Bankwest privacy policy

We will only use or disclose personal information we hold about you in accordance with this Privacy Policy or as otherwise notified to you.

Meaning of words

In this Privacy Policy:

• we, us and our refer to Bankwest, a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL / Australian credit licence 234945 and any of its related bodies corporate to which it says that this Privacy Policy applies
• related body corporate has the meaning given in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
• the singular includes the plural and vice versa.

Privacy and your personal information

We are bound by the National Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and are committed to protecting personal information we may hold at any time, in accordance with those Principles.

For these purposes, "personal information" is information about an individual who is either identified in the information or their identity can be ascertainable from it. It includes information and opinions obtained from the individual themself or from a third party. For credit applicants and guarantors who are individuals, it includes anything about credit worthiness, standing, history and capacity to repay which may lawfully be exchanged under the Privacy Act.

If we offer you a product or service (or provide you with one), we may make other product or service-specific privacy disclosures to you or seek your consent to use your personal information in ways which differ to those stated in this Privacy Policy. In that case, the provisions of the product or service-specific notice apply to the extent of any inconsistency.

Personal information collected before 21 December 2001

The National Privacy Principles started on 21 December 2001 but some of them apply to personal information collected before that date. Accordingly, we deal with personal information, which was collected before 21 December 2001, as follows:

• we take reasonable steps to ensure that, if we use the information, it is accurate, complete and up-to-date
• we take reasonable steps to protect the information from misuse, loss or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure
• we will give you access to the information if we still use it
• we do not use any government identifier to identify you, and
• we only transfer such information overseas with your consent (or as authorised by the National Privacy Principles)

Except where this Privacy Policy expands on those five obligations, this document relates only to personal information which is collected on or after 21 December 2001.

Purposes for which we collect & use personal information

We do not ordinarily collect any information about you except where you provide it to us, or it is provided to us with your consent. In general, we do not use or disclose personal information collected about you other than for:

• a purpose set out in this Privacy Policy
• a purpose you would reasonably expect
• a purpose required or permitted by law, or
• a purpose otherwise disclosed to you or for which you have consented

We may collect and use personal information that you or others give us in connection with a facility to:

• assess and process the application for the facility
• establish, provide and administer the facility and execute your instructions
• comply with legislative or regulatory requirements
• consider other applications you make
• perform administrative tasks including systems development, testing, credit scoring and training
• manage our rights and obligations regarding external payment systems
• conduct market research and customer satisfaction research
• develop and administer arrangements (such as rewards programs) with organisations to promote our and their products and services
• develop and identify products or services that may interest you, and tell you about them, unless you ‘opt out’ of marketing (see below).

Identifying you

We may be required by law to collect information to identify and verify you – for example, before you can open an account with us. Accordingly, without your information, we may not be able to provide a facility to you.

Sensitive information

In certain circumstances, we may also collect personal information about you which is sensitive. Sensitive information may include information about your health or membership of professional or trade associations. Unless we are required or permitted by law to collect sensitive information, we will obtain your consent before we collect it. However, if the sensitive information relates directly to your ability to meet a financial obligation to us, you are treated as having consented to us collecting it.

Personal information about third parties

If you give us personal information about another person (for example, a potential referee or a person to whom you want to send a payment), you represent that you are authorised to do so and you agree to inform that person who we are, that we will use and disclose their personal information and that they may access any personal information we hold about them. You should also refer them to this Privacy Policy which applies to their personal information.

Disclosures on personal information

We may disclose personal information about you, as appropriate, to:

• our related bodies corporate, assignees, agents, contractors and external advisers
• organisations which verify your identity
• your agents, advisers, referees, executor, administrator, trustee, the beneficiary of any trust of which you are a trustee, your guardian, attorney or franchisor
• law enforcement, regulatory and government bodies
• anyone who introduces you to us
• payment systems operators
• your and our insurers or prospective insurers and their underwriters
• any person we consider necessary to execute your instructions, and
• other organisations (and their agents) with whom we have arrangements for the supply and marketing of our respective products and services, unless you ‘opt out’ of marketing (see below).

We may also disclose your personal information to an overseas organisation even if it is not subject to privacy obligations equivalent to those applying to us.

Collecting, using and disclosing your personal information – more detail

Applications for credit

If we are assessing an application for credit (such as a home loan, personal loan or credit card application), administering a credit facility or assessing whether to accept you as a guarantor, we may collect personal information about you from, and/or disclose it to,

• financial institutions, other credit providers, Personal Property Securities Register, credit reporting agencies, debt collecting agencies, any mortgage insurer we use (and their reinsurer)
• your current and prospective co-borrowers, guarantors and co-guarantors, and
• any person considering purchasing, funding or managing the credit facility or any related security (or who actually purchases, funds or manages either or both of them) and their advisers.

Lenders’ Mortgage Insurance

If lenders' mortgage insurance is taken out in connection with your loan or a loan you guarantee, QBE Lenders' Mortgage Insurance Ltd will collect and use your personal information:

• to assess the risk of providing the insurance and of default on the loan or guarantee
• to administer the insurance
• to manage their involvement in a securitisation arrangement, and
• for any purpose arising under the insurance (including enforcing the mortgage in place of us).

You agree that QBE may obtain information about you from a credit reporting agency for these purposes. QBE may disclose your personal information (except consumer credit information) to us, our assignees, credit reporting agencies, regulatory bodies, payment system operators, QBE related companies (including those overseas), reinsurers and service providers. Consumer credit information will only be disclosed where permitted by law. Insurance laws require the collection of your information and, without it, QBE may not issue the insurance and you may not be given the loan. You can access your information that QBE holds by calling 1300 367 764.

St. Andrews Insurance

If you apply for insurance with St Andrew's Insurance (Australia) Pty Ltd, your information will be collected and disclosed to St Andrew's in order to assess and process your application. Without collecting your information, they may not be able to provide the insurance. You can access the information St Andrew's holds about you by calling 1300 363 159. Bankwest may receive details of any insurance arising from referrals made to St Andrew's.

Access to your personal information

If at any time you wish to know what personal information we are holding about you, you are welcome to apply for your details by calling 13 17 19. We will give you access to that information unless the National Privacy Principles allow us to refuse access. Generally, this may happen where:

• disclosing the information would have an unreasonable effect on the privacy of other individuals
• the information relates to legal proceedings with you
• the information would reveal our commercially sensitive decision-making process
• we are prevented by law from disclosing the information, or
• providing access would prejudice certain investigations

We charge a fee for giving you access to your personal information and will try to deal with your request within a reasonable time.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. If you believe that personal information that we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please call 13 17 19 or go into any Bankwest store and we will take all reasonable steps to correct the information.

Security of your personal information

We maintain strict procedures and standards and take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access to, or unauthorised modification or disclosure of, your personal information and to protect it from misuse or loss.

If we no longer need your information, we destroy or de-identify it.