Introduction

Aula Energy Australia Operations Pty Ltd (“Aula Energy”, “we” and “us”) is registered in Australia with company number ACN 671 308 428. Aula Energy’s registered office and principal place of business is Level 6, 50 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.

This is the Privacy Policy for Aula Energy and its affiliates (including trusts).

We respect the privacy of the people we deal with, and we uphold high standards of privacy practice and security. This policy explains how we handle personal information and how we interact with you.

Whenever we handle personal information, we take steps to ensure that appropriate standards of privacy practice and security are applied.

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) sets out why we need to collect personal information, how we collect it, what we do with it, how it is stored and who we might share it with. The Policy also describes how you can access or correct information we hold about you, how you can ask further questions or make a complaint, and information about our website, online activities and our operations. 

Data protection principles

We comply with the:

• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs); and
• Privacy Act 2020 (NZ) (NZ Privacy Act) and the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) where applicable.

This means that the personal information we hold about you must be:

• managed in an open and transparent way
• collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes
• accurate and kept up to date
• kept only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes we have told you about, and
• kept securely. 

The information we collect if you use our website

If you are a user of this website, we only collect and process personal information that you may choose to provide to us via the “Contact Us” form and limited information captured by cookies (see the “Cookies” section below). This typically includes:

• your name
• your company
• your email address, and
• your domain and IP address.

We do not automatically link your domain and IP address to any personal information that you choose to provide to us.

If you are a user of our website, we process your data to respond to your queries and to analyse the number and type of queries coming into Aula Energy. If you sign up for alerts or for other communications, we will use your contact details to provide you with these alerts or other communications.

The information we collect to provide you with our products or services or if you interact with us as part of our projects

If you use our services or interact with us as part of our projects, we only collect and process personal information that you or our project partners, project entities or service providers provide to us via online forms, surveys, platforms, online and in-person community forums, and other communications with us such as complaints. This may include:

• your name
• your company
• your email address
• your telephone number
• your address
• details about any questions you ask us
• your survey responses where we have sent you a survey, and
• your domain and IP address.

We will use your information to provide our products and services, for the purpose of developing, delivering and operating our projects or for any other purpose that we let you know about at the time we collect your personal information. 

The information we collect if you are a consultant or committee member for our projects

If you are a consultant or committee member for our projects, we only collect and process personal information that you or our project partners or project entities provide to us via online forms, platforms and other communications with us. This may include:

• your name
• your company
• your email address
• your telephone number
• your address
• details in your CV, and
• your domain and IP address.

We will use your information to administer your role as a consultant or committee member, for the purpose of developing, delivering and operating our projects or for any other purpose that we let you know about at the time we collect your personal information. 

Employment applications

We collect personal information from you if you apply for a job with Aula Energy, this personal information is gathered via an online job application or through an external party, such as a third-party recruitment platform. The information collected may include:

• your name
• your current employer
• your contact details
• any information contained on your CV, covering letter or if applicable your academic transcript
• information provided on your application form which may include your language skills, education level, employment history and your right to work in Australia
• information provided to us during an interview or assessment
• background checks
• references from past referees including employers
• any ID documentation that you provide us, and
• any other information you provide us as part of the recruitment process.

Sensitive Information

We generally do not ask for or collect sensitive information from individuals. However, as part of community forums, we may collect any sensitive information that you choose to provide us as part of your participation in the forum. If you do provide us with sensitive information, we will treat it in accordance with the Privacy Act and APPs and/or the NZ Privacy Act and IPPs where applicable.

Photographs and video footage

We may also collect personal information through photographs, drone footage or other video footage of our project sites and surrounding areas for surveying and safety purposes, or reporting purposes. Where we do this, we will let you know that your image may be captured before you are recorded. If you can reasonably be identified from the photographs or footage, we will seek your consent.

If we intend to take or use any photographs or footage that includes images of you for promotional or informational purposes, such as for display on our websites, or other promotional or informational documentation, we will seek your consent prior to doing so.

Why we collect personal information

We request personal information about you which is reasonably necessary to:

• provide you with our products or services
• deliver our projects
• respond to your query or complaint
• consider the application and approaches you make to us as part of our recruitment process
• maintain your contact details
• identify and interact with you
• provide information about our activities, events and developments to you
• comply with our legal obligations, and
• fulfill the terms of any contractual relationship.

We may also collect your personal information for any other purpose for which you give your consent.

If you do not provide us with relevant personal information or you seek to deal with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym, our ability to respond to your query in a useful or timely manner, or to provide you with the alerts or other communications that you have requested, or our ability to provide our products and services to you may be compromised.

How we collect your information

Most of the time, we collect personal information about you directly from you when you provide it to us. This can be in person, in documents you give us, from telephone calls, emails or via form submission on our website.

Sometimes, we may collect personal information about you from third parties, such as government agencies, regulators, recruitment service providers, commercial counterparties, public records, from our project partners or project entities, or from any referrers who have referred you to us.

We take reasonable steps to be transparent about how and why we collect personal information.

We sometimes receive unsolicited personal information. In circumstances where we receive unsolicited personal information we will usually destroy or de-identify the information as soon as practicable if it is lawful and reasonable to do so unless the unsolicited personal information is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions or activities.

How we store your information

We keep personal information in physical and electronic records, at our premises and on the premises of our service providers, which may include processing or storage in the cloud, which may mean in practice that this information is stored outside Australia or other jurisdictions in which Aula Energy or its subsidiaries operate from time to time. 

Where this occurs, we take steps to protect the security and integrity of personal information.

We may also keep records of our interactions with you (including by telephone, email, online, and from online or in-person community forums).

How we use your information

We use personal information about you for the purpose for which it was provided to us, including to:

• provide our products and services to you
• deliver our projects
• handle your query
• process job applications
• comply with our legal obligations
• fulfill the terms of any contractual relationship, and
• communicate with you and deal with or investigate any complaints or enquiries. 

We may also:

• anonymise your data for our own purposes including market research and new product development
• use personal information about you for the prevention and mitigation of fraud and other financial crimes
• use personal information to improve our business processes and for our own administrative purposes, or
• use or permit our affiliates to use your personal information for related purposes to the extent that it is lawful to do so without your express permission; however, if you do not want to receive such communications you can tell us by using any of the methods listed below. 

If you are based in New Zealand and we are collecting your personal information because it is authorised or required under a law, we will let you know the particular law that has authorised or required that collection and whether your provision of your personal information is voluntary or mandatory.

While we may sometimes – where it is lawful and with your permission if necessary – share personal information with companies we do business with (eg. in product development, joint venture arrangements or distribution arrangements), we do not sell personal information for marketing purposes to other organisations or allow such companies to do this.

Using your personal information for direct marketing

From time to time, and in support of our future development and growth, we may use your personal information to contact you to promote and market our products and services.

You can opt-out from being contacted for direct marketing purposes by contacting us at the email address below or by using the unsubscribe facility included in each direct marketing communication we send. Once we receive a request to opt out from receiving marketing information, we will stop sending such information within a reasonable amount of time.

When your information is disclosed

Subject in all cases to local law, we may share personal information within Aula Energy, and may disclose personal information outside Aula Energy:

• With third-party service providers to assist in responding to your query or to assist with the distribution of alerts and other communications and the maintenance of contact lists.
• To our service providers, who provide services in connection with our business (including archival, auditing, accounting, customer contact, legal, business consulting, banking, payment, delivery, data processing, data analysis, information broking, mailing, marketing, research, investigation, insurance, identity verification, brokerage, maintenance, trustee, securitisation, recruitment, website and technology services).
• To comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as those imposed by regulators, arising under anti-money laundering or anti-terrorism financing laws, or reasonably arising in connection with legal proceedings. 
• To our affiliates.
• To potential investors or purchasers of any part of our business.
• For the prevention and mitigation of fraud and other financial crimes.

In some circumstances, the parties to whom we disclose personal information may operate outside Australia. These parties are generally located in the United States of America, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the European Union, although this list may change from time to time depending on operational needs. Where this occurs, we take the appropriate steps to protect personal information against misuse or loss under the applicable privacy laws and to comply with local law in respect of the transfer of your data from one jurisdiction to another. Those parties, in turn, may make such information available to the governments of such other countries in accordance with local law requirements.

How you can access or correct your information

We take reasonable steps to ensure that all information we hold is as accurate as possible. You are able to contact us at any time using our details below to request access to your personal information and ask for its correction if you feel the information we have about you is inaccurate or incomplete.

In normal circumstances, we will give you full access or make the requested corrections to your information. However, there may be some legal or administrative reasons to deny these requests. If your request is denied, we will provide you with the reason why (if we can). Where we decide not to make a requested correction to your personal information and you disagree, you may ask us to make a note of your requested correction with the information.

Keeping information secure

We use security procedures and technology to protect the information we hold. Access to and use of personal information within Aula Energy seeks to prevent misuse or unlawful disclosure of the information; this includes internal policies, auditing, training and monitoring of staff.

If other organisations provide support services, we require them to take appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure the privacy of the information provided to them.

Dealing with Aula Energy online 

When you visit Aula Energy’s website you will generally browse anonymously unless you have accessed the website from a personalised communication from Aula Energy.

For all visitors to our website, we use cookies and other web browser technologies to collect information such as the server your computer is logged on to, your browser type (for example, Chrome or Firefox), and your IP address. (An IP address is a number that is assigned to your computer automatically and required for using the internet.) We may also derive the location associated with an IP address.

Once you have accessed our website from an email or other personalised communication sent to you or provided us with personal information by completing a form online, we may be able to identify you and we may combine that with other information to provide you with a better online experience. If you would prefer not to be identified, you can delete the cookies and reconfigure the cookie preferences on your internet browser (see below).

Cookies

A ‘cookie’ is a packet of information placed on a user’s computer by a website for record-keeping purposes. Cookies are generally used on Aula Energy’s website to:

Monitor traffic: we use anonymous information to track how people are using the Aula Energy site. This may include the time of visit, pages visited and some system information about the type of computer you are using.

Monitor your use of our website: if we have identified you because of you accessing our website from a personalised communication or providing us with personal information by completing a form online, we may use cookies to collect personal information about you.

When you first visited the page, you would have seen a banner providing you with the option to accept the use of cookies or opt-out. At any time, you can change or withdraw your consent form on the cookie declaration page, which you can access here.

Squarespace collects the cookies on our website. You can find out more about how Squarespace collects, uses and discloses cookies on the Squarespace cookie policy page.

Website host

This website is hosted by Squarespace. Squarespace collects personal information when you visit this website in accordance with the Squarespace Privacy Policy.

Contact us 

If you have any questions or complaints regarding privacy or information handling, please write to privacy@aulaenergy.com. We will respond as soon as we are able to let you know who will be handling your matter and when you can expect a further response.

If your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may be able to escalate your complaint to:

if you reside in Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner here: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints; or

if you reside in New Zealand, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner here: https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint-to-the-privacy-commissioner/.

Updated: 20 February 2024. Next scheduled update: May 2024