Legal
Privacy Policy
Pearce Information Technology Services Pty Ltd (ABN 39 152 370 655), trading as Pearce IT
Last updated 30 June 2026
1. About this policy
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information openly and responsibly. This policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose and protect personal information, and how you can access or correct the information we hold about you. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This policy applies to personal information we collect through our website, when you engage us for goods or services, and in the ordinary course of running our business.2. What is personal information
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. Examples include your name, contact details, job title, and information about your dealings with us. Some personal information is sensitive information (for example, health information), which is given a higher level of protection under the Privacy Act. We do not generally collect sensitive information, and will only do so with your consent or where required or permitted by law.3. The personal information we collect
Depending on your dealings with us, we may collect:• Contact and identity details - name, business name, position, email address, postal address, and phone numbers.
• Business and account information - your organisation's ABN/ACN, billing details, service history, support requests, and correspondence with us.
• Technical and support information - information necessary to provide IT services to you, including device, network, system and account details relevant to the work you have engaged us to perform.
• Website information - information collected automatically when you visit our website, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed and the date and time of your visit (see section 7, Cookies and analytics).
• Supplier and contractor information - contact and payment details where you supply goods or services to us.
• Job applicant information - where you apply for a role with us, the information in your application.
We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for our business functions and activities.4. Information we handle on behalf of our clients
In providing IT services, we may have access to personal information that resides within our clients' systems, email, files, and accounts (for example, information about our client's own staff or customers). Where we access or handle that information in the course of delivering services, we do so on behalf of, and under the instructions of, the client, who remains responsible for that information and for its own privacy obligations. We handle such information in accordance with our engagement with the client and our General Terms and Conditions, and only to the extent necessary to provide the agreed services - which may include the use of AI-assisted tools to analyse or troubleshoot that information, as described in section 10. We use it only in connection with delivering, maintaining, troubleshooting, securing and improving the services we provide, and not for any unrelated purpose of our own.5. How we collect personal information
We collect personal information:• Directly from you - when you contact us, request a quote, engage our services, correspond with us, or use our website.
• In the course of providing services - information necessary to perform the work you have engaged us to do.
• From third parties - for example, from your organisation, from publicly available sources, or from service providers, where it is reasonable and practicable to do so.
Where we collect your personal information from a third party, we take reasonable steps to ensure you are made aware of the matters in this policy.6. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information
We use and disclose personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, for related purposes you would reasonably expect, and where otherwise permitted or required by law. These purposes include:• providing quotes, goods, services and support;
• managing our relationship with you, including billing, payment, account administration and the recovery of amounts owed to us;
• responding to your enquiries and support requests;
• maintaining and improving our services and website;
• meeting our legal, regulatory and contractual obligations; and
• with your consent, sending you information about our services (see section 11, Direct marketing).
We will not use or disclose your personal information for an unrelated purpose without your consent, unless an exception under the APPs applies.7. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help it function, to remember your preferences, and to understand how visitors use the site. The information collected is generally aggregated and not used to identify you personally. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or to notify you when cookies are being used. If you disable cookies, some parts of the website may not function as intended.8. Who we disclose personal information to
We may disclose personal information to:• Service providers and contractors who help us deliver our services or run our business - including cloud and software platforms, artificial intelligence and machine-learning platforms, IT security and backup providers, telecommunications providers, payment and accounting providers, and professional advisers. These providers are permitted to use the information only to provide their service to us, and we take reasonable steps to ensure they are bound by appropriate confidentiality and privacy obligations.
• Debt collection agents and credit reporting bureaus - where an amount owing to us is overdue and not genuinely disputed, we may disclose information about the default (including the debtor's identity and the amount and age of the debt) to our debt collection agents and insurers, and to a commercial credit reporting bureau, where permitted by law. Where the debtor or a guarantor is an individual, we do so only in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including Part IIIA and the applicable credit reporting code.
• Your own organisation, where you are an individual dealing with us on its behalf.
• Government, regulatory or law enforcement bodies, where required or authorised by law, court order or lawful direction.
• Other parties with your consent.
We do not sell your personal information.9. Overseas disclosure
Some of the service providers and platforms we use to deliver our services store or process information outside Australia (for example, cloud productivity, hosting, security, backup and artificial intelligence providers, whose infrastructure may be located in countries including the United States and others). Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the APPs, having regard to the provider's own terms and security commitments. By engaging our services or providing your information, you acknowledge that information may be stored or processed overseas in this way. Where we handle personal information on behalf of a client (section 4), the location of that information depends on the systems and platforms used in that client's environment, and is addressed in our engagement with the client.10. Use of artificial intelligence
We use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning tools to help us deliver, support and improve our services - for example, to assist with analysing system logs and diagnostic data, troubleshooting technical issues, research, and drafting documents and communications. Where we use these tools, personal information may be processed as part of that work. In most cases this is technical information (such as device, system and network data); however, information you or our clients provide to us - including log files, diagnostic exports and similar materials - may incidentally contain personal information such as usernames, email addresses, IP addresses and comparable details. We take reasonable steps to use AI tools responsibly and consistently with our obligations under the Privacy Act and this policy, including:• selecting reputable AI platforms and configuring them in a manner consistent with our privacy and confidentiality obligations;
• taking reasonable steps to ensure that personal or confidential information is only processed through AI platforms and settings that do not use that information to train the provider's models, or under terms that prohibit such use;
• not submitting confidential, personal or sensitive information to publicly available AI tools except where appropriate safeguards are in place; and
• having a suitably qualified person review AI-assisted output before it is relied upon.
Some AI platforms we use may store or process information outside Australia; where that occurs, it is handled as described in section 9 (Overseas disclosure). Where we use AI tools in the course of delivering services to a client, we do so on behalf of, and under the instructions of, that client, as described in section 4. We do not use AI to make decisions, or to do things substantially and directly related to making decisions, that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of any individual (see section 17).11. Direct marketing
We may, from time to time, send you information about our services that we think may be of interest to you, where you would reasonably expect us to do so or where you have consented. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by using the unsubscribe facility in the communication, or by contacting us using the details in section 18. We will action your request promptly. We do not use sensitive information for direct marketing, and we do not sell or provide your information to third parties for their own marketing.12. Security of your personal information
We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold against misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include physical, technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and the risks involved. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.13. Data breaches
We maintain procedures to detect, assess and respond to data breaches. Where a data breach involving personal information we hold is likely to result in serious harm, we will comply with our obligations under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, including notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) where required. Where a breach relates to personal information we handle on behalf of a client, we will notify and cooperate with that client so they can meet their own obligations.14. Retention and destruction
We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law (for example, taxation and records-retention obligations). When personal information is no longer required and we are not legally required to retain it, we take reasonable steps to destroy it or de-identify it.15. Accessing and correcting your personal information
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. To make a request, contact us using the details in section 18. We may need to verify your identity before providing access. We will respond within a reasonable period. In most cases access is free, although we may charge a reasonable fee for retrieving and supplying information in some circumstances, and we will tell you in advance if a fee applies. If we refuse access or correction, we will tell you why in writing and how you can complain about that decision.16. Government identifiers
We do not adopt, use or disclose government-related identifiers (such as a Tax File Number or Medicare number) as our own means of identifying you, except where permitted or required by law.17. Anonymity and automated decisions
Where it is lawful and practicable, you have the option of dealing with us anonymously or under a pseudonym - though in most cases we will need your details to provide our services or respond to your enquiry. We do not use computer programs to make decisions, or to do things substantially and directly related to making decisions, that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of any individual. Where we use automation or AI-assisted tools in delivering our services - for example, automated maintenance and remediation of client systems, or AI-assisted analysis of logs and diagnostic data - those tools act on systems and devices, and any decision affecting an individual (such as a decision about credit, service provision or access) is made by a person. If this changes, we will update this policy before any such use begins, to describe the kinds of personal information used by, and the kinds of decisions made or substantially assisted by, those programs, in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.18. Complaints and how to contact us
If you have a question about this policy, wish to access or correct your information, or want to make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us:Privacy Officer - Pearce Information Technology Services Pty Ltd
Email: privacy@pearceit.com.au
Phone: 03 9125 6878
We will acknowledge your complaint and respond within a reasonable period. We may need to discuss it with you to understand and resolve your concerns. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992