PRIVACY, COOKIES, ACCESSIBILTY STATEMENT

Privacy Policy

DF Ventures, trading as Virtual Method

We respect your privacy

(a) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method respects your right to privacy and is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our customers and website visitors. We adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This policy sets out how we collect and treat your personal information.

(b) “Personal information" is information we hold which is identifiable as being about you.

Collection of personal information

(a) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method will, from time to time, receive and store personal information you enter onto our website, provided to us directly or given to us in other forms.

(b) You may provide basic information such as your name, phone number, address and email address to enable us to send information, provide updates and process your product or service order. We may collect additional information at other times, including but not limited to, when you provide feedback, when you provide information about your personal or business affairs, change your content or email preference, respond to surveys and/or promotions, provide financial or credit card information, or communicate with our customer support.

How we collect your personal information

(a) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method collects personal information from you in a variety of ways, including when you interact with us electronically or in person, when you access our website and when we provide our services to you. We may receive personal information from third parties. If we do, we will protect it as set out in this Privacy Policy.

Use of your personal information

(a) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method may use personal information collected from you to provide you with information, updates and our services. We may also make you aware of new and additional products, services and opportunities available to you. We may use your personal information to improve our products and services and better understand your needs.

(b) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method may contact you by a variety of measures including, but not limited to telephone, email, sms or mail.

Disclosure of your personal information

(a) We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy. Personal information is only supplied to a third party when it is required for the delivery of our services.

(b) We may from time to time need to disclose personal information to comply with a legal requirement, such as a law, regulation, court order, subpoena, warrant, in the course of a legal proceeding or in response to a law enforcement agency request.

(c) We may also use your personal information to protect the copyright, trademarks, legal rights, property or safety of DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method, https://www.virtualmethod.com.au/, its customers or third parties.

(d) Information that we collect may from time to time be stored, processed in or transferred between parties located in countries outside of Australia.

(e) If there is a change of control in our business or a sale or transfer of business assets, we reserve the right to transfer to the extent permissible at law our user databases, together with any personal information and non-personal information contained in those databases. This information may be disclosed to a potential purchaser under an agreement to maintain confidentiality. We would seek to only disclose information in good faith and where required by any of the above circumstances.

(f) By providing us with personal information, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the types of disclosure covered by this Policy. Where we disclose your personal information to third parties, we will request that the third party follow this Policy regarding handling your personal information.

Security of your personal information

(a) DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method is committed to ensuring that the information you provide to us is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure information and protect it from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

(b) The transmission and exchange of information is carried out at your own risk. We cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us, or receive from us. Although we take measures to safeguard against unauthorised disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that personal information that we collect will not be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.

Access to your personal information

(a) You may request details of personal information that we hold about you in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). A small administrative fee may be payable for the provision of information. If you would like a copy of the information, which we hold about you or believe that any information we hold on you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, please email us at enquiries@virtualmethod.com.au.

(b) We reserve the right to refuse to provide you with information that we hold about you, in certain circumstances set out in the Privacy Act.

Complaints about privacy

(a) If you have any complaints about our privacy practises, please feel free to send in details of your complaints to Lvl 27, 1/100 Barangaroo Ave, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000. We take complaints very seriously and will respond shortly after receiving written notice of your complaint.

Changes to Privacy Policy

(a) Please be aware that we may change this Privacy Policy in the future. We may modify this Policy at any time, in our sole discretion and all modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on our website or notice board. Please check back from time to time to review our Privacy Policy.

Website

(a) When you visit our website

When you come to our website (https://www.virtualmethod.com.au/) we may collect certain information such as browser type, operating system, website visited immediately before coming to our site, etc. This information is used in an aggregated manner to analyse how people use our site, such that we can improve our service.

(b) Cookies

We may from time to time use cookies on our website. Cookies are very small files which a website uses to identify you when you come back to the site and to store details about your use of the site. Cookies are not malicious programs that access or damage your computer. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but you can choose to reject cookies by changing your browser settings. However, this may prevent you from taking full advantage of our website. Our website may from time to time use cookies to analyses website traffic and help us provide a better website visitor experience. In addition, cookies may be used to serve relevant ads to website visitors through third party services such as Google Adwords. These ads may appear on this website or other websites you visit.

Our site may from time to time have links to other websites not owned or controlled by us. These links are meant for your convenience only. Links to third party websites do not constitute sponsorship or endorsement or approval of these websites. Please be aware that DF Ventures trading as Virtual Method is not responsible for the privacy practises of other such websites. We encourage our users to be aware, when they leave our website, to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects personal identifiable information.

Cookie Policy

This Website (referred to in these “terms of use” as the website) is owned and operated by DFVentures trading as Virtual Method, who is referred to in this Cookie Policy as “we”, “us”, “our” and similar grammatical forms.

Our Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use cookies, how third-party partners may use cookies on our Websites and your choices regarding cookies.

General information about visits to our Websites is collected by our computer servers, with small files“cookies” that our Websites transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow the delivery of “cookies”). The “cookies” are used to follow the pattern of movements of users by letting us know which pages on our Websites are visited, in what order and how often and the previous website visited and also to process the items you select if you are making purchases from ourWebsites. The anonymous non-personal information that we collect and analyse is not personal information as described in the Privacy Act.

Why do we use “cookies” and other web use tracking technologies?

(a) When you access our Website, small files containing a unique identification (ID) number may be downloaded by your web browser and stored in the cache of your computer. The purpose of sending these files with a unique ID number is so that our Website can recognise your computer when you next visit our Website. The “cookies” that are shared with your computer can’t be used to discover any personal information such as your name, address or email address they merely identify your computer to our Websites when you visit us.

(b) We can also log the internet protocol address (IP address) of visitors to our Website so that we can work out the countries in which the computers are located.

(i) to help us monitor the performance of our Website so that we can improve the operation of the Website and the services we offer;

(ii) to provide personalised services to each user of our Website to make their navigation through our Website easier and more rewarding to the user;

(iIi) to sell advertising on the Website in order to meet some of the costs of operating the Website and improve the content on the Website; and

(iv) when we have permission from the user, to market the services we provide by sending emails that are personalised to what we understand are the interests of the user.

(d) Even if you have given us permission to send you emails, you can, at any time, decide not to receive further emails and will be able to “unsubscribe” from that service.

(e) In addition to our own cookies, we may also use various third-parties cookies to report usage statistics of the Website, deliver advertisements on and through the Website, and soon.

What are your choices regarding cookies?

If you are unhappy about having a cookie sent to you, you can set your browser to refuse cookies or choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent. However, if you turn your cookies off, some of our services may not function properly.

Accessibility Policy

Purpose

Our organisation is committed to ensuring that all individuals, including those with disabilities, have equal access to our products, services, and digital platforms. This policy outlines our commitment to meeting the accessibility needs of all individuals, in compliance with Australian laws and international standards.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, partners, and stakeholders involved in the design, development, delivery, and management of our services, products, and digital content. It also covers our physical premises.

Compliance with Australian Laws

We are dedicated to complying with the following:

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA): Ensuring that our services and spaces are accessible and that no individual is discriminated against on the basis of disability.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 Level AA): Ensuring that all digital content, websites, and applications are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring content is adaptable, and that users can navigate and interact with content using assistive technologies.
Building Code of Australia (BCA): Ensuring that all new or renovated buildings meet the accessibility standards for physical access, including the provision of ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms.
Australian Human Rights Commission: Adhering to guidelines and recommendations provided by the Commission regarding the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of society.

Policy Statement

We are committed to:

Digital Accessibility: Ensuring our websites, apps, and digital services comply with WCAG 2.1 guidelines. This includes providing accessible content for screen readers, ensuring colour contrast, and enabling keyboard navigation.
Physical Accessibility: Ensuring that all our buildings and facilities are physically accessible, including accessible entryways, parking, elevators, restrooms, and emergency exits.
Customer Service: Training all staff to provide respectful and effective customer service to individuals with disabilities, including the use of assistive technologies and communication aids.
Employment Practices: Providing equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities and ensuring that workplace accommodations are available.
Inclusive Communication: Offering information in multiple formats, such as large print, braille, and accessible PDFs, to ensure that people with disabilities can access important information.

Responsibilities

Leadership: Ensure accessibility is considered in all business decisions, strategies, and operations.
Employees: All employees are responsible for upholding the principles of this policy and must complete accessibility awareness training.
Accessibility Team: A designated team will be responsible for regular audits, compliance checks, and improvements in accessibility.

Review and Feedback

This policy will be reviewed annually or as required by changes in legislation. We welcome feedback from individuals with disabilities and will promptly address any concerns raised.

Complaint Process

If an individual experiences accessibility barriers, they may contact our dedicated accessibility officer at carli.johnston@virtualmethod.com.au. We will investigate all complaints and respond in a timely manner, ensuring compliance with the DDA.

Compliance Resources

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA): [Australian Government Legislation](https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018C00125)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1): [W3C Guidelines](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/)
Australian Human Rights Commission: [Accessibility Resources](https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights)