Plain English Foundation

Privacy policy

At 8 December 2021

Our site and our Getting to the point® products and services

Plain English Foundation Pty Ltd (PEF/we/us/our) provides training, editing, evaluation and document design services. We own and run the Getting to the point® training and other products and services offered through our websites.

We collect and store personal information on users, including students, clients and visitors to our websites. This includes any sub-domains accessed through:

This Privacy Policy covers information that we handle about users (you/your). We treat all information we collect as confidential. We collect your personal information in a way that is lawful, fair and not unreasonably intrusive to your privacy. Our Privacy Policy is in line with:

  • the Australian Privacy Principles
  • EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • similar international privacy laws.

This replaces any previous Privacy Policy.

Why do we collect your information?

We collect your information only to carry out our business and deliver our products and services for you.

We will not use, sell or disclose your information for any other purpose without your consent unless the law requires us to. We do not disclose your information to overseas recipients.

Generally, we will collect information from you for such things as:

  • providing the Writing Skills Test and other Getting to the point® services
  • providing the Australian Style Guide™
  • billing and verifying your account
  • identifying your needs
  • offering promotions
  • improving, maintaining and managing our business operations
  • meeting legal requirements.

What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is information that can be used to identify you. Depending on the type of business we are doing with you, personal information includes your:

  • name
  • mailing address
  • email address
  • phone number
  • username and password
  • financial information such as bank details, credit card number and billing address
  • profession, occupation, job title or role.

You can choose not to provide personal information, but this means certain products and services may not be available to you, or may not have the functionality that you would otherwise get. Please contact us to withdraw your consent at any time.

We try to ensure that your information is accurate and up to date. Please tell us if you believe otherwise.

How do we collect personal information?

We collect information through the online enquiry forms on our websites, cookies and the normal course of service delivery, like when you:

  • email us
  • phone us (we may store your phone number)
  • give us a business card.

What are cookies?

When you visit our websites, we may use cookies to record information about your visit like:

  • the type of browser and operating system you use
  • your server’s IP address
  • the previous site you visited
  • the pages you access on our site
  • the information you download.

We, or our service providers, may compile and analyse statistical data we collect to improve our services. The data is de-identified so you are anonymous.

Although most browsers are initially set to accept cookies, you may reset your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie or to reject cookies generally. Most browsers offer instructions on how to do so in the ‘Help’ section of the toolbar.

What direct marketing do we do?

We might send you marketing communications to tell you about:

  • our new products and services
  • our surveys or other information
  • something we think will interest you.

With any direct marketing material, we will also send you details for how to opt out of receiving it. You will still get other communications from us about doing business with you.

If we supply your personal information to a third party for a purpose under this policy, they might send you direct marketing material. But they will also have a simple opt out procedure.

How do we keep your information secure?

We use generally accepted technology and security to hold and protect your information from unauthorised access, use, modification and disclosure by security mechanisms. This includes physical, network and computer security. We restrict access to people who legitimately need it as part of their PEF responsibilities, including:

  • PEF employees and contractors
  • employees and contractors of our service providers (who are contractually required to keep data secure and comply with our Privacy Policy and relevant laws).

We take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your information when it’s no longer needed.

If you use a password to protect your account and personal information, it is your responsibility to keep it confidential and to change it if you think it has been compromised.

How can you access your information?

Contact us in writing with proof of your identity to access, update or delete your information. We’ll reply to your request in a reasonable time. But we may charge a fee to retrieve your information.

We’ll take the necessary reasonable steps to update or delete your information and notify any third party services providers with whom we have shared it so they can update their records.

How do we use your personal information?

We use your information only for the reasons we tell you when we collect it or as this policy outlines. Exceptions are where:

  • you consent to it being used for another purpose
  • the law authorises or requires the intended use
  • it directly relates to the original reason for it being collected
  • it is not practicable to get your consent for the intended use, in which case we will de-identify it first.

How do we store your personal information?

We store your information:

  • on secure computer storage facilities in Australia and the United States of America
  • in printed records in Australia.

We do not store credit card details on our websites. Please see our User terms for more about our payment process.

What if the GDPR applies?

If the GDPR applies to your personal information, you can, among other things:

  • receive transparent information about our processing of it
  • object to us processing it or withdraw your consent to us processing it
  • access it, including by obtaining a free copy of it in a commonly available electronic format
  • correct any errors in it and make it complete
  • have it erased, including the ‘right to be forgotten’
  • have it portable and accessible on request.

Contact us if you wish to do any of the above.

If we have shared your personal information with a third party in line with this Privacy Policy, we will take reasonable steps to notify them about this.

PEF and some of our external service providers may not be in the same country where you submit your personal information. As a result, it may be transferred to countries with different data protection laws.

Where local data regulations require it, we have:

  • security measures for the export of personal information from its country of origin
  • arrangements with those receiving your personal information to put security measures in place so your personal information is processed in line with EU data protection laws.

Any concerns?

Please contact us if you:

  • have any questions about this policy or how we use your personal information
  • want to report a breach of this policy or the Australian Privacy Principles.

We will:

  • treat all complaints about a breach of the privacy laws that affect you seriously
  • investigate a complaint and respond to you within a reasonable time.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to make a complaint to the applicable regulator in your jurisdiction. In Australia, this is the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.