In Australia, the Veda Advantage group operates the following businesses:

• Veda Advantage Infomation Services & Solutions Limited
• Veda Advantage Solutions Group Pty Limited

Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions Limited is a credit reporting agency or “credit bureau”. As such this company holds information regarding the credit histories of individuals and organisations. The majority of the credit bureau services and data have been regulated by the Federal Privacy Act since 1988. The credit bureau policies and procedures in relation to personal information are outlined in detail later in this statement.

Veda Advantage Solutions Group (“VSG”) uses publicly available information about individuals to enhance the customer files of our clients. This helps our clients offer the most relevant products and services to their customers

We may also use aggregated, depersonalised attributes which we ensure cannot in any way be identified as belonging to any one individual. This information may be used for the purposes of producing credit related statistics and analysis.

In addition VSG provides lists to companies for prospecting purposes. Please see the end of this statement for details of VSG’s “do not contact” service.

The Veda Advantage group is bound by the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The group has the following policies in relation to the National Privacy Principles:

Collection

We will not collect personal information unless it is necessary for one or more of our functions or activities. The information will be collected lawfully and fairly, and not in an unreasonably intrusive way.

We collect credit information about individuals from our clients (predominantly credit providers) and from publicly available sources. We also collect information directly from individuals who contact us in relation to their data, or who subscribe to our services.

Where we collect information indirectly (e.g. from our clients)  we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are made aware of that collection, how to contact us to access the information, how and why we collected the information, and what we will do with it, unless specific exemptions apply. Sensitive information will only be collected with your consent, unless specific exemptions apply.

Use and Disclosure

We do not generally use or disclose personal information about you other than for the purpose disclosed at the time of collection. If another use is proposed, we will seek further consent, unless that other purpose is related to the original purpose of collection.

Where we use the information for Direct Marketing purposes we will ensure that it is not sensitive information and that you have the opportunity to suppress your information from further marketing campaigns at no charge.

Veda Advantage also fully supports and conforms to the guidelines set down in the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) Code of Practice.

Data Quality

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. When the information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information.

Data Security

We use industry standard security and encryption to protect the personal information we hold from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Access and Correction

You can request access to your personal information that we keep on record. If you believe that any information is incorrect or out of date, you may, of course, ask us to correct it.

There is no fee for requesting access to your information, however we may charge you the reasonable cost of processing your request.

If you would like to gain access to and correct the personal information we hold about you, please contact us by writing to the address below:

Privacy Officer
Veda Advantage Limited
PO Box 964
North Sydney NSW 2059

To obtain a copy of your credit information file, please refer to the My Credit File Section of this site.

Requests by consumers to suppress their own information from our Direct Marketing database will be processed free of charge and may be directed to us in writing at:

Veda Advantage Solutions Group
GPO BOX 2279
Sydney NSW 2000

or emailed to solutionsgroup@Vedaadvantage.com.

Identifiers

We do not use a government agency identifier as its own identifier to link people with information.

Trans-Border Data Flows

It is our policy not to transfer sensitive or personal information to countries with a lower level of privacy protection, unless the recipient is legally bound to keep information in a manner consistent with the NPP’s.

Personal Credit Files

As Australia's leading credit bureau, Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions has been governed by Part IIIA of the Privacy Act (1988) since the inception of that Part. Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions has well established procedures in relation to the access, storage and use of your personal information. Some of the most pertinent matters which you may wish to know are:

Call Centre

Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions has a call centre that deals with requests for personal information.

The number for the call centre is 1300 76 22 07. If you find that some of the information held on your file is incorrect, please refer to "What do I do if there is information on my credit file that needs updating or amending?" If you have any further questions, please contact the Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions call centre. They will be able to answer any questions you may have.

If Veda Advantage makes any alterations to your credit file after you have contacted them, we will provide you with an amended report.. You will also be given the right to request us to advise any Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions client’s who are recorded as having accessed your file within the last 30 days, of the amendment made..

Sources Of Credit And Other Information

Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions collects personal information directly from the person concerned, from our subscribers (who are banks, finance houses and other credit providers), or from public sources.

Our subscribers may supply your name, address (current and previous), date of birth, gender, drivers licence number, employer, occupation and the type of account applied for.

The public sources of information include Court records, together with other publications and databases that are publicly available.

Information On Your File

The information on a credit report may include some or all of the following -

• Name
• Last reported and previous addresses
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Employer
• Who enquired, when and for what type of loan
• Payment default records
• Court judgments
• Bankruptcy listings.

Information Not On Your File

Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions does not hold or report any non-business related personal details about individuals, including:

• Political, social, religious or ethical opinions, beliefs or affiliations
• Criminal record
• Medical history
• Colour, race ethnic or national origins
• Sexual orientation or sexual life.

Storage Of Information

Sophisticated electronic security systems are employed to ensure that access to information is restricted to authorised users only. Any authorised user that accesses or views personal information is recorded electronically as doing so.

Your Privacy Rights

As an Australian citizen or resident, you have certain rights with regard to the credit information held about you. More specifically, you have the right to:

• Access your own personal credit record
• Request incorrect information be amended or a statement detailing the request made to be added to your credit information
• Expect the information to be safely stored, and used by or disclosed to authorised users
• Expect the data to be accurate and consistent in accordance with sound practices of record keeping and information systems management.

Accessing Your Personal Information

If you would like to request a copy of your credit information, our Premium File Service will provide you with the details within one working day. If the matter is not urgent, you can obtain a copy of your file at no charge. It will be mailed to you within 10 working days from receipt of your request. If you would like to monitor your credit information, My Veda Alert will provide you with the details.

Please note that you may only request a copy of your own credit information.

Complaints Procedure

If you wish to query the content of your file please refer to Veda’s Dispute Resolution Process

If you have any complaints in relation to the handling of your personal information by Veda Advantage Solutions Group please contact Margaret O'Connel on 02 9951 7464

Alternatively, you can write to the Compliance Manager at Level 5, 90 Arthur Street, North Sydney NSW 2060.

DIRECT MARKETING : Do Not Contact Service

Click here to access the Veda Advantage Solutions Group 'Do Not Contact' service. This service allows you to remove your name from our Direct Marketing Database, as well as providing links to the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) and information on our privacy policy.

Privacy Act

The Privacy Act was passed by Federal Parliament in 1988. The Act gave effect to Australia's agreement to implement Guidelines adopted in 1980 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data, as well as to its obligations under Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Part IIIA of the Privacy Act provides safeguards for individuals in relation to consumer credit reporting. In particular, Part IIIA governs the handling of credit reports and other credit worthiness information about individuals by credit reporting agencies and credit providers. The Act ensures that the use of this information is restricted to assessing applications for credit lodged with a credit provider and other legitimate activities involved with giving credit. The legislation does not directly affect commercial credit information.

The key requirements of Part IIIA include:

Strict limits on the type of information which can be held on a person's credit information file by a credit reporting agency. There are also limits on how long the information can be held on file.

Limits on who can obtain access to your credit file held by a credit reporting agency. Generally only credit providers may obtain access and only for specified purposes. Real estate agents, debt collectors, employers, general insurers are barred from obtaining access.

Limits on the purposes for which a credit provider can use a credit report obtained from a credit reporting agency.

These include:

• To assess an application for consumer credit or commercial credit (but they must seek consent if they are using your consumer credit report to assess an application for commercial credit, or using your commercial report to assess an application for consumer credit)
• To assess whether to accept a person as guarantor for a loan applied for by someone else
• To collect overdue payments.

Prohibition on disclosure by credit providers of credit worthiness information about an individual, including a credit report received from a credit reporting agency, except in specified circumstances. These include:

• Where the disclosure is to another credit provider and the individual has given consent
• To a mortgage insurer
• To a debt collector (but credit providers can only give limited information contained in or derived from a credit report issued by a credit reporting agency)
• Disclosing the amount of debt owed, where the person or body is considering taking an assignment of, or discharging the debt owed to the credit provider
• Rights of access and correction for individuals in relation to their own personal information contained in credit reports held by credit reporting agencies and credit providers.

For further information visit www.privacy.gov.au.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have any complaints in relation to the handling of your personal information, please contact one of the following divisions:

For Veda Advantage Information Services & Solutions (including all credit file inquiries)  please call our Customer Service Hotline on 1300 76 22 07
For Veda Advantage Solutions Group, please call (02) 9236-4800.

Alternatively, you can write to the Compliance Manager at Level 5, 90 Arthur Street, North Sydney NSW 2060.  

DIRECT MARKETING : Do Not Contact Service

Click here to access the Veda Advantage Solutions Group 'Do Not Contact' service. This service allows you to remove your name from our Direct Marketing Database, as well as providing links to the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) and information on our privacy policy.