Privacy Policy
Cooper & Associates Accountants and its associated entities (‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’) respect and value your privacy. We are committed to protecting your personal information and handling it in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This privacy policy explains how we collect, use , disclose, store and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website (www.coopersaccountants.com.au), contact our office, or engage our services.
This privacy statement applies to all personal information collected and handled by Cooper & Associates Accountants in the course of carrying out our business activities. The terms of this Privacy Policy are subject to any specific provisions dealing with privacy that may be contained in agreements, engagement letters, or terms and conditions relating to particular services provided by us.
Where required by law, we will provide additional information regarding the collection, use or disclosure of personal information at the time it is collected.
What is personal information?
Personal information is information or an opinion, in any form and whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion. Examples include an individual’s name (including pseudonyms), address, contact number and email address.
Special provisions apply to the collection of personal information which is sensitive information. Sensitive information includes (for example) information about a person’s membership of a professional or trade association.
Collection of personal information by Cooper & Associates Accountants
Cooper & Associates Accountants collects personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide our accounting, taxation, advisory and related services. The type of personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us and the services we provide. This information may include your full name, email address, phone number, postal or residential address, business details, financial information relevant to providing our services, and identification and verification information where required by law.
We collect personal information directly from you when you submit a contact, enquiry or website registration form, book an appointment, subscribe to our newsletter, engage us to provide accounting, taxation or advisory services, or communicate with us via email, telephone, social media or other correspondence. We may also retain records of emails and other communications you send to us.
Where authorised by you or otherwise permitted by law, we may also collect personal information from third parties, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), financial institutions, government agencies, your legal or financial advisers, credit reporting bodies, electronic identity verification providers, and other professional service providers.
If you choose not to provide the personal information we request, we may be unable to respond to your enquiry or provide you with the requested services, except where the provision of that information is optional.
Collection of information other than personal information
Some of the information that is collected about your visit to the website is not personal information, because it does not reveal your identity. For example:
Site visit information
When you visit the website, general information is collected about your visit, including your server address, the date and time of your visit, the pages accessed, the information downloaded and the type of browser you used.
This information is used by us in anonymous, aggregated form, for statistical purposes and to assist Cooper & Associates Accountants to improve the functionality and usability of the website. You are not individually identified.
Cookies
A cookie is a small string of information that a website transfers to your browser for identification purposes. The cookies used by Cooper & Associates Accountants do not identify individual users.
Cooper & Associates Accountants uses cookies to hold anonymous session information. This information is used to personalise your current visit to the website, for example, to allow the website to remember who you are by keeping server variables linked to your session.
Cooper & Associates Accountants uses only non-persistent cookies, that is, they are held on your browser’s memory only for the duration of your session.
Most internet browsers are set to accept cookies. If you prefer not to receive them, you can adjust your internet browser to reject cookies, or to notify you when they are being used. There are also software products available that can manage cookies for you. Rejecting cookies can, however, limit the functionality of the website (such as preventing users from logging on).
Use and disclosure of personal information by Cooper & Associates Accountants
Cooper & Associates Accountants uses your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide accounting, taxation, business advisory and related professional services, respond to your enquiries, manage our client relationship, maintain client records, administer our business operations, and comply with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.
We may also use your personal information for any other purpose explained at the time of collection or where otherwise required or authorised by law, including under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth).
We may collect, use and disclose your personal information to:
- communicate with you regarding your enquiries, appointments and the services we provide;
- comply with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations, including taxation, corporate and record-keeping requirements;
- comply with our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) and related legislation, including carrying out customer due diligence, identity verification, beneficial ownership checks, ongoing monitoring, sanctions screening, politically exposed person (PEP) screening, risk assessments and reporting obligations where required;
- improve our website, client experience and professional services; and
- send newsletters, updates and other information that may be of interest to you where you have consented to receive such communications or where otherwise permitted by law.
To enable us to provide our services and operate our business, we may disclose your personal information to:
- our employees, partners and authorised contractors;
- information technology service providers, cloud hosting providers, accounting software providers and other technology vendors;
- professional advisers, including legal advisers, auditors and consultants;
- regulatory and government authorities, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), AUSTRAC and other agencies where required or authorised by law;
- financial institutions and other third parties where necessary to provide our services or comply with legal obligations; and
- other persons or organisations where you have provided your consent or directed us to disclose your information.
Some third-party service providers may store or process personal information outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is protected and handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and applicable privacy laws.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties.
If we collect additional personal information from you in the future, we will provide any further privacy information required under applicable privacy laws at the time of collection.
Retention of Personal Information
Cooper & Associates Accountants retains personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and to comply with our legal, regulatory and professional record-keeping obligations.
This includes obligations relating to taxation, corporate compliance, professional standards and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) and related legislation.
Where personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy, delete or de-identify the information, unless we are required by law to retain it.
Links to third party websites
The website may contain links to third party websites that are not operated or controlled by Cooper & Associates Accountants. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those sites and that those websites are not covered by this privacy statement. Third party websites should have their own privacy and security policies, which we encourage you to read.
Website security
Cooper & Associates Accountants takes reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We maintain appropriate technical and organisational safeguards, including:
- restricted internal access to client information;
- password-protected systems, multi-factor authentication where available, and secure backups; and
- procedures designed to protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal information.
While we take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted online, and you provide information electronically at your own risk.
If you have concerns about providing personal information over the internet, you may contact us by telephone, post or another secure method using the contact details provided on our website.
You can also help protect the privacy and security of your personal information by keeping passwords confidential, using secure devices and networks, and ensuring you log out of any online systems once you have finished using them.
If you become aware of any suspected security breach involving your personal information, please notify us as soon as possible. Where a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will comply with our obligations under the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme contained within the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
Changes to this Privacy Policy and Further Information
This Privacy Policy is effective as at 3 August 2026 and may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to our business processes, privacy practices, acceptable industry standards, or legislative and regulatory requirements.
Where changes are made, we will publish the updated Privacy Policy on our website at the same location where this policy is made available. Where required by law, we will seek your consent or provide you with the opportunity to opt in or opt out of any new uses or disclosures of your personal information.
For further information about privacy rights and the protection of personal information in Australia, you can visit the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.
Your Rights and Controlling Your Personal Information
You have rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you. You may choose not to provide personal information to us; however, this may affect our ability to provide certain services or respond to your enquiries. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
If you provide us with personal information, you acknowledge that we will collect, hold, use and disclose that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws.
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and request that we correct any information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. Subject to certain exceptions permitted by law, Cooper & Associates Accountants will generally provide you with access to the personal information we hold about you.
If we receive personal information about you from a third party, we will handle that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you provide us with personal information about another individual, you confirm that you have obtained that person’s consent or are otherwise authorised to provide that information to us.
If you have previously consented to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may withdraw your consent at any time. We provide options to unsubscribe from our email database or opt out of marketing communications. We may need to request specific information from you to verify your identity before processing your request.
If you believe that we hold personal information about you that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, please contact us using the details below. We will take reasonable steps to correct the information and ensure it is accurate and up to date.
If you believe that we have breached applicable privacy laws and wish to make a complaint, please contact us with details of your concerns. We will promptly investigate your complaint and provide you with a written response outlining the outcome of our investigation and any steps we will take to address the matter. You may also have the right to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or another relevant regulatory body regarding your complaint.
Privacy Contact
If you have any queries about this Privacy Policy, or would like to access or correct the personal information we hold about you, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer
Cooper & Associates Accountants
PO Box 5099
Gladstone QLD 4680 Australia
Telephone: +61 7 4972 6727
Email: privacy@coopersaccountants.com.au
