Privacy & Data Security

Brownlow Building is committed to handling personal information responsibly, transparently and securely. We manage personal information with reference to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) where they apply to our activities.

This policy explains the kinds of personal information we may collect, how we use and disclose it, how we protect it, and how you can ask us to access, correct or review information we hold about you.

Depending on how you deal with us, we may collect information such as:

• your name, phone number, email address and other contact details;
• property, project and site details, including addresses, plans, photographs and scope information;
• information about renovation, repair, insurance or construction enquiries;
• communications with us, including enquiries, notes, emails, forms and appointment details;
• quotation, contract, invoicing, transaction and project-administration records;
• information provided by insurers, assessors, consultants, referral partners or other authorised parties;
• supplier, subcontractor, applicant or business-contact information where relevant; and
• website and device information collected through analytics, cookies and similar technologies.

We do not generally seek sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for a legitimate business purpose and we are permitted to collect it.

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you through our website, phone calls, emails, messages, meetings and site visits;
• through project, quoting, CRM and business administration systems;
• from third parties involved in your project, such as insurers, consultants, owners corporations or referral partners;
• from publicly available sources where it is reasonable and relevant to our work; and
• automatically when you use our website, through analytics and similar technologies.

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and arrange calls, consultations and site visits;
• prepare estimates, proposals, designs, scopes, contracts and project documentation;
• deliver building, renovation, repair, pre-construction and project-management services;
• coordinate consultants, suppliers, trades, insurers and other parties involved in a project;
• manage accounts, payments, records, warranties, compliance and legal obligations;
• improve our website, services, internal processes and customer experience; and
• send relevant service or marketing communications where permitted by law, with an option to unsubscribe where required.

We aim to use personal information only for the purpose for which it was collected, a related purpose you would reasonably expect, or another purpose permitted by law.

Where reasonably necessary, we may disclose personal information to:

• our directors, employees, authorised contractors and administrative support providers;
• designers, engineers, building surveyors, consultants, trades, suppliers and other project participants;
• insurers, assessors, claims representatives, owners corporations and professional advisers;
• technology providers that support website hosting, CRM, communications, document management, analytics and business systems;
• payment, accounting and professional service providers where relevant; and
• government, regulatory, law-enforcement or other bodies where disclosure is required or authorised by law.

We do not publish a client's confidential project information for another customer's use. Access to project information is limited to business purposes and the people or service providers who reasonably need it.

Some technology, cloud and administrative service providers may process or store information outside Australia. Depending on the provider and service in use, this may include the United States and the Philippines, as well as other locations used by global technology providers.

We take reasonable steps appropriate to our circumstances when selecting and managing service providers that handle personal information on our behalf. Provider locations can change over time as services and infrastructure change.

Our website may use cookies and analytics or advertising technologies, including services such as Google Analytics and Meta Pixel, to understand website usage, measure enquiries and improve our marketing.

These services may collect information such as browser type, device information, pages viewed, approximate location derived from network information and interaction data. You can control or restrict cookies through your browser settings, although some website functions may be affected.

Brownlow Building may use AI-enabled tools to assist with administrative tasks, drafting, summarising, organising records and improving business workflows.

Where AI-enabled tools are used, we aim to limit personal or confidential information to what is reasonably necessary for the business task, apply appropriate access controls and retain human review for client and project decisions or communications where appropriate.

We take reasonable technical, organisational and physical steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our controls are designed around the nature of our operations and the sensitivity of the information involved.

Security measures may include controlled user access, account protections, managed cloud services, device and system safeguards, staff awareness, review of third-party access and ongoing improvements to our security practices. We do not publish detailed security configurations because doing so could reduce their effectiveness.

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected, or as needed for contractual, warranty, insurance, taxation, regulatory, dispute-management or other lawful record-keeping purposes.

When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it where appropriate and lawful to do so.

You may contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you, or to ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete or misleading.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making a correction. In some circumstances, access may be limited where permitted or required by law.

If you have a privacy concern or complaint, please contact us using the details below. We will review the matter and respond within a reasonable timeframe.

If a data breach occurs, we will assess and respond to it. Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies to us and a breach meets the legal notification threshold, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required.

Where the Privacy Act applies, you may also be able to raise an unresolved privacy complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

We may update this policy as our systems, service providers, business practices or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on this page with the date of the latest update.