Privacy policy.
Altr Business Advisors Pty Ltd
Last updated: 02/11/2026
Altr Business Advisors Pty Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
1. What we collect
We collect the personal information we need to provide our services. This may include:
name, address and contact details
tax file numbers
identity documents and, for online identity checks, a selfie matched against your ID (see section 8)
business, financial and tax information, including records you give us and information we obtain from the ATO and other government agencies on your behalf
payment and transaction details
recordings, transcripts and notes of meetings with you (see section 9)
information about people connected to you, such as your spouse, family members, business partners, employees or beneficiaries, where it’s needed for our work
any other information you give us while we work together
Occasionally we may need sensitive information, such as health details relevant to a tax deduction. We only collect sensitive information with your consent, or where the law requires or allows it.
2. How we collect it
We collect most information directly from you, through our website, onboarding forms, email, phone and meetings. With your authority, we also collect information from third parties such as the ATO, ASIC, banks, superannuation funds and your other advisers.
3. How we use it
We use personal information to:
provide tax, accounting, bookkeeping and advisory services
verify your identity and meet our anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations
meet our obligations under tax law, the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 and our professional standards
process payments
communicate with you about our services
keep records and run our practice
improve our website and services
4. Who we share it with
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We may disclose it to:
regulators and government agencies, such as the ATO, ASIC and AUSTRAC, where required or authorised by law
our service providers (see below)
our offshore contractors and outsourced providers (see section 5)
our professional advisers and insurers, and professional bodies conducting quality reviews
anyone else, with your consent
Our service providers fall into these categories:
accounting, tax and practice management software
document capture, file storage and email
client onboarding, proposals, digital signing and billing
identity verification and anti-money laundering screening
scheduling, meeting recording and transcription
client communication and education platforms
generative AI tools
Each provider we use, what we use it for and where it stores data is listed at www.altr-ba.com.au/providers. We update that page when our providers change.
5. Sending information overseas
Some of your personal information is likely to be stored, accessed or processed outside Australia. At the date of this policy, that includes:
the United States and the United Kingdom, where some of our software and AI providers store data
the Philippines and India, where our offshore contractors work
Before we disclose your information overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure the recipient handles it in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. These steps include written confidentiality agreements, limiting access to what the work needs, and choosing providers with appropriate security and contractual protections. We remain responsible for work our offshore contractors do for you.
6. How we use artificial intelligence
We use generative AI tools, and AI features built into other software, to help with work such as:
drafting correspondence
summarising documents and meetings
research
preparing working papers and draft tax returns
preparing anti-money laundering risk assessments
This means AI tools may process your personal information, including financial records, tax documents and meeting transcripts.
Our safeguards:
We use business accounts and settings that do not allow AI providers to use your information to train their models.
We remove tax file numbers and other identifiers where the task doesn’t need them.
A qualified team member reviews everything AI produces before it is relied on or sent to anyone.
AI tools never lodge anything with the ATO or any other regulator.
7. Automated decisions
We use computer programs, including AI tools, to help prepare some of the work that leads to decisions about you. These are the kinds of decisions involved:
Anti-money laundering risk assessments. A program reviews the identity, ownership and transaction information you give us and recommends a risk rating. Our registered tax agent reviews that recommendation and makes the final decision.
Identity verification. An automated check compares a photo of your ID document with a selfie and checks your details against official records. If the check fails, a person reviews it before any decision is made about your engagement.
No decision that significantly affects you is made by a computer program alone. If you’d like to know more about how a decision about you was made, contact us.
8. Identity verification and biometric information
To meet our anti-money laundering obligations, we may ask you to verify your identity online. This can include a photo of your ID and a selfie matched against it. The selfie match uses biometric information, which is sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We only collect it with your consent, and only for identity verification. Our identity verification providers process the check, and some are located outside Australia. If you’d rather not verify online, tell us and we’ll arrange another way.
9. Meeting recordings
With your agreement, we may record online and phone meetings and use an AI note-taker to transcribe and summarise them. The note-taker announces itself when it joins a call. We use recordings only to keep accurate notes of your engagement. You can ask us not to record, or to stop recording at any time.
10. Tax file numbers
We collect, use and disclose tax file numbers only for purposes the tax laws allow, and we protect them in line with the Privacy (Tax File Number) Rule 2015. We don’t include your tax file number in emails.
11. Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure. These steps include:
multi-factor authentication
encrypted systems
access limited to people who need it
staff and contractor confidentiality agreements
No system is completely secure. If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we’ll tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
We keep working papers and records for at least seven years, as our professional and legal obligations require. After that, we securely destroy or de-identify them.
12. Access and correction
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct it. Email hello@altr-ba.com.au. We may need to verify your identity first, and we’ll respond within a reasonable time, usually 30 days.
13. Complaints
If you’re concerned about how we’ve handled your personal information, email hello@altr-ba.com.au with the details. We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 3 business days and aim to respond within 30 days. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the OAIC at www.oaic.gov.au.
14. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and third-party analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the site may not work as well.
15. Third-party links
Our website may link to other websites. We’re not responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their privacy policies before giving them your information.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in the law or in how we work. The current version is always on our website, with the date it was last updated.
17. Contact us
Altr Business Advisors Pty Ltd
Email: hello@altr-ba.com.au
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.