Privacy Policy

7 Bells is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the subsequent 2012 and 2016 amendments (Mandatory Data Breach Notification) and the APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants.

This Privacy Policy summarises how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your personal information, including when working with our offshore teams. This policy is not intended to, nor can it, replace the provisions Acts themselves.

What information we collect?

As an accounting services firm, it may be necessary, and in some cases be a legislative and regulatory requirement, for us to collect and hold detailed personal information. As part of our service delivery, we collect various types of personal information necessary to provide accounting and advisory services. This may include general personal details, unsolicited information provided by third parties, and sensitive information where required by law or relevant to the services we offer.

In general, the main types of personal information we collect and hold includes (but is not limited to):

Names
Contact details
Gender
Date of Birth
Employment details and employment history
Tax File Numbers and other government identifiers
Details of your financial circumstances, including bank account details, your assets and liabilities (both actual and potential), income, expenditure, insurance cover and superannuation
Health information (for some types of insurance cover)
We will not collect any personal information about you except when you have knowingly provided information to us or authorised a third party to provide that information to us.

How do we collect information?

We collect personal information through:

Direct interactions (e.g., phone, email, meetings)
Website forms and online submissions
Third-party referrals
Publicly available sources
Collaboration with offshore team members

Why do we collect information?

We collect your personal information to:

Deliver accounting, advisory and consulting services
Manage client relationships and communications
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
Support business operations, including invoicing, account management and offshore service delivery
Improve our services and client experience

Use of dedicated offshore bookkeeping teams

At 7 Bells, we have a dedicated offshore team that supports our bookkeeping services. This team operates within a secure, access-controlled environment, with all systems and controls managed directly from Australia. We do not outsource any work to third-party or independent offshore companies. All offshore team members are part of our extended team and work exclusively under our supervision.

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and security. No client data is stored or transferred outside our protected infrastructure, and strict protocols are in place to prevent unauthorized access or data extraction. All lodgements and compliance-related submissions are completed in Australia by qualified professionals, ensuring full compliance with Australian regulatory requirements.

Disclosure of information

We may disclose your personal information to:

Regulatory bodies (e.g., ATO, ASIC)
Our professional advisors (e.g., legal, financial)
Third-party service providers (e.g., IT, cloud storage)
Offshore team members who support service delivery
As required or authorised by law

All offshore operations are conducted under strict confidentiality agreements and data protection protocols aligned with Australian privacy standards.

Personal, unsolicited and sensitive information usage

Usage of personal information:

We use personal information to deliver our services effectively and responsibly. This includes using your details to manage client relationships, provide accounting and advisory services, meet legal and regulatory obligations, and improve our operations. Personal information is only used for the purposes for which it was collected, or for a directly related purpose that you would reasonably expect.

Usage of unsolicited personal information:

Occasionally, we may receive personal information without having actively requested it—for example, through referrals or third-party communications. When this occurs, we assess whether:

You have consented to the sharing of that information,
The information is necessary for us to provide our services, or
We are legally permitted or required to retain it.

If any of these conditions are met, we treat the information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. If none apply, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify the information, provided it is lawful to do so.

Usage of sensitive information:

We will only collect this information as permitted under the Privacy Act. Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited circumstances apply (e.g. where required by law).

Retention of personal information

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it in accordance with applicable laws and our internal data retention policies.

Data security

We implement robust security measures to protect your personal information, including:

Secure cloud-based storage
Role-based access controls
Encryption of sensitive data
Regular audits and staff training

Data access and correction

Please ensure that the personal information we hold about you is accurate, complete and up to date always. You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and request corrections, if necessary. Please contact us using the details provided above.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies and analytics tools to enhance user experience and monitor website performance. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

Other website access

We may provide links to websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites which will be governed by their own privacy policies to which you are advised to refer.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology, our operations and practices and changing business environment. The latest version will always be available on our website and we will bring this to your attention by placing a notice on our website.

How to Contact Us

Please contact us if you have questions relating to this policy, our collection notices or if you wish to exercise the individual rights you have under applicable privacy laws. You can contact our Privacy Officer over here:

Email: privacy@7bells.com.au

Phone: +61 424 884 549

If you would like to make a complaint regarding the handling of your personal information, please contact the Privacy Officer. We may request your contact details, how you believe your privacy has been breached and outcome/s sought. We will confirm receipt of your complaint within five business days. We will respond to your complaint within 30 days of receipt of your complaint and confirm in writing, if We believe there has been a breach of this privacy policy or any applicable privacy legislation and what action (if any) We will take to rectify the issue. If the matter is complex and the investigations are likely to take longer, we will inform you of the likely timeframe in which We will respond.

Terminology used in this policy

Personal Information

Information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether it is recorded in a material form or not.

Unsolicited Personal Information

Personal information received without being actively collected, such as information provided by a third party or sent without request. This information is assessed and handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Sensitive Information

A subset of personal information that includes details about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health information, criminal record and biometric or genetic data. This type of information is subject to stricter handling requirements under the Privacy Act.

Offshore Team

A group of professionals located outside Australia who are directly employed or contracted by 7 Bells to support service delivery. These team members operate under secure systems and controls managed from Australia and are not part of any third-party outsourcing arrangement.