Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

BRS Pty Ltd (ABN 26 134 067 842) and its related entities, including BRS Northern Rivers Pty Ltd, Digitise Consulting Pty Ltd and BRS Holdings Pty Ltd (collectively referred to as “BRS”, “we”, “our”, or “us”), are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals whose personal information we collect and hold.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). It applies to all personal information collected through our website (brs.com.au), our offices, and in the course of providing our professional services.

By accessing our website or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Your name, job title, and company or organisation name
• Contact details, including email address, phone number, and postal address
• Information you provide through our website contact forms or newsletter sign-up
• Professional qualifications, employment history, and references (for job applicants)
• Payment and billing information related to our professional services
• Records of communications between you and BRS

2.2 Website Usage Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect technical information, including:

• Your IP address, browser type, and operating system
• Pages viewed, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Referring website addresses
• Cookie and similar tracking technology data (see Section 7 below)

2.3 Sensitive Information

We do not generally collect sensitive information (such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, or political opinions). Where we are required to collect sensitive information, we will only do so with your express consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information through a variety of means, including:

• Directly from you, when you fill in a contact or enquiry form on our website, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a job application, or correspond with us by phone, email, or in person
• From third parties, such as our clients, recruitment agencies, referees, or publicly available sources
• Automatically through our website using cookies and analytics tools

Where it is reasonable and practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you. If we receive unsolicited personal information that we do not need, we will destroy or de-identify it as soon as practicable.

4. Why We Collect and Use Your Information

We collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and manage our professional engineering, surveying, planning, certification, project management, and related consulting services
• To respond to your enquiries and communicate with you about projects or services
• To process job applications and manage recruitment activities
• To send you newsletters, industry updates, and marketing communications (where you have opted in or where permitted by law)
• To improve our website, services, and client experience
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• To manage our business operations, including billing, accounting, and internal reporting

We will not use or disclose your personal information for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was collected, unless you have consented, or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal information with:

• Our related entities, including Pulver Cooper & Blackley, Northern Rivers Land Solutions, and Digitise Consulting
• Our professional advisors, including accountants, auditors, and legal advisors
• Third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or providing services to you (for example, IT service providers, cloud storage providers, and email marketing platforms)
• Government and regulatory authorities, where required or authorised by law
• Clients, contractors, or project stakeholders, to the extent necessary to deliver our services

We take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party to whom we disclose personal information is bound by obligations of confidentiality and data protection consistent with the APPs.

5.1 Overseas Disclosure

Some of our third-party service providers (such as cloud hosting or software-as-a-service platforms) may store or process data overseas. Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles the information in accordance with the APPs. Countries where data may be processed include the United States, the European Union, and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.

6. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organisational safeguards to protect it from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. These measures include:

• Secure server infrastructure and encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS)
• Access controls and password-protected systems
• Regular security reviews and staff training on privacy obligations
• Secure disposal of personal information that is no longer required

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information.

7. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our website is used. Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you visit a website.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly (for example, enabling form submissions)
• Analytics cookies: Used to collect anonymous data about website traffic and user behaviour (for example, Google Analytics)
• Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

We may use Google Analytics to analyse website usage. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your use of the website in an anonymised form. For more information on how Google processes this data, please refer to Google’s Privacy Policy.

Our website may also use Google reCAPTCHA to protect against spam and abuse. reCAPTCHA collects hardware and software information, such as device and application data, and sends it to Google for analysis. Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

8. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of any inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, or misleading personal information
• Opt out of receiving marketing and promotional communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us directly
• Make a complaint if you believe we have breached the APPs

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided in Section 11 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with the Privacy Act.

We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. In some circumstances, we may refuse access to personal information where permitted by law (for example, where providing access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others). If access is refused, we will provide you with written reasons for the refusal.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When personal information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it in accordance with our records management policy and applicable legal requirements.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to make a request regarding your personal information, or would like to lodge a complaint, please contact us:

Privacy Officer

BRS Pty Ltd

Suite 603, Level 6, 12 Century Circuit, Baulkham Hills NSW 2153

Phone: 02 9659 0005

Email: mail@brs.com.au

If you are not satisfied with our response to a complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: www.oaic.gov.au

Phone: 1300 363 992

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of our website or services following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.