Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy

Introduction

Axess Recoveries & Collections Pty Ltd ACN 053 976 668, including related entities within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001, is committed to protecting privacy and personal information.

This policy explains how we may collect, use, disclose and store personal information, credit information and credit eligibility information. Terms used in this policy have the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988, the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014.

Collection and use of personal information and credit information

We may collect and store information about you when we act as an assignee of a debt, a credit provider, or as mercantile agent for a creditor. This may include:

• your name, date of birth, contact details and evidence of identity;
• loan, account, transaction, repayment and default information supplied by a creditor or obtained in the course of recovery activity;
• information about payments, discharge of a debt, arrangements, disputes and communications with Axess;
• current and prior addresses, employment details, drivers licence details and information about credit worthiness where permitted by law; and
• information from you, your representatives, creditors, credit reporting bodies, public sources and other lawful sources.

We may collect sensitive information, including health information relevant to hardship or your financial position, only where you authorise it or where we are required or permitted by law.

We collect, hold, use and disclose information for purposes including managing recovery of assigned or referred debts, providing and maintaining services, executing your requests or instructions, verifying identity, assessing capacity to pay, complying with legal obligations and other purposes disclosed to or authorised by you.

If required information is not provided, our ability to perform our functions as credit provider, assignee or mercantile agent may be affected.

Disclosure

We may disclose personal information where required or permitted by law and where relevant to our functions. Recipients may include credit reporting bodies, lawyers, mercantile agents, process servers, tracing agencies, professional advisers, auditors, courts, identity verification organisations, other credit providers and advisers, your authorised representatives, government bodies and overseas parties where you are located overseas.

We will not disclose sensitive health information without your consent unless we are compelled or permitted by law to do so.

Credit eligibility information

We may seek credit eligibility information from credit reporting bodies about current loans assigned to us, loan applications, repayment and default history, serious credit infringements, court judgments and bankruptcy history.

Credit reporting bodies we may use include Illion, Equifax, Experian Australia and Talefin Australia. Their privacy policies are available from their respective websites.

Security and management

We take reasonable steps to make sure personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. We also take reasonable steps to protect information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Information that is no longer required is destroyed or de-identified where lawful and reasonable.

Access and correction

You may request access to personal information, credit information and credit eligibility information held by Axess. You may also ask us to correct information if you believe it is incorrect. There is no fee for requesting access or correction.

Further information is available in our Personal Information Requests process.

Complaints

If you believe Axess has not complied with the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principles or Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code, you can contact the Compliance Manager by post at PO Box 1003, Spring Hill QLD 4004, by phone on (07) 3834 3500, or by email at compliance@axessrc.com.au.