General
It is our policy to provide a quality, safe, environmentally responsible and efficient shipping service. We are committed to continuously improving our operations both ashore and afloat and believe that in order to provide our diverse client base with a quality service, we must continue to ensure all aspects of our operations are reliable and sustainable.
Birdon boasts an Internationally Certified Integrated Management System. The Birdon IMS is responsible for:
- Ensuring that employees understand our commitment to these policies.
- Setting appropriate objectives and monitoring our progress toward achieving our goals.
- Allocating sufficient resources.
- Participating in government, industry and community forums and helping our employees to improve their understanding of the safety, quality, and environmental issues and risks associated with shipping.
- Conducting regular reviews to assess the adequacy, effectiveness and suitability of our Integrated Management System, including our stated policies and associated objectives, and to ensure that these goals are met.
We welcome input from interested parties and all of our employees regarding ways to improve our performance through safety, quality and environmental initiatives.
Safety Policy
Operations are not performed effectively unless they are performed safely.
If an activity is unsafe, the activity is stopped, addressed immediately and appropriate action taken to eliminate the risk of harm to our employees, other persons participating in the activity, public and the environment.
To achieve effective and safe ship, wharf and shore operations, we maintain and follow documented procedures and, in particular, to:
- Comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
- Maintain the ship and all equipment in a safe operating condition, at a minimum, meeting all classification society and registry standards.
- Organise and maintain shore-based management support in such a way to create trust and confidence at all levels and ensure that emergency situations are handled professionally.
- Ensure that shipboard personnel maintain their skill and qualification levels at the standard required to meet this goal.
- To ensure safety issues are addressed effectively, it is the duty of each Birdon employee to bring unsafe conditions immediately to the attention of his or her supervisor.
Quality Policy
We are dedicated to meeting or exceeding customer and agency expectations and to deliver a trusted product (s) and impeccable service. Effective management and a strong commitment from all of our employees to continually improve business processes will enable us to accomplish this goal.
Our quality policy objectives are to ensure that:
- Customers receive their cargo; free of damage, where and when we have agreed to deliver it.
- Customers are served by knowledgeable and responsive customer service staff;
- Cargo is processed efficiently through our facilities;
- Customers receive accurate and timely invoices;
- Customers find it easy to do business with us; and
- All of our transactions and interactions with clients are easily tracked and industry accountabilities continuously met.
Environment Policy
Birdon’s Shipping services rely heavily on the ongoing health and wellbeing of our unique and sensitive operating environments. Birdon is committed to managing environmental matters as an integral part of our day-to-day business operations and are also committed, at a minimum, to prevent pollution from spillage and discharge of oil, disposal of garbage or unacceptable exhaust emissions to the atmosphere caused by our activities.
We will ensure the environmental integrity of our ship and wharf operations, by adhering to the following principles:
- Compliance with all applicable laws and regulations regarding air, water and the environment in general;
- Actively maintain the condition of our environment, prevent pollution and reduce the amount of waste generated by our activities; and
- Minimize the risk to the environment in which we operate by employing reasonably available technology, adhering to operating procedures and being prepared for emergencies.
Our Shipping and Operations Managers have the responsibility to ensure safety on the wharf at all times. We seek the assistance of the public in noting and observing the following procedures.
- Read and comply with signs on the wharf. Please note public access to the wharf is not permitted during berthing, unberthing, cargo unloading or loading operations.
- Charter boat operators are requested not to berth until the ship is fast alongside the wharf.
- Charter boat operators must ensure the safety of their passengers according to instructions issued by the Lord Howe Island Board.
- Accommodation owners are requested to advise their guests to take care on unloading days, especially in the vicinity of the wharf.
The Lord Howe Island Board has strict quarantine measures in place for the protection of the Island’s sensitive environment.
All suppliers and importers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Lord Howe Island Board Quarantine Regulations. The links below are provided for your convenience.
- Lord Howe Island User Guide
- Lord Howe Island Biosecurity Strategy 2016
- LHI Weed Mgmt Strategy 2016
- LHI Rodent Eradication Plan October 2009
For more information please see the Lord Howe Island Board website.
Privacy Policy
At Birdon we respect the privacy of all our customers, employees, business partners, agents, and website visitors. Our privacy policy explains how and why we collect, use, hold and disclose your personal information. In this policy ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ means Birdon Global Pty Ltd (ABN 93 646 170 836) and its subsidiaries of 4 Glen Ewan Road, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444. We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles as defined by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (‘Privacy Act’).
By providing Birdon with personal information you consent to us collecting, holding, using, and disclosing your information in accordance with this policy.
Personal information
Personal information is any information or opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who can be reasonably identified from the information.
Sensitive information is a subset of personal information that is given a higher level of protection under the Privacy Act. We may collect ‘sensitive information’ in limited circumstances.
What information do we collect and hold?
We may collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for the activity or function of Birdon.
The types of personal information we may collect includes:
- Your name
- Contact details including street address, mailing address, email, and phone number
- Date of birth or age
- Banking and financial details
- Credit card details
- Tax file number and stapled superannuation
- Driver’s License number, Passport number and visa details
- Photographs, audio, or video recording e.g., CCTV
- Employment records
- Educational qualifications
- Details of products and services we have provided to you
- Enquiries you have made and our responses to you
- Information provided through customer surveys or complaints
- Any other personal information requested by us and provided by you or a third party
We may collect information about how you access, use, and interact with our websites or social media accounts. This may include your:
- Geo-location data
- Device and network information
- Statistics on page views and sessions
- Search queries and browsing behaviour
- Additional personal information that you provide to us through your use of our site and associated social media platforms
Sensitive information we may collect includes:
- Medical and Health information
- Race or ethnic origin
- Professional association, trade association or trade union membership
- Criminal records
Why do we collect and hold your personal information?
We may collect, hold, and use your personal information for the following purposes:
- Internal record keeping and administrative purposes
- To contact and communicate with you
- To resolve any disputes
- To comply with our contractual and/or legal obligations
- To consider your employment application
- For analytics, market research and business development
- Sending you information about our products and services and information about third parties that we consider may be of interest to you
- Assist government and law enforcement agencies or regulators
We may collect sensitive information for medical or background screening in the recruitment process. By providing this information we assume you have given your consent to the collection of such sensitive information. If you do not consent to the collection of your sensitive information, please contact us to discuss if there are any alternatives available.
How do we collect your personal information?
- Birdon may collect personal information directly from you when you interact with us in person, on the telephone, by letter, fax, email or through our websites
- Birdon may collect information from related companies or third parties such as recruitment agents, education, and training bodies
- We may combine information collected from individuals with information collected from third parties
Use of Cookies:
- We use cookies to collect information about the visits to our websites
- We use session cookies (which expire every 15 days) to help manage the display and presentation of information on our websites
- We also use comment cookies on our website which record your name, email address, and URL. This cookie allows the site to automatically fill the recorded fields on your subsequent visits
You may refuse to use the cookies by adjusting the settings in your browser. However, this may prevent you from being able to use the full functionality of the website.
How do we store and hold your personal information?
We are committed to ensuring the personal information we collect is secure. We store a large proportion of personal information in secure servers. Some information is stored on a cloud-based server operated by an external provider, some of whom may be located overseas. Some personal information is recorded in paper files that we store securely.
To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure of personal information Birdon has in place strict processes and security measures. These systems protect personal information from misuse, interference, or loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.
We cannot guarantee the security of any information that is transmitted over the Internet. The transmission and exchange of information is carried out at your own risk. Although we take measures to safeguard against unauthorised disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that the personal information will not be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this policy. However, once we hold your information it will be handled in accordance with this policy.
We will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information once we no longer require it for the purpose for which it was collected, or for any secondary purpose permitted under the Australian Privacy Principles.
Who do we disclose your personal information to?
At Birdon we do not disclose your personal information to anyone outside our organisation other than for the purposes outlined in this policy. Where we disclose your personal information to third parties, we will request they handle your information in accordance with this policy.
We may transfer or disclose your personal information to:
- Our employees, contractors, and related entities
- Our existing or potential agents or business partners
- Recruitment consultants or agencies
- Government agencies
- Training providers
- Banks and financial institutions
- Insurers
- Referees or other people to confirm information you have provided (e.g., your work history and qualifications) and to perform relevant background checks
- Third party service providers appointed by Birdon to enable them to provide their services. This may include IT service providers, data storage, webhosting providers, debt collectors, maintenance, marketing or advertising providers, professional advisors, and payment system operators
- Anyone to whom our business or assets (or any part of them) are, or may (in good faith) be transferred
We may also disclose your personal information to others where:
- We are required or authorised by law to do so
- You have expressly consented to the disclosure, or the consent may be reasonably inferred from the circumstances
- We are otherwise permitted to disclose the information under the Privacy Act
Do we disclose personal information to overseas recipients?
We may disclose your personal information between our related international entities or business partners overseas where necessary to fulfil our business purposes. Our related entities based overseas include Birdon America Inc. and Birdon (UK) Ltd. These recipients are in Denver, USA, and the United Kingdom. Birdon will ensure our international entities handle your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
When Birdon discloses your personal information to other overseas recipients, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure they protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and the requirements of applicable law wherever the data is located.
Individuals covered by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR) have the following additional rights:
- Right to erasure: you have the right to require us to delete your information if our continued use is not justified. However, this will need to be balanced against other factors. It will depend upon the type of personal information we hold about you and why we have collected it. There may be some legal and regulatory obligations which mean we cannot comply with your request.
- Right to restrict processing: if you are not entitled to the right of erasure, you may be permitted to limit the purposes for which we can use your information.
- Right of data portability: you have the right to require us to provide you with a copy of your personal information in a commonly used machine-readable format or to transfer your information directly to another controller. Once transferred, the other party will be responsible for looking after your personal information.
- Right to withdraw consent: for certain limited uses of your personal information, we may ask for your consent. Where we do this, you have the right to withdraw your consent to further use of your personal information.
- In some circumstances exercising some of these rights will mean we are unable to continue to maintain a business relationship with you.
Do we use your personal information for marketing?
We may use your personal information to offer you products and services we believe may interest you, but we will not do so if you tell us not to. These products and services may be offered by us, our related companies, business partners or our service providers.
Where you receive electronic marketing communications from us, you may opt out of receiving further marketing communications by following the opt-out instructions provided in the communication.
Accessing and correcting your personal information
You may access or request correction of the personal information we hold about you. Please contact us using the details set out below. The Privacy Act includes specific circumstances in which we are not required to give you access to your personal information.
There is no charge for requesting access to your personal information, but we may require you to meet any reasonable costs in providing you with access (such as photocopying costs or costs for time spent on collating large amounts of material).
We will respond to your requests to access or correct personal information in a reasonable time. Furthermore, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold about you remains accurate, up to date and complete.
Complaints
If you have a complaint about the way in which we have handled any privacy issue, including your request for access or correction of your personal information, please contact us. Our contact details are set out below.
Please provide us with full details of the alleged breach. We will promptly investigate your complaint and respond to you, in writing, setting out the outcome of our investigation and the steps we will take to deal with your complaint.
If you remain unsatisfied with the way in which we have handled a privacy issue, you may approach an independent advisor or contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au) for guidance on an alternative course of action.
Reporting Notifiable Data Breaches
Birdon understands our responsibilities under the Privacy Act to report any notifiable data breaches to any affected individuals, corporations, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Birdon has in place a data breach response plan intended to enable us to contain, assess and respond to data breaches in a timely manner, and to help mitigate potential harm to individuals.
Amendments
We may amend our policy on how we handle personal information or the types of personal information that we hold. Any changes to our policy will be published on our website.
You may obtain a copy of our current policy from our website or by contacting us on the details below. We recommend you check our site regularly to ensure you are aware of our current Privacy Policy.
Contact Details
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at:
4 Glen Ewan Rd
Port Macquarie NSW 2444
PO Box 739
+61 2 6589 9100
www.birdon.com.au
Email: info@birdon.com.au