Privacy policy

We respect your privacy and your right to know how we handle your personal information.

RDI Partners complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (the APPs) as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (the Act). We take our obligations seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information.

We’ve included details on how you can access or update your records and the best way to reach us with any questions.

As our firm evolves and regulations change, we will update this Privacy Policy to keep it current.

About RDI Partners

RDI Partners is a boutique professional services firm, which specialises in enabling access of R&D Tax Incentives to eligible businesses with operations in Australia.

In this Privacy Policy, ‘RDI Partners’, ‘our firm’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’ refers to our group of entities, which includes RDI Partners Pty Ltd (ABN 39 669 236 122) and RDIP Services Pty Ltd ATF RDIP Unit Trust (ABN 44 369 970 536).

The types of personal information we collect

We collect different types of personal information depending on the nature of our engagement with you. Examples of the personal information we may collect include:

• Identity and professional details, including your name, job title, occupation, employer, and birth date. Where necessary, we may also require formal proof of identity documentation.
• Contact information, including your physical address, email, phone numbers, and Internet Protocol (IP) address.
• Career and compensation, including education qualifications, employment history, and salary.
• Income and payments, including records such as PAYG payment summaries, payslips, and other income-related data.
• Government identifiers, including Tax File Numbers (TFNs), passports, and driver’s license numbers.
• Financial and investment portfolios, including banking and credit card details, shareholdings, and investment details.
• Wealth management, including superannuation and insurance details.
• Regulatory compliance, including visa or work permit status and any related documentation.
• Online engagement, including usernames and passwords.

If we are not able to collect the necessary personal information, it may limit our ability to effectively conduct business with you.

Sensitive information

Occasionally, providing you with specialised services may require us to collect sensitive information. This can include details such as ethnic origin, health, religious or philosophical beliefs, disability, criminal history, or gender and sexual orientation. We only collect or use this information with your explicit consent, in strict accordance with applicable laws, or in a de-identified, aggregated format.

Information about others

There may be times when you provide us with personal information regarding other individuals, such as a spouse, dependants, family members, or employees. In these instances, we rely on you to ensure that you have the authority to share this information and that the individuals involved are aware of this Privacy Policy and know how to access a copy for themselves.

Third-party websites

If you use our products, services or website to access a third-party application or site, that party will handle your data according to their own privacy standards. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of those external websites directly, as their practices are independent of ours.

Anonymity and pseudonyms

Because our services are tailored to you or your specific circumstances, it is generally not practical for us to work together anonymously or via a pseudonym. To provide the precision and professional care RDI Partners is known for, we typically require your personal information to act effectively on your behalf.

How we collect personal information

We will collect your personal information directly from you, where practical to do so. This typically occurs through our day-to-day interactions — whether we are speaking in person or over the phone, corresponding via email, or when you complete a questionnaire, form, survey, or subscribe to our firm’s publications.

There may be times when we collect information indirectly — through manual research or use of RDI Partners’ approved AI tools — to gather data from public sources. We may also collect information from third parties and public sources in circumstances where:

• You would reasonably expect us to gather this information;
• You have provided your express consent; or
• You have been notified by a third party that your information would be shared with us.

Examples of these sources include:

• Your current or previous employer and nominated referees;
• Your personal representatives or financial advisors;
• Other professional service firms or member networks we collaborate with;
• Banks and financial institutions (where you have authorised disclosure);
• Public registers and social media platforms (where your profile or activity is set to public); and
• For recruitment or employment purposes, law enforcement agencies, the Department of Home Affairs, educational institutions, professional bodies, or background-checking providers.

Additionally, we may collect personal information through your engagement with our website, social media channels, and any enquiries sent to our contact mailboxes. This helps us ensure our digital interactions remain relevant to your needs.

For employees and contractors

If you are an employee or contractor at RDI Partners, you are guided by our internal policies regarding professional conduct, probity, and independence. To ensure we remain compliant with these policies, applicable laws, and our clients’ requirements, we may collect and retain personal information, including:

• Systems and security: Information regarding your access to and use of RDI Partners-owned or managed devices, networks, and physical premises.
• Financial and regulatory data: Financial information required to comply with taxation, superannuation, and employment laws, as well as to provide necessary assurance regarding these obligations.
• Probity and independence: Details relevant to maintaining your personal probity and independence.
• Professional standards: Records of your compliance with annual professional accreditation and ongoing learning requirements.
• Background verification: Information required for the verification of your identity and background, conducted with your express consent.
• Health and safety: Details of your emergency contacts and, where relevant to your role or the management of your welfare at RDI Partners, information regarding your treating medical practitioners.

This information is managed with the same level of care and confidentiality that we apply to our client data, ensuring a safe and compliant environment for everyone at the firm.

How we store and protect personal information

Protecting your personal information is a responsibility we take seriously. We store data using both paper and electronic formats, and in some instances, we engage trusted third-party providers to host data on our behalf. Regardless of the format, we take all reasonable steps to ensure your information is secure and protected from misuse, loss, corruption, or unauthorised access and disclosure.

Our multi-layered approach to security includes:

• Access and physical controls: Security measures to manage access to our systems and our physical office premises.
• Professional integrity: Mandatory privacy and confidentiality training for all RDI Partners staff to ensure they understand their legal and ethical obligations.
• Need-to-know access: Restricting access to personal information only to those who require it to perform their roles.
• Technical safeguards: Deploying robust technological controls, including firewalls, encryption, secure passwords, and digital certificates.
• Third-party oversight: Ensuring any third-party partners we engage adhere strictly to our privacy standards, obligations, and operational requirements.
• Data lifecycle management: Implementing clear policies for document storage, data retention, de-identification, and secure destruction.
• Incident response: Comprehensive processes for identifying, mitigating, and managing privacy events, including notification procedures in the unlikely event of a breach.

We strive to keep your personal information as accurate and up-to-date as possible. As part of our commitment to data minimisation, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify irrelevant or excessive data as soon as it is practicable to do so. We may, however, retain certain information for varying periods to meet our legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations, or for other legitimate business requirements.

Why we collect, use, store and disclose personal information

We only collect, use, hold, or disclose your personal information when there is a clear, lawful reason to do so, or where you have provided your consent.

The specific reasons we manage your information include:

• Service delivery: To fulfil our commitments to you or our clients as outlined in our engagement letters or service agreements. This includes essential functions such as business advisory, corporate services, tax and tax incentives, accounting services, payroll, and superannuation.
• Service excellence: To provide and refine our offerings, including developing new solutions, responding to your queries, verifying identity, and seeking feedback.
• Relationship management: To stay connected with our clients, alumni, and industry contacts, ensuring you are kept informed of our services, relevant market developments, learning opportunities, and events.
• Business administration: For essential operational tasks such as processing payments, billing, fraud prevention, and ensuring compliance with our terms of engagement.
• Personnel and recruitment: To manage the lifecycle of our team (including Partners) and, where relevant, our clients’ personnel. This includes recruitment screening and background checks, monitoring of RDI Partners’ systems and managed devices to ensure security and professional independence, and initiatives focused on retention, workplace diversity, and health and safety.
• Governance and compliance: Managing risk, quality control, and professional independence (including auditor independence). This ensures we meet all regulatory obligations, industry codes, and legislative standards.
• Strategic growth: For business purposes related to actual or proposed mergers, acquisitions, alliances, or joint venture arrangements.
• Development and analytics: To enhance our firm’s expertise and thought leadership. This involves benchmarking, website performance analysis, and business intelligence to improve the way we serve our markets.

We may also use non-personal, de-identified, or aggregated information for research, data analytics, and promotional purposes. Any output from these processes is strictly anonymised so that neither you nor your specific information can be identified.

Marketing and communication

RDI Partners may use your information to keep you updated on services, products, or offers from our alliance partners that we believe add value to your business. We respect your preferences regarding these communications. You can opt-out at any time using the ‘unsubscribe’ link in our emails, or by contacting us via our Privacy Officer (details below).

How we share personal information

To deliver a comprehensive suite of services, it is occasionally necessary for RDI Partners to share personal information with trusted external parties. These may include:

• Your professional circle: Your authorised representatives, financial advisors, and nominated referees.
• Our internal team and advisors: Personnel within RDI Partners and our professional legal or business advisors.
• Specialised experts: Third-party experts or consultants contracted specifically as part of an engagement to provide niche expertise.
• Service partners: Our agents, contractors, and suppliers who provide the essential systems and business processes that power our products and services.
• Regulatory and government bodies: Authorities such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR), ASIC, and the Department of Home Affairs, as well as relevant professional industry bodies or foreign regulators applicable to your specific engagement.
• Wealth management: Your nominated superannuation funds.
• Strategic partners: Third parties involved in an actual or proposed merger, acquisition, joint venture, or referral alliance involving RDI Partners.
• Specific requests: Any other party where you have provided express consent or specifically asked us to share your details.

We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Offshore disclosure

We operate on platforms with data storage facilities primarily in Australia. However, some of the organisations we collaborate with are located outside of Australia — including the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Singapore. Regardless of where these parties are located, we take active steps to ensure these organisations maintain privacy standards that are substantively consistent with our own. We require these partners to protect your information with the same level of care we do, restricting how your data may be used, transmitted, and stored.

Our digital presence and your privacy

When you engage with us online, we aim to make your experience as relevant and secure as possible. Here is how we manage data gathered through our digital channels.

Automatic information collection

Alongside our service providers, we use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies across our website and emails. These tools allow us to:

• Personalise your experience: Tailor our online presence to suit your interests and needs.
• Refine our services: Use data insights for ongoing development and analytics.

You always have control over these technologies. You can adjust your preferences at any time through your device’s privacy settings or by choosing to reject specific cookies via your browser.

Analytics tools

To better understand how our platforms are used, we use industry-standard analytics tools such as Google Analytics. These services help us improve our website’s performance and usability.

If you prefer not to have your data handled by these tools, you can access various opt-out options. For example, Google provides a Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to help you manage how your information is processed.

Social media and third-party applications

Our website may feature integrated tools that allow you to share content via third-party social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Meta-owned services (Facebook and Instagram).

Please be aware of:

• External policies: Any personal information that you provide through these social media platforms may be collected and used by those applications. Any information you provide through these platforms is governed by the privacy policies of the respective social media companies. RDI Partners does not control, and is not responsible for, how these third parties manage your data.
• Community features: If you share information on an RDI Partners social media feature or forum, that information may be visible to other users. Unless stated otherwise at the point of collection, we have limited control over how other participants might use the information you share in these public or semi-public spaces.

Website forms

When you visit our website, you may opt to identify yourself (for example, by providing your contact details in an enquiry form). Any personal information you provide to RDI Partners will be managed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Children

We recognise the significant responsibility involved in protecting the privacy of children, particularly within digital environments. As a professional services firm, our website, products, and services are not designed for, or directed at, individuals under the age of 15.

It is our firm policy never to knowingly collect or maintain personal information from anyone under the age of 15. The only exception to this rule is when such information is essential to a specific professional engagement — for example, to ensure strict compliance with our auditor independence policies, or where we are otherwise required to do so by law. In these rare instances, the data is handled with the highest level of care and security.

How to access your personal information

To ensure we are providing the most effective advice and service, it is important that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, and up to date.

Updating your details

If your circumstances change, or if you believe any information RDI Partners has collected is inaccurate, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided below. We will take all reasonable steps to correct your records promptly, in line with our obligations under the Privacy Act.

How to access your information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. To initiate this process, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided below. Our Privacy Officer will respond to your request within a reasonable time period.

There is no fee associated with this request. In fact, we encourage you to keep your details up to date with us.

Access restrictions

Although unlikely, RDI Partners is entitled to restrict access to personal information in accordance with the APPs. This may occur when:

• Providing access would pose a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of an individual;
• Providing access would have an unreasonable impact upon the privacy of others;
• The request for access is frivolous or vexatious; or
• Information relates to an anticipated, or existing, legal dispute and disclosure would compromise our position, or the position of others.

If RDI Partners refuses you access to your personal information under the APPs, we will provide you an explanation in writing, along with details on how to make a complaint.

How to update your information

If you would like to update your personal information that RDI Partners holds, please contact our Privacy Officer and ask them to correct it. This may involve sharing your personal information that we have existing in our records.

Only you or a person you authorise, such as a legal guardian or authorised agent, can request the correction of your personal information. RDI Partners must be satisfied the request came from you or the person you authorised, so your identity may need to be verified during this process.

Contact us

If you have any questions in relation to this Privacy Policy or our management of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer directly:

Privacy Officer
RDI Partners
privacy@rdipartners.com.au
Level 2, 169 Pirie Street
Adelaide SA 5000

Resolving your concerns

If you have a concern or complaint regarding how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer.

To ensure we understand every detail of your concern, we may ask you to outline your complaint in writing. Once we receive your complaint, we will conduct a thorough review. We will aim to provide a formal response within 30 days, including a clear explanation of the steps taken and the outcome of our investigation.

Our goal is always to resolve any issues directly and transparently with you. However, if you are not satisfied with the resolution we provide, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for further review.

OAIC
oaicintake@oaic.gov.au
GPO Box 5288
Sydney NSW 2001
Or download the OAIC complaint form here.

Changes to our policy

RDI Partners may update or change this Privacy Policy as regulations and markets change. The current version of our Privacy Policy will always be available from our website.