Privacy Policy — Solarcell

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how

The Trustee for the MT Thompson Family Trust

Trading as Solarcell and, where applicable, Gold Coast Smart Home Solutions and Gold Coast CCTV (“Solarcell”, “we”, “us” or “our”), collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information.

Our ABN is 95 711 810 162, We provide solar, electrical, smart-home, CCTV, installation, repair and maintenance services in the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions.

This policy applies to customers and prospective customers, landlords, tenants, property managers, suppliers, contractors and people who visit or contact our website or business.

Effective date: 12/10/2026
Version: 1.0
Privacy contact: Mark Thompson — mark@solarcell.au

Privacy Act status: [Confirm whether the legal entity is an APP entity and must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the APPs. If it is covered, state that it complies with those requirements. If it is not covered, do not claim that it is legally bound; state whether it voluntarily handles personal information in a manner consistent with the APPs.]

We aim to handle personal information openly, fairly and securely. You can contact our privacy contact using the details in section 17.

2. Personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you deal with us. It may include:

your name, phone number, email address, postal address and service-site address;

your date of birth, if reasonably required to verify identity;

identification or eligibility information required for a Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) assignment or related scheme paperwork;

information about your property and site, including roof type and condition, switchboard and metering details, access arrangements and known hazards such as asbestos;

details of your solar, electrical, battery, EV-charging, smart-home or CCTV equipment, including make, model, serial number, installation and service history and warranty records;

photographs or images of your property, roof, switchboard or installed equipment taken for site assessment, installation, repairs or servicing;

billing and payment records, invoices and payment history. Payment card details are generally handled by our payment provider, not stored by us;

communications with us, including enquiries, complaints and warranty claims; and

online order and acceptance records, including the date and time of acceptance, the version of the terms accepted and, where collected, technical information such as an IP address.

Please do not provide personal information about another person unless you are authorised to do so, or it is reasonably necessary for the service you have requested.

3. Energy, system and metering data

Where relevant to our work, we may collect or access energy generation and consumption data, system performance and monitoring data, and metering or network information. This may come from inverters, batteries, EV chargers, smart-home devices, meters, network providers or monitoring platforms.

We use this information to design or assess a system, prepare performance estimates, diagnose faults, provide maintenance, administer warranties and report on system operation. Some data may be collected directly by a manufacturer or third-party monitoring platform under its own privacy policy and terms. You should review those policies where you use those services.

4. Sensitive information

We do not generally seek to collect sensitive information, such as information about health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or criminal history. We will collect sensitive information only where it is reasonably necessary and you consent, or where collection is otherwise required or authorised by law.

If you provide sensitive information to us that we did not request, we will handle it in accordance with applicable privacy requirements and, where appropriate and lawful, take steps to delete or de-identify it.

5. How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information:

directly from you through website forms, quotes, job authorisations, emails, phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp messages or in-person discussions;

when we inspect, install, repair or service equipment at a property;

from a landlord, tenant, property manager, agent or other person involved in arranging or authorising work;

from an electricity distributor, retailer or metering provider where relevant to your service;

from a manufacturer or supplier when handling a warranty or technical-support matter;

through third-party booking, payment, monitoring, website-hosting or analytics platforms; and

from public or government registers, including an STC registry, where relevant to a service or scheme process.

If we collect information about you from someone else, we will take reasonable steps to make sure you are aware of the collection and how we handle the information, unless an exception applies.

If we receive personal information we did not ask for, we will determine whether we could lawfully have collected it for one of our functions or activities. If not, and it is lawful and reasonable to do so, we will destroy or de-identify it as soon as practicable.

6. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

assess a site and prepare designs, quotes, job authorisations and performance estimates;

supply, install, repair, service and maintain solar, electrical, battery, EV-charging, smart-home and CCTV systems;

arrange network connection, export approval and metering;

process STC assignments and related scheme paperwork;

process payments, issue invoices and maintain business records;

administer warranties, service call-outs and maintenance plans;

respond to enquiries, complaints and warranty claims;

meet legal, licensing, electrical-safety, work-health-and-safety, taxation and record-keeping obligations;

send service confirmations, invoices, notices and reminders;

send marketing communications where you have consented or where the law otherwise permits; and

maintain, protect and improve our services and website.

We will not use personal information for a purpose unrelated to these purposes unless you consent or the use is otherwise permitted or required by law.

7. Who we disclose personal information to

We may disclose relevant personal information to:

our employees, contractors, licensed electricians, installers, accredited installers and system designers;

manufacturers and suppliers for technical support, warranty claims or product registration;

electricity distributors, retailers and metering providers;

STC registries, scheme participants or agents involved in an assignment;

payment processors, insurers and professional advisers;

information-technology, software, website-hosting, monitoring and cloud-service providers;

marketing and communications providers, where marketing is permitted; and

government agencies, regulators or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or authorised by law.

We do not sell personal information.

8. Overseas disclosure

Some service providers we use may store or process information outside Australia. These may include cloud-hosting, email, analytics, payment or monitoring platforms.

Overseas recipients and countries: [List the relevant service providers and countries, or state that Solarcell does not disclose personal information to overseas recipients.]

Where practicable, we will identify the countries to which personal information may be disclosed. We take steps appropriate to the circumstances to protect information handled by our service providers, including through access controls and contractual safeguards. Where the Privacy Act applies, we will address any obligations relating to overseas disclosures under the APPs.

9. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Depending on the information and circumstances, safeguards may include:

access controls and staff permissions;

secure storage and transmission;

password and device-management practices;

payment processing through a payment provider; and

contractual privacy and security obligations for relevant contractors and service providers.

No method of storing or transmitting information is completely secure. We review and improve our safeguards as appropriate.

Payment card details are generally processed by [payment provider] and are not held by Solarcell. Please do not send card details by ordinary email.

10. How long we keep information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, business and record-keeping obligations. Our retention periods are:

When personal information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, unless we must retain it by law or for a lawful business purpose.

11. Access and correction

You may ask us for access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

Contact [privacy contact name or position] at [privacy email] or [postal address]. Please describe the information you are requesting or the correction you seek. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

We will respond within a reasonable period and aim to respond within [30 days]. We may refuse access or correction where the law permits or requires us to do so. If we refuse, we will explain our reasons where required and tell you how to complain. If we do not agree that information should be corrected, you may ask us to attach a statement to the information noting the correction you requested.

12. Privacy complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, contact our privacy contact using the details in section 17. Please include your name, contact details, relevant dates and a clear description of your concern.

We will acknowledge your complaint within [number] business days and aim to provide a response within [30 days]. If we need more time, we will tell you and provide an expected response date.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or we have not responded within a reasonable period, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The OAIC generally expects you to raise the matter with us first and allow us an opportunity to respond.

Website: oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints

Phone: 1300 363 992

Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

13. Cookies, analytics and our website

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate properly, remember preferences, understand how visitors use the site and, where enabled, support advertising.

You can manage, block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Some parts of the website may not function properly if essential cookies are blocked. Where required, we will seek consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

14. Marketing and consent

We may send marketing communications where you have consented or where the law otherwise permits. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the message.

We keep records of marketing consent and withdrawal for 1 year]. We may still send service-related communications such as confirmations, invoices, safety notices, warranty updates and appointment reminders. These are not marketing messages.

15. Children

Our services and website are directed to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children unless it is reasonably necessary for a service or permitted by law. If a child is named in a service record or appears incidentally in a site photograph, we will limit the information retained and use it only for the relevant service, safety or legal purpose.

A parent or guardian who has a concern about a child’s information may contact our privacy contact.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. A new version will show a new effective date and version number and will be published on the website.

The version in force when you accept an order or contract applies to that transaction, unless a later version is agreed by you or applies as permitted by law. A change to this policy does not retrospectively change an existing contract.

17. Privacy contact

For privacy questions, access or correction requests, or complaints, contact:

Privacy contact: Mark Thompson

Email: mark@solarcell.au
Phone: 0448 765 274

Effective date: 12/10/2016

Version: 1.0

18. Privacy Act and data breaches

Where Solarcell/ Gold Coast Smart Home Solutions/ Gold Coast CCTV are subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), it will comply with applicable obligations under that Act, including the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. If an eligible data breach occurs, the law may require us to notify affected individuals and the OAIC.

For current guidance, see oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches. Confirm the entity’s coverage, response process and notification responsibilities before publishing this policy.