1. The various types of Personal Information collected and held.

We collect Personal Information which may include Sensitive Information as well during the normal course of business activities.

Given below are the various types of Personal as well as Sensitive Information of yours collected and held by us:

In dealings with Aus Studies Pvt. Ltd.

• Personal details such as name, postal and email addresses, date of birth, contact details, residency status, education qualifications, employment history, tax file numbers, passport details and more if required for the visa application processes and as well as lodgment (including financial and medical information), occupation and professional memberships of individuals:
  • who have queries regarding study opportunities or are applying to commence a particular course of interest at an overseas educational institution,
  • who get involved in our visa application services to apply for foreign visas which include student visa application.
  • who have formally advised/registered their interest in being involved as consultants, or who have been, or are currently involved as consultants on programs/projects handled by Aus Studies Pvt. Ltd.
  • who have registered to participate in an event organized, managed or presented by Aus Studies Pvt. Ltd. whether in its own rights, or under contract for another organization
• Which may include copies of documents such as proof of identity – e.g. copies of passport, proof of citizenship or photographs. Also, Sensitive Information such as the following may be included:
  • Upon subscription of our website (www.ausstudies.com) or registration regarding your interest with an Aus Studies Pvt. Ltd. counselor, Personal Information such as your name, postal and email address, date of birth, contact details, country of residence, preferred study destination, occupation, and Sensitive Information such as professional memberships will be collected,
  • While registering for an event or conference, you may have to provide Personal Information or Sensitive Information to us for the purpose of attending the event or conference. The information will be used for that purpose as well as we may use it to provide information regarding our other services to you.

2. Method of Personal Information collection.

Only by lawful and fair means your Personal Information will be collected. Personal Information may be collected directly from you or your authorized representative, or from a third party such as a licensee or representative authorized by us to provide services to you. Also, while communicating with us via social networks or other online channels you may provide us with your Personal Information.

Unless reasonably necessary for business functions or activities we do not collect your Personal and Sensitive Information. Your consent is important to us before collecting any Sensitive Information.

Proper identification is required to be provided while dealing with us for the various services we offer to you. Use of pseudonyms is not acceptable to us.

4. The methods of using and disclosing Personal Information.

Only for the purposes for which your Personal Information as collected, it will be used and disclosed. Use or disclose of your information for secondary purposes will only be done of you have consented if you would reasonably expect us to do so or as required by law.

Use of your Personal information for the purposes of our direct marketing may be done, however you will have the option to opt out of such future communications.

Disclosure

Disclosure of your Personal Information may be done to overseas recipients such as educational institutions, overseas visa agencies, PTE test centers, professional bodies and commercial organizations, or regulatory authorities is done only after when you have sought our assistance to apply for study at those institutions or where disclosure is required for. As such, the location of recipients would solely depend on the specific institutions to which you have applied or where such verification is required.

5. The steps taken for the protection of the Personal Information held.

Necessary steps are taken to protect your Personal Information to prevent interferences, unauthorized access, loss, modification, use or disclosure, and other misuse. The steps taken include:

• proper management and maintenance of technology, people and process-based security such as firewalls, network security configurations, use of passwords and other necessary measures where in electronic form information is held,
• protection from malicious activity of our systems by regularly updating security systems and configurations,
• access of data to only those staff to whom it is specifically required in order to carry out our business activities,
• training and ensuring that all our employees are required, as a condition of employment, to treat Personal Information held by us as confidential,
• treatment of Personal Information as confidential by all our employees through proper training as well as a condition of employment.

However, as internet is not a secure environment although we have taken reasonable steps to provide you with a secure channel for receiving your Personal Information, we cannot fully guarantee that your information will not be breached before it reaches us.

After the Personal Information has served its use, it will be properly destroyed and deleted or de-identified in accordance with our destruction and de-identification policy. Only if required by law we will retain a copy of it. The information may also be contained in a Commonwealth record.

6. How the Personal Information held by us can be accessed and corrected when required by respective individuals.

Unless there is a valid reason under the Privacy Act for us to withhold the information, you have the right to seek access to any of your Personal Information held by us.

Valid reasons include:

• reason to suspect engagement of unlawful activity or misconduct of serious nature and providing access would distort proper judgement in relation to the matter or
• Providing access would disclose evaluative information created within us in connection with a commercially delicate process.

Please contact us in time so that we can correct our records if there is change in your personal details, or you believe that the information we hold is incorrect, incomplete or out-of-date.

We will attempt to respond to you within an appropriate time frame. You are entitled to have your complaint reviewed under the Privacy Act, upon dissatisfaction regarding the way we handle your complain.