Privacy Policy
Summary
This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, and share your personal information through our services.
In this Privacy Policy the terms “we”, “our”, "ourselves" and “us” refers to MHIA, a division of Argenta International Limited, a limited liability company incorporated in England and Wales. ABN 67 738 572 107 AFSL 558983, otherwise known as MHIA Insurance.
"You" and "your" refers to any person or persons whose personal information we process during the course of operating our business.
It's important you understand this policy and that you read it in its entirety. To assist you with understanding this policy, we've created the below summary:
- We care about privacy – We are committed to operating our business in a responsible and ethical manner. Respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information is part of that mission.
- We don't sell your data – As an insurance agency, we generate operating income through a commission on the sale of insurance policies. We will never sell your data for profit or distribute it in any way unconnected with your insurance.
- We limit what information you must disclose – We require only the information that is necessary to create and administer your insurance policies and to satisfy our legal requirements, any other information you may choose to disclose to us is optional.
- We record calls – All calls to and from MHIA are recorded and may be analysed using secure AI tools to help us train our staff, improve service quality, and meet legal and regulatory standards.
The nature and extent of personal information that we collect varies depending on your particular interaction with us and the nature of our functions and activities.
- Identity information – We collect identifying information such as name, date of birth, address, contact phone numbers and email addresses. If you are applying for a product we may offer, we may also need to collect specific information that will enable us to supply that product to you. We collect and store this information in a manner that allows us to assist you in the future.
- Sensitive information – Some products or services may require us to collect 'sensitive information', which may include (but is not limited to) your membership of associations, previous claims, traffic infringements and criminal records. We only collect this type of information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). If you do not agree to provide us with the information we request, we may not be able to offer you the product or service you seek.
- Payment details – If you pay for an insurance policy, you need to submit a valid payment method and associated billing information, such as your full name and billing address. Our payment processors, like BPAY, Westpac or Australia Post receive and process your payment information. Depending on the processor, we may also receive and store certain billing information, such as your BSB and account number to allow us to maintain your billing arrangement.
- Information from actions you take – We collect information about actions you take when administer your policies, such as which optional covers you may select. This allows us to improve the quality of products and services we are able to provide.
- Information used to provide optional services – Certain optional services, like emailing or SMSing of documentation, may require that you provide us with additional information such as your email address or mobile phone number to make them work. In the event you choose to provide us with this information, we may share a restricted amount of information with our email or SMS facility providers, but only to the extent necessary to facilitate these services.
- Other information you provide directly to us or our service providers – You may have the option to submit additional information under certain circumstances. For example, you may participate in surveys or provide feedback on various aspects of our business.
If you would like to access any of our services on an anonymous basis or by using a pseudonym, please tell us. However, we will require you to identify yourself if:
- We are required by law to deal with individuals who have identified themselves; or
- It is impracticable for us to deal with you if you do not identify yourself or elect to use a pseudonym.
- Information about your device – We collect information about the devices you use to access our services. This includes information like your IP address, operating system information, browser information and information about your device settings.
- Information about your use of our services – We collect log and event information related to how and when you use our services, such as pages you visit on our website.
- Other information that we collect automatically – When you take certain actions, such as clicking on an ad, we may receive information about you, such as which ad you saw, on which platform you saw it.
We may receive information from cookies and similar technologies. First-party cookies are placed by us (and our third-party service providers) and allow you to use the services and to help us analyse and improve your experience and the services. We operate 3 types of cookies:
- Necessary cookies – These are required for services to function. If you try to use tools to disable these cookies, parts of the services may not work properly.
- Functional cookies – These help us provide enhanced functionality on the services like remembering your preferences.
- Performance cookies – These allow us or our third-party analytics providers to learn how you and others use and engage with the services so we can understand and improve them.
Call recordings and AI transcription
All inbound and outbound calls with MHIA are recorded. These recordings may be transcribed and analysed using artificial intelligence and natural language processing tools. This allows us to:
- Accurately document conversations
- Monitor and coach staff
- Improve service delivery and quality assurance
- Meet compliance and legal obligations
We may receive personal information about you from other sources, such as our service providers and combine that with information with the other information we have about you. For example, if you make a claim, we may use witness statements to determine the validity of that claim. Where possible, we will collect personal information directly from you.
To fulfil our contract with you
- To contact you – We use your information to contact you in connection with your policies, such as sending renewal invitations. We may also use your information to contact you about important changes, or to let you know about certain products or services.
- To provide customer service – We use your information to respond to your questions about our products and services and to investigate other issues.
- With your consent – When we collect your personal information with your consent, you agree for us to use your information in accordance with this privacy policy.
For legitimate business purposes
- To protect our services – We use information to keep our services secure, to prevent fraud and to enforce consequences against those who seek to defraud us.
- To report our company's performance – We use your information to track the metrics of our business, to perform reporting and to respond to regulatory information.
- To advertise, personalise and improve our products and services – We use certain information to assist in the delivery of our advertising, to measure the effectiveness of advertisements for our products and services and to improve such advertisements in the future. You can ‘opt-out’ of receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting us or by following the unsubscribe instructions in any relevant communication. We will only send you direct marketing communications if you have consented or it is otherwise permitted by law.
- To satisfy our legal obligations – We retain and use your information in connection with potential legal claims when necessary and for compliance, regulatory, and auditing purposes.
To protect someone’s vital interests
We may collect or share personal information if we think someone's life is in danger, for example to assist with an urgent medical situation.
- When you tell us to - When you provide us with personal information, you are consenting to us using your information for the purposed detailed in this policy.
- With our service providers - We may share personal information with our service providers we use to complete specific tasks for us. This includes payment processors, like BPAY.
- With our related companies - We may share information with our underwriters, affiliates (e.g. Lloyds of London), parents, subsidiaries and other companies under common control. By providing your personal information to us, you consent to the disclosure of your personal information to these overseas recipients.
- To enforce our policies and rights - We share information if needed to enforce our company policies, such as our Domestic and family violence policy or other policies to protect the rights, property and safety of ourselves and others.
- Aggregated or de-identified personal information - We may share information about you that has been aggregated or anonymised such that it cannot be reasonably used to identify you, for example in our underwriting reports.
- Sale, acquisition or transfer of assets - We may share information if we are evaluating and/or engaging in a merger, acquisition, re-organisation, bankruptcy, sale, transfer or change in ownership of MHIA or its assets.
- To comply with the law - We may share information in response to a request for information if we believe disclosure is required by law, including meeting national security or law enforcement requirements. Where allowed and feasible, we will attempt to provide you with prior notice before disclosing your information in response to such a request.
- In an emergency - We may share information if we believe in good faith that it's necessary to prevent serious harm to a person.
You can request access to the personal information we hold about you. So that we can provide complete and accurate records quickly and effectively, we may ask you to complete a ‘Personal Information Access Request Form’. We will not charge you to provide this information in the first instance, however a charge may be applicable for additional requests, or where requests include physically printing and mailing information.
We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect, store, use or disclose is accurate, up-to-date and complete. However, we rely on you to advise us of any changes to your information. If you believe the information we have is inaccurate, out-of-date or incomplete, please advise us.
We will take reasonable steps to:
- Ensure that the personal information that we collect is accurate, up to date and complete;
- Ensure that the personal information we hold, use or disclose is, with regard to the relevant purpose, accurate, up to date, complete and relevant; and
- Secure your personal information.
We will take reasonable steps to protect personal information from:
- Misuse, interference and loss; and
- Unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information that we hold if we no longer need the information for the primary purpose for which the information was collected and we are not otherwise required by law to retain the information.
International data transfers
We are based in Australia, and we process and store information on servers located in Australia, and the United States. By accessing or using our services, or otherwise providing information to us, you understand that your information will be processed and stored in Australia, and the United States. You further understand that a limited amount of information may be transferred to our underwriters and our related companies located in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
If we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that such recipients do not breach the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which we collected it. Information may be deleted once it is no longer needed and no longer legally required to be retained.
Complaints
If you would like to make a complaint about the way we collect, use, store, protect or share your personal information, or otherwise consider there may be a breach of the Privacy Act or the Australian Privacy Principles, you may lodge a complaint under our complaints procedure.
All complaints will be treated seriously and dealt with promptly. The complaints procedure is our way of ensuring your privacy concerns are raised and addressed promptly.
Our complaints procedure can be accessed on our website https://mhia.com.au/dispute-resolution or by contacting our office.
You may also make a complaint directly to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) online, by mail, fax or email. Please visit the OAIC website at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/ for more information.
Updating this Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we do so and the changes are significant, we'll provide a prominent notice on our website. Therefore, please review our privacy policy periodically for changes or call to request a copy at any time.
