In the world of business, legal compliance is a crucial aspect that should not be overlooked.
Vanessa Emilio, a highly experienced Australian lawyer with over 20 years of expertise in corporate, banking, trust, and online law, recognises the need for affordable and customised policies for side businesses to help them meet legal requirements and avoid costly risks.
In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the importance of privacy policies, the need for privacy reform in Australia, and the differences between Australia and New Zealand's privacy policies.
We'll also explore the reasons why businesses store personal information and discuss compliance with the SPAM Act, as well as legal services and recommendations for small business owners.
Why a privacy policy is important
While not required by law for small businesses, having a privacy policy is highly recommended as a best practice and can enhance a business's credibility with clients (regardless of its size or whether they have a website).
In today's digital age, where data breaches and leaks of personal information are all too common, privacy policies are becoming increasingly significant.
In fact, recent data breaches in Australia have highlighted the importance of privacy policies and prompted privacy reform.
Australia vs New Zealand's privacy policy
Vanessa notes that Australia's privacy laws haven't been reformed in years, and they've fallen behind.
In contrast, New Zealand's Privacy Act is considered sufficient by the EU and GDPR, and they don't need extra terms and conditions.
Vanessa highlights the need for reform and encourages submissions for the proposed privacy reforms by the 23 March deadline.
While larger businesses may push back on the cost of compliance, major reforms are happening now.
Why people store information
Businesses store information for various reasons, including
- building databases for marketing or communication purposes,
- keeping records of transactions or interactions with customers or clients, complying with legal requirements or regulations, and
- providing personalised services or recommendations based on the information collected.
However, collecting unnecessary personal information can lead to privacy breaches and potential harm to individuals.
Vanessa cites the Optus breach as an example of collecting personal and family details that were not needed for service delivery, which put individuals' personal information at risk.
SPAM ACT Compliance
When it comes to spamming, three things must be done not to breach the SPAM ACT in Australia:
- communication must include the sender's name,
- identify who is receiving it, and
- provide recipients with a way to unsubscribe.
Before any communication can be sent, there must be an acknowledgment that the recipient has agreed to receive it.
Businesses should also obtain active permission through an opt-in process on their website, making it easy to unsubscribe from promotional emails.
Contact Legal123
Legal assistance can be expensive, but that doesn't mean you have to forego legal compliance for your business.
Legal123 offers an affordable and convenient solution with its Website Legal Package.
This all-in-one package includes a Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Terms & Conditions, all of which are essential for compliance with Australian law.
The package costs only $179 plus GST and includes free updates, so you can rest assured that you're covered for any legal changes that may arise.
Legal123 has a wide variety of pre-built templates to choose from, but if you don't see exactly what you need, don't hesitate to contact them here.
Tune in to our Bite-Size podcast episode on PRIVACY, SPAM & how you use the personal information you're collecting!
Watch this episode of our Business Bite-Size on YouTube to learn more: