Our short form privacy policy applies to personal information we collect and provides a concise overview of how we handle your personal information.
Our complete privacy policy can be accessed on our website. It provides more detail on the collection, storage, use and disclosure of the personal information we hold about you and how you can access or seek to amend that information.
Personal information handling practices
Collection
We aim to collect personal information about you in a fair and lawful way.
We may collect personal information:
- directly from you
- from other persons acting on your behalf
- from third parties
- from publicly available sources
- by using our formal access and information gathering powers.
We only collect personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions and activities. These include but are not limited to:
- administering the taxation and superannuation laws
- administering the Australian Business Register
- our functions and activities as an employer.
Use and disclosure
We only use personal information for the purposes we collected it – purposes that relate to one of our functions or activities.
Division 355 of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 sets out specific circumstances in which personal information contained in taxation records can be recorded, used or disclosed.
In some circumstances, the law allows disclosure of personal information for reasons other than administering Australian tax laws. These include disclosures to:
- assist other government agencies to determine eligibility for government benefits
- law enforcement agencies for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting serious offences
- courts, tribunals, legal service providers and counsel representing the ATO in disputes and debt collection activities
- state and territory revenue offices.
If it is necessary for us to disclose your personal information, the recipient is bound by on-disclosure rules.
Protecting your privacy
Protecting your personal information is important to us.
We safeguard your privacy and the security of your personal information by taking steps to protect the information we hold about you, from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure and against other misuse.
When personal information that we collect is no longer required, we destroy or delete it in a secure manner, in accordance with records authorities issued or agreed to by the National Archives.
Your choices
You can generally access the personal information that we hold about you and ask us to correct it.
For more information, see our complete privacy policy – accessing or amending personal information.
Our obligations
We are bound by:
- the Australian Privacy PrinciplesExternal Link
- the Privacy Act 1988External Link
- the Australian Government Agencies Privacy Code (the Privacy Code)External Link
- taxpayer confidentiality provisions in taxation law.
How to contact us
For further information about privacy you can call us on 1300 661 542 or you can write to us at the address below
Australian Taxation Office
GPO Box 9990
[insert the name and postcode of your capital city]
For example;
Australian Taxation Office
GPO Box 9990
SYDNEY NSW 2001