Accepting and disclosing information regarding trusts and companies 104-04040030

It is necessary for Services Australia to collect and record information on the private trusts and private companies.

The information available on private trust and private company files and computer records can often involve more than one person or customer. Staff should be aware of this and be very careful when accessing private trust or private company files and records. Information held on these files and computer records is subject to the same confidentiality and privacy provisions as all other customer information.

Services Australia staff cannot disclose the following:

• Personal details of any shareholders or beneficiaries (including whether or not they are a customer) to anyone, including controllers
• The details and names of other beneficiaries
• Tax File Numbers (TFN)

Services Australia staff can disclose the following:

• Information about the trust or company’s income and assets can be confirmed with a controller or nominated contact person
• Information about a customer’s own assessment
• Names of shareholders as this information is readily available from Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Information provided by one customer on a Module PC - Private Company, or Module PT - Private Trust can be used in respect of another; and information provided by a customer may generate a request for additional information from another customer, in line with standard data matching procedures. Staff should be very careful when accessing and printing any organisation details and be sure to delete information which is not relevant to the customer they are dealing with.

Where a Service Officer is unable to help the customer with their enquiries or are unsure on privacy issues, they should refer the customer to a Complex Assessment Officer (CAO). This should be done via CAO escalation.