Introduction
Probegeo Pty Ltd ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), and the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information, and how you can access, correct, or complain about our handling of it.
Information We Collect
We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for our functions and activities. This may include:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you submit an enquiry or request a quote.
- Project Details: Information about your construction or engineering project to provide accurate quotes and services.
- Website Usage & Analytics: IP address, approximate geographic location derived from your IP address (city/region/country level only), browser type, device type, referring URL, pages visited, and time spent on our site. This data is collected via third-party analytics tools (see "Third-Party Analytics" below) and is not stored on Probegeo's own servers.
- Communication Records: Records of your correspondence with us via email, phone, or our contact forms.
We do not knowingly collect sensitive information (as defined in the Privacy Act) through our website. Where collection is needed for a service (for example, on-site work health and safety records), we will tell you and obtain your consent.
How We Collect Information
We collect personal information directly from you (via enquiry forms, email, phone, or in person) and automatically through your use of our website (via cookies and analytics services). Where it is unreasonable or impracticable to collect from you directly, we may receive information from third parties (such as referrals from clients or publicly available sources).
How We Use Your Information
We use personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, and for related secondary purposes you would reasonably expect, including to:
- Respond to your enquiries and provide quotes for geotechnical services
- Deliver contracted geotechnical engineering services
- Send service updates and appointment reminders (with your consent)
- Send marketing communications where you have opted in (you can unsubscribe at any time)
- Improve our website and services through aggregated analytics
- Comply with legal obligations and maintain business records
Third-Party Analytics and IP Geolocation
We use the following third-party tools to understand how visitors use our website. These providers collect data directly from your browser; the resulting analytics data is held by the provider and is not stored on Probegeo's servers:
- Google Analytics (Google LLC) — collects anonymised usage statistics. We have enabled IP anonymisation where available. Google may store and process this data in the United States and other countries.
- IP-based Geolocation — we use third-party services to translate your IP address into an approximate location (city/region/country) for regional content, language, and traffic-source analysis. We do not derive precise (street-level) location from your IP address, and the IP address itself is not retained on our servers in association with enquiry records.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by managing cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.
Disclosure of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose your information to:
- Employees, subcontractors, and field engineers who need the information to provide our services
- Third-party service providers, including our website host, email provider, cloud database provider (Google Firebase / Firestore, used to store enquiry submissions), and analytics providers
- Regulatory authorities, courts, or law enforcement when required or authorised by law
- Professional advisers (e.g., lawyers, accountants, insurers) under confidentiality obligations
Overseas Disclosure (APP 8)
Some of our third-party providers store or process data outside Australia. In particular:
- Google Firebase / Firestore — enquiry data may be stored in Google Cloud data centres located in the United States and other regions operated by Google LLC.
- Google Analytics — usage data may be processed in the United States and other countries where Google maintains infrastructure.
Before disclosing personal information overseas we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it in a manner consistent with the APPs.
Data Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:
- HTTPS/TLS encryption for all website communications
- Firebase security rules and access controls for enquiry data
- Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
- Periodic security reviews of our systems and processes
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law (for example, the Australian Taxation Office requires retention of certain business records for at least 5 years). Enquiry records are typically retained for up to 7 years for business, tax, and insurance purposes, after which they are de-identified or securely destroyed.
Notifiable Data Breaches
If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose personal information is involved, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required under the NDB scheme in Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Cookies and Tracking
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience and analyse site traffic. You can control cookies through your browser settings. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.
Children's Privacy
Our website and services are directed at businesses, builders, developers, and construction professionals, and are not intended for use by children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Your Rights — Access and Correction
Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you (APP 12)
- Request correction of inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading information (APP 13)
- Request deletion of your personal information where we are not required by law to retain it
- Withdraw consent and opt out of marketing communications at any time
To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable period (generally within 30 days). We do not charge a fee for making a request, although a reasonable cost-recovery fee may apply to the provision of access in some circumstances.
Complaints
If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, please contact us first using the details below so we can investigate. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and provide a response within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
- Website: www.oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
Contact Us
For privacy questions, access/correction requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Probegeo Pty Ltd — Privacy Officer
Email: services@probegeo.com.au
Phone: 0403 995 593
Address: 9 Bemersyde Drive, Berwick VIC 3806
Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in Australian law. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Significant changes will be highlighted on our website.