Privacy Policy

Privacy & Client Confidentiality Policy

Effective Date: 16 June 2026

1. Our Commitment to Privacy and Confidentiality

BE Sellars Financial Group (ABN: 91 477 309 571) is strictly committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining absolute client confidentiality. As a registered tax/BAS agent practice, we are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and Code Item 6 of the Code of Professional Conduct under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA).

We will never disclose any information relating to your financial or business affairs to a third party unless we have received your explicit, positive permission, or we are under a mandatory legal duty to do so.

2. Types of Information We Collect

We only collect personal and financial information that is reasonably necessary to provide our specialized taxation, bookkeeping, financial freedom strategies, and proactive business advisory services. This includes:

• Identity      & Verification Data: Full name, date of birth, and primary      government identification.
• Contact      Information: Physical address, postal address, email,      and phone numbers.
• Taxation      & Regulatory Data: Tax File Numbers (TFN), Australian      Business Numbers (ABN), and corporate registries.
• Financial      Affairs: Income statements, payroll, bank      transaction histories, superannuation records, and asset portfolios.

3. Restrictive Disclosure & Third-Party Sharing

In accordance with the TPB Confidentiality Guidelines, any person or entity outside this firm is considered a "third party." We do not share your details without your positive "opt-in" authorization.

We only disclose information to the following entities under strict controls:

• Government      Authorities: The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or      ASIC, primarily for compliance and lodgements that you have pre-approved.
• Cloud      Software Providers: Secure cloud-based accounting and data      platforms (e.g., Xero, MYOB) used for secure storage, tax preparation, and      practice management.
• Authorized      Representatives: Your legal counsel, banks, or finance      brokers, only when you explicitly instruct us to release details to them.

4. Cloud Infrastructure and Cross-Border Storage

We utilize secure cloud computing systems to manage files and execute accounting services.

• Data      Sovereignty: Our primary data systems are hosted on      cloud servers located within Australia.
• Cloud      Security: Your data is encrypted at rest and in      transit. We systematically review our software vendors' data protocols to      ensure they match Australian data protection frameworks.

5. Technical Outsourcing and Offshoring

• Local      Processing: All core taxation, business advisory,      and financial bookkeeping work is managed directly by our internal team.      We do not outsource or offshore your sensitive financial work to      third-party providers outside Australia unless explicitly arranged and      approved by you in writing.

6. Data Retention, Archiving, and Destruction [1] 

We manage client records in strict compliance with the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936(Cth), the Tax Administration Act 1953 (Cth), and APPs guidelines:

• 7-Year      Retention: We securely retain all core financial      records, tax returns, source documents, and advisory papers for a      mandatory period of seven (7) years from the date of the relevant      tax lodgement or transaction.
• Extended      Retention: Records relating to Capital Gains Tax      (CGT) assets or unresolved legal disputes may be held longer than      seven years, as required by law. [2] 
• Secure      Destruction: Once the statutory retention period      expires, and the records are no longer required to provide services, we      permanently and securely delete digital files and physically shred      hard-copy papers to prevent unauthorised access.

7. Statutory Exceptions (Legal Duty to Disclose)

Per TPB Information Sheet TPB(I) 21/2014, we may disclose information without your consent only if we have an overriding legal duty. These rare exceptions include:

1. Section      60-100 TASA notices issued directly by the Tax Practitioners Board.
2. Section      353-10 notices issued by the Australian Taxation Office.
3. Formal      orders, directions, or subpoenas issued by an Australian Court or      Tribunal.
4. Compliance      requirements under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism      Financing Act 2006 to AUSTRAC. 
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8. Data Security Protocols

We actively prevent inadvertent disclosure through robust security standards:

• Access      Control: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and      distinct permission tiers limit file access on a "need-to-know"      basis.
• Physical      Controls: Secure, restricted access to our      physical office facilities located at 6-8 Wellington Park Way, Sale VIC      3850.
• Data      Breaches: We maintain an active Data Breach      Response Plan. We will notify you and the Office of the Australian      Information Commissioner (OAIC) immediately if an eligible data breach      threatens your personal information.

9. Access, Corrections, and Complaints

You have a right to access, review, and request changes to any personal or business information we hold.

• Timeframes: We  resolve correction and data access requests within 30 days.
• Contact:     Direct any questions or privacy concerns to Brad Sellars at brad@besellars.com.au     or by phone at 0408 793 405.
• Escalation: If      you remain unsatisfied with our response, you can lodge a formal complaint      with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or the      Tax Practitioners Board.