Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2025

Afyan Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 40 620 150 450) (referred to as “Afyan Australia,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in how we collect, use, disclose, and store your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect through our website and services, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and how you can access or manage your information. It also outlines our use of cookies and how to contact us with any privacy questions or concerns.

Personal Information We Collect and Why

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business purposes of responding to enquiries and providing our services. The main way we collect personal information is when you submit it to us through our website contact form or when you communicate with us directly. The types of personal information we may collect include:

Full Name – so we know who you are and how to address you.
Email Address – to correspond with you and send responses or information.
Phone Number – to contact you if a phone conversation is needed for a quicker response or follow-up.
Business Name (if applicable) – to better understand your business context and tailor our services or responses accordingly.
Enquiry Details – any information you include in your message or enquiry, which helps us understand and address your specific needs or questions.

We collect this information directly from you when you fill out our contact form or otherwise reach out to us (for example, if you email or call us, we will collect whatever contact details and information you provide in that communication). Providing your personal information to us is voluntary. You may choose not to identify yourself or to use a pseudonym when dealing with us, where lawful and practicable. However, if you choose not to provide certain details (such as a way for us to contact you), we may be unable to respond to your enquiry or provide the assistance you seek.

Why we collect this information: We only use the personal information you provide to us for the purposes for which you provided it. In general, we collect and use your information to:

Respond to Your Enquiries: We use your name and contact details to reply to your questions or requests submitted through our website.
Provide Services and Information: If your enquiry relates to our services or offerings, we use the information to supply you with details about those services, create proposals, or take steps to assist you in relation to our business offerings.
Follow Up and Communication: We may use your contact information to follow up with you regarding your enquiry, schedule consultations or appointments you requested, or to communicate about any ongoing services you have with Afyan Australia.
Administrative and Support Purposes: We might use your information internally to manage and improve our customer service. For example, we may retain a record of your enquiry and our response for our business records, training, or quality assurance.

We will not use your personal information for any purpose unrelated to your enquiry or our service delivery unless we have your consent or are required by law. For instance, we will not add you to a general marketing mailing list or send you unsolicited commercial emails simply because you contacted us, unless you explicitly opt-in to such communications. We do not rent or sell personal information to any third party.

Cookies and Website Data

When you visit our website, some information is automatically collected through cookies or other basic web tracking technologies. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your device to improve your experience. Our use of cookies is limited and is primarily for the following purposes:
Essential Functionality: We use cookies that are necessary for the site to function properly. For example, cookies may be used to remember your preferences or entries in forms (so you don’t have to re-enter information if you navigate away and come back), or to maintain your session if the site allows logins or other interactive features.

Performance and Analytics: We may use cookies to collect anonymous information about how visitors use our site, such as which pages are visited most often, and if any error messages are encountered. This data helps us understand website traffic and improve our website’s structure and content. However, we do not currently use any third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) and we do not use any advertising or marketing cookies that track you across other sites. Any analytics we perform are done using basic, first-party tools and do not involve sharing data with external parties.

The information automatically collected when you browse our site may include your IP address, browser type, device information, and the date/time of your visit. This information by itself does not identify you personally, and we do not combine it with personal details from your enquiry submissions. It is used only for system administration, to protect against fraudulent or malicious activity, and to analyze usage of our site in aggregate.
Your control: By using our website, you consent to the placement of cookies as described. You can control or disable cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, be notified when you receive a new cookie, or delete existing cookies. Please note that if you disable or refuse cookies, some features of our site may not function as intended (for example, the contact form might not remember your inputs or certain pages might not load correctly).

How We Store and Secure Your Information

Afyan Australia takes reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is protected from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. We store the personal information you provide in secure environments. This may include secure third-party servers (for example, our website hosting provider’s servers or secure cloud email service) and/or local devices that are protected by up-to-date security software and protocols.
Security measures: Any information submitted through our website (such as the contact form) is transmitted over an encrypted connection (we use HTTPS/SSL to secure data in transit). Once received, we restrict access to personal data to only those personnel in our business who need it to perform their duties (for example, responding to your enquiry or providing a service to you). Our computers, databases, and email accounts are protected by strong passwords and, where applicable, additional security measures such as two-factor authentication and firewalls. We also maintain up-to-date antivirus and security software to prevent unauthorized access.

While we strive to protect your personal information, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of data. However, we will continue to review and improve our security practices to keep your information as safe as possible. If we ever experience a data breach that compromises your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law.

Data retention: We will retain your personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes outlined in this policy (for example, to respond to your enquiry or to provide any ongoing services you’ve requested). In many cases, this might be a short period (just long enough to address your question or inquiry). If you become a client of Afyan Australia, we may retain certain information in our client records for the duration of our professional relationship and as required for legal record-keeping (for instance, invoices or service records may be kept for a number of years as required by tax laws or professional indemnity purposes). Once your personal information is no longer needed for our business purposes, and we are not legally required to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to destroy it or de-identify it.

Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

We understand the importance of keeping your personal details private. Afyan Australia does not sell, rent, or trade personal information to any other company or third party for marketing or any other unrelated purposes. In the ordinary course of running our business, we will only disclose your personal information to third parties in a few limited situations, such as:

Service Providers (Processors): We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our business or website. For example, our web hosting company will necessarily process data (including any information you submit through the website) on our behalf, and our email service provider will handle emails we send to or receive from you. Similarly, we might use other software or cloud services for managing contacts, scheduling appointments, or storing records. We only share the necessary information with these providers so they can perform their functions, and we require them to handle your data securely and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
Legal Obligations: We may disclose your personal information if required by law or lawful order – for instance, in response to a subpoena, court order, or legal process. We may also disclose information if we are required to cooperate with authorities such as law enforcement or regulatory agencies, or to meet obligations under legislation. In such cases, we will only provide the information that is necessary and will ensure we have a lawful basis to do so.
Protection of Rights and Safety: In rare cases, we might share information if it’s necessary to prevent a serious threat to health or safety, or to enforce our legal rights. For example, if you are engaged in harmful or unlawful activity against our website or business, we may provide information to relevant authorities to protect our rights, property, or safety (or that of our clients or the public).

With Your Consent: Aside from the above circumstances, if there is ever a need to share your information for any other purpose, we will explain the situation and will only proceed with your explicit consent. For instance, if you asked us to refer you to a partner business or consultant, we would only pass on your details if you agree.

In all of the cases above, we aim to limit the personal information shared and ensure appropriate confidentiality. We do not disclose your information for any reason beyond the scope of what’s outlined here. Currently, Afyan Australia is a small business and we handle most enquiries and services in-house, meaning the instances of third-party disclosure are minimal (mostly related to IT infrastructure as described).

Overseas disclosure: At present, we do not actively disclose your personal information to recipients outside Australia, except possibly through the use of our service providers mentioned (for example, if our email or web hosting servers are located overseas or use cloud infrastructure that spans multiple countries). We primarily choose reputable providers that store data on servers located in Australia where possible. If in the future we need to send personal information overseas (for example, using a cloud service or a contractor based abroad), we will do so in compliance with the APPs. This means we will take reasonable steps to ensure the overseas recipient protects your information to the same standard required in Australia. We will not send your personal information to an overseas recipient if doing so would compromise your privacy rights. If you have any questions about whether your information may be held overseas, please contact us (details below) and we can provide more specifics based on our current technology providers.

Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information

We want to make sure that the personal information we hold about you is accurate, up-to-date, and complete. You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to request corrections or updates if needed. For example, if you believe we have an incorrect phone number or you wish to change the contact email we have on file, you can ask us to update it.

How to request access or correction: To access or update your personal information, please contact us using the contact details in the “Contact Us” section of this policy. Describe the information you wish to access or the correction you require. For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before releasing or changing any personal information (to ensure we don’t give out information to the wrong person or alter records without authorization). This might involve confirming some details or requiring the request in writing.

In normal circumstances, we will provide you with access to your information (for example, by emailing you the details we have on record) and make any requested corrections free of charge. We will do so as promptly as possible, typically within a reasonable timeframe. If for some reason we cannot fulfill your request, we will provide you with a written explanation. In certain rare situations, the law permits us to decline access or correction requests – for instance, if giving access would unreasonably impact another person’s privacy, or if we are prevented by law from doing so. However, we will always endeavor to meet your requests to the fullest extent possible and will let you know the reasons if any request is denied.

If you request a correction and we have shared the incorrect information with a third party (for example, a service provider) and you ask us to notify them of the change, we will do so unless it is impracticable or unlawful.

Privacy Concerns and How to Make a Complaint

Your privacy is very important to us, and we strive to adhere to our obligations under privacy laws. However, if you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information or believe that we may have breached our privacy obligations or this Privacy Policy, please let us know so that we can address the issue. We take all privacy complaints seriously and we will work to resolve your concerns.

How to lodge a complaint: You can contact us by using the contact details in the “Contact Us” section below to raise any privacy issue or complaint. Please provide as much detail as possible about your concern (for example, the date of the incident and what you believe went wrong) to help us investigate the matter. You may be asked to put your complaint in writing for clarity.
Our process for handling complaints: Once we receive a privacy complaint, we will acknowledge it and begin an investigation. We may contact you if we need more information regarding your complaint. We will then assess and address the issue internally, and take any appropriate corrective actions. We aim to provide you with a response outlining the outcome of your complaint within a reasonable time. In most cases, we will respond no later than 30 days from receiving the complaint. If the matter is complex or requires more time, we will let you know and keep you informed of our progress.

If we find that your concern is valid, we will take steps to rectify the problem, which may include changing our practices or offering an apology and solution to you. If you are not satisfied with our response or how we handled your complaint, you have the option of escalating the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The OAIC is the independent government body that oversees privacy laws in Australia.

Escalating to the OAIC: Before the OAIC will investigate, they generally require you to attempt to resolve the issue with us first (which is why contacting us directly is the important first step). If you remain unhappy with our resolution, you can contact the OAIC to lodge a formal privacy complaint. The OAIC can be contacted via their website (www.oaic.gov.au) where you can find a complaint form, or by phone at 1300 363 992. We sincerely hope it never comes to that, and we welcome the opportunity to fix any problem directly if possible.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or to ensure compliance with new laws or regulations. If we make significant changes, we will post the updated policy on our website and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes to this Privacy Policy will be considered as your acceptance of those changes. If the changes are substantial, we may also take additional steps to inform you (such as posting a notice on our homepage or contacting you directly if appropriate)

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, if you need further information about our privacy practices, or if you wish to access or correct your personal information or make a privacy complaint, please contact us using the details below. We are here to help and will respond as promptly as possible.