visit. Your answer is remembered in your browser so you are not asked again.

You can change your mind by clearing this site’s data in your browser settings, which removes the stored answer and the analytics cookies with it.

Google processes this information on our behalf and may hold it outside Australia. Google’s own privacy policy explains what they do with it.

What we do not do

• We set no cookies at all unless you accept analytics. Decline, and this site stores nothing on your device beyond your answer.
• We do not track you across other websites, and we have not enabled Google’s advertising or personalisation features.
• We do not buy, sell, rent or trade personal information. Not ever.
• We do not add you to a mailing list because you used the contact form.
• We do not collect sensitive information through this website, and you should not send it to us through the form.

Why we collect it

To answer you. That is the whole purpose. We use what you send to understand your situation, work out whether we can help, and get back to you.

If you go on to become a client, the information you gave us at first contact becomes part of that file and is used to do the work you have engaged us for. If you do not, it is used for nothing else.

Who else can see it

Your enquiry is emailed to our own people, and it is stored with the providers who run this website for us. Beyond that:

• We may refer you to a lawyer, valuer or other specialist, because that is often the most useful thing we can do. We ask you first. We do not pass your details to anyone without telling you.
• We do not give your information to the authority or the company on the other side of your matter. That would defeat the point of you contacting us.
• We may disclose information where the law requires it, such as a court order or a lawful request from a regulator.

Where it is held, including overseas

This website and its contact form are run by Netlify, and the site is delivered through Cloudflare. Both are based in the United States, and the servers currently delivering this site are located in Singapore. Our email is run on Microsoft 365.

So when you use the form, your information is stored and handled outside Australia. Those providers may hold it in the United States, Singapore or other countries where they operate. We have chosen established providers, but you should understand that once information is held overseas, Australian privacy law cannot be enforced against those providers in the same way it can against us.

If you would rather not send personal information overseas, ring us instead. The phone number is on every page and it reaches the same people.

How we keep it safe

The site is served over an encrypted connection, enquiries are held in password-protected accounts, and access is limited to the people who need it to respond to you. No system is perfect and we will not pretend otherwise, but if something goes wrong with your information and it is likely to cause you serious harm, we will tell you and we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

How long we keep it

If your enquiry does not lead to us working together, we keep it only as long as we have a reason to, and then we delete it. If you become a client, your information is kept for as long as we need it for your matter and for the period afterwards that our professional and legal obligations require.

You can ask us to delete an enquiry at any time and we will, unless we are required to keep it.

Seeing it, and correcting it

You can ask us what personal information we hold about you and we will tell you. You can ask us to correct anything that is wrong or out of date and we will fix it.

There is no charge for asking. We will respond within a reasonable time, and in the rare case where we cannot give you access, we will explain why in writing.

To make a request, ring us on 0418 736 616 or use the contact form.

If you are not happy with how we have handled it

Tell us first. Ring 0418 736 616 or use the contact form and say that you are making a privacy complaint. We will acknowledge it, look into it properly, and write back to you with what we found and what we intend to do. We aim to do that within 30 days.

If you are still not satisfied, you can take it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which is independent of us:

• Online at oaic.gov.au
• By phone on 1300 363 992
• By post to GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and change the date at the top. If the change is significant, we will say so here rather than quietly amend the wording.

Contact us about privacy

Ring 0418 736 616 and ask for Alan, or use the contact form and choose “Something else” as the subject.