commitment
mecu Limited is committed to complying with the provisions relating to privacy and to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information contained in:
The Privacy Act 1988,
the National Privacy Principals (NPPs) set out in Schedule 3 to the Privacy Act, and
the privacy and confidentiality provisions contained in the Credit Union Code of Practice.
Members and users are concerned about how their personal information will be used and we recognise these concerns about their privacy and confidentiality.
mecu Limited publishes this Privacy Statement to demonstrate its commitment to the privacy of users of its website and to provide a clear and concise outline of how and when personal information is collected, stored and distributed by mecu Limited.
"Personal information" is information about or which identifies an individual.
collection of personal information
Personal information is collected on the mecu Limited website in a number of ways.
third parties
The mecu Limited website contains links to the websites of third party providers of goods and services ("Third Party websites"). If you have accessed Third Party websites through the mecu Limited website and if those third parties collect information about you, mecu Limited may also collect or have access to that information as part of our arrangements with those third parties. Third Party websites should contain their own privacy statements and those third parties are responsible for their own privacy practices.
online services
The nature of personal information collected and maintained by mecu Limited generally comprises name, address, age group, member and account numbers, contact details (including phone, fax and email) and products and services information preferences. Personal information is collected for the purposes of establishing and building a financial services relationship with you. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information, we may not be able to provide you with the services you are seeking.
network identity
For statistical purposes, we can collect information on website activity (such as the number of users who visit the website, the date and time of visits, the number of pages viewed, navigation patterns, what country and what systems users have used to access the site and, when entering our website from another website, the address of that website) through the use of 'cookies'. This information, on its own, does not identify an individual but could provide mecu Limited with statistics that we can use to analyse and improve our website.
This information is retained by us for the purposes of analysis to help us improve our services, to assist us in diagnosing problems with our server and in the administration of our website.
No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities. We will not disclose information which might identify an individual machine. sensitive information. We do not collect information about anyone's political or religious beliefs, ethnic background or sexual preferences.
emails and newsletters
If we receive an email from you, we will record your email address but will only use it for the purpose for which it is provided. It shall not be disclosed without your consent.
We will preserve the content of any email that you send us if in our view we have a legal requirement to do so. Your email content may be monitored by mecu Limited employees for security reasons, including where email abuse is suspected. Our response to you may be monitored for quality assurance purposes.
use and disclosure of personal information
mecu Limited undertakes not to sell or rent your personal information.
related parties
Unless you have instructed us not to do so, personal information may be shared with our related company, Outlook Financial Planning Pty Ltd (with whom mecu Limited outsources services such as financial planning) where it will remain confidential. Our goal is to use the information you provide to better understand your financial and investment requirements and so provide information on products and services that are most relevant to you.
illegal activities
We also use personal information we have collected for the detection and prevention of fraud and other illegal activities.
disclosure
We will not disclose information about you unless the disclosure is for a purpose you would reasonably expect, a purpose required by law or authorised by law or if you have given consent to the disclosure of the information about you.
As with most business organisations, mecu Limited relies on its agents, contractors and external advisers [including Credit Union Services Corporation (Australia) Limited] who are engaged from time to time to carry out specialised activities. These include regulatory bodies, government agencies, law enforcement bodies and Courts, Credit Union Services Corporation (Australia) Limited's legal advisers, external payment system operators and our related bodies corporate. While personal information may be provided to these agents to enable them to perform their agreed tasks, such information remains the property of mecu Limited at all times and the agent organisations involved are bound by specific confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.
data quality
Our aim is to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. To assist us with this, please contact us if any of the details you have provided change. Further, if you believe that the information we have about you is inaccurate, incomplete or not up-to-date, contact us and we will use all reasonable effort to correct the information.
data security
mecu Limited's Internet Banking has security measures in place to protect members and users against the loss, misuse and alteration of information under our control. Any access to and use of information held by us is restricted to authorised staff.
mecu Limited's Internet Banking system, uses the highest levels of technology to ensure maximum security, including 128 bit encryption of all customer data sent between your computer and the mecu Limited Internet Banking system.
While we attempt to provide a secure and reliable online environment, you should be aware that there are inherent risks associated with the transmission of information via the Internet.
access to personal information
If at any time you wish to know what personal information we are holding about you, we will provide you with access. After you provide adequate identification, your information will be made available to you within 14 days. A fee may apply.
cookies
In common with most other websites, mecu Limited does use cookies. These are very small text files that a website can transfer to your computer's hard drive for record keeping. The cookies can make using our website easier by storing information about your preferences and will enable you to take full advantage of our services. Cookies only identify your computer when you visit a website that uses cookies; they do not identify the user. The information is usually stored in a secure, encrypted cookie on your hard disk and contains information that you chose to provide. You are in charge of deciding what information is available about you.
Cookies are frequently used on websites and you can choose if and how a cookie will be accepted by configuring your preferences and options in your browser.
Most Internet web browsers are pre-set to accept cookies to enable full use of those websites that do use cookies. However, if you do not wish to receive any cookies, you may configure your browser to reject all cookies or warn you when cookies are being used. In some instances, this may mean you will not be able to use some or all of the services provided on a particular website that require cookies in order to participate.
You may still be able to use some 'information only' pages even if you do not accept cookies.
promotional material via email
mecu Limited acknowledges and respects a user's choice to opt-out of receiving any mecu Limited marketing materials. Should you decide you do not wish to receive marketing or promotional materials, via email from mecu Limited, please contact us in person, by phone or by email (being sure to include your name, address and member number(s)).
changes to statement
mecu Limited may make changes to this Privacy Statement from time to time for any reason. We will publish those changes on our website.
privacy policy
mecu Limited's privacy policy is available at each office of the Credit Union.
contact us about privacy
If mecu Limited becomes or is made aware of any ongoing concerns or problems with our website, we will take these issues seriously and work to address these concerns. If you have any further queries relating to our Privacy and Security Statement, or you have a problem or complaint, you can contact the Privacy Officer at mecu Limited by email.
