AUSTRALIA PACIFIC ART AUCTIONS

ONLINE AUCTION Privacy Policy

Australia Pacific Art Auctions (APAA)
ABN 28 691 255 544

Effective from October 2026

Australia Pacific Art Auctions (APAA) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information when you visit our website, contact us, consign property, register for or participate in an auction, purchase property from us, or otherwise deal with APAA.

1. ABOUT APAA

Australia Pacific Art Auctions (APAA) is a specialist auction house based in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Australia Pacific Art Auctions
86 Lake Street
Cairns QLD 4870
Australia

ABN: 28 691 255 544

Email: info@galleryaustralia.com.au

2. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

Depending on how you interact with APAA, we may collect and hold personal information such as:

your name;
residential, postal and delivery addresses;
email address;
telephone or mobile number;
auction platform account details;
bidder registration details;
vendor or consignor details;
information relating to purchases and sales;
payment and invoicing information;
shipping and collection information;
identification information where verification is required;
correspondence and enquiries made to APAA;
information relating to your transactions with us; and
information you voluntarily provide to us.

We may also collect information about how you interact with our website, such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and other website usage information.

We generally do not seek to collect sensitive information. If sensitive information is provided to us, we will handle it in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

3. HOW DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We may collect personal information:

directly from you when you contact us;
when you complete an enquiry or contact form on our website;
when you register as a bidder;
through The Saleroom or another auction platform used by APAA;
when you consign property with APAA;
when you purchase property from APAA;
when you arrange payment, collection or shipping;
when you subscribe to communications or request information;
when you communicate with us by email, telephone or in person; and
automatically through our website, cookies and similar technologies.

We may also receive information from third parties where reasonably necessary to administer a transaction, such as auction platforms, payment providers, shipping companies or other service providers.

4. HOW DO WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:

responding to enquiries;
providing information about APAA and our services;
administering auctions;
registering and verifying bidders;
administering vendor and consignor relationships;
processing bids and purchases;
issuing invoices and receipts;
processing or arranging payments;
arranging collection, delivery and shipping;
communicating with buyers, vendors and consignors;
providing condition reports and other auction services;
maintaining business and transaction records;
preventing fraud, unlawful activity and auction manipulation;
complying with legal and regulatory requirements;
improving our website, services and customer experience; and
sending marketing or promotional communications where permitted by law.

We will not use personal information for unrelated purposes unless permitted or required by law, or where you have otherwise consented.

5. AUCTION AND THE SALEROOM INFORMATION

When you register or bid through The Saleroom, your information may be collected and handled by both The Saleroom and APAA.

The Saleroom operates its own website, account systems, privacy practices and terms.

APAA may receive information from The Saleroom that is reasonably necessary to administer an auction, identify successful bidders, issue invoices, arrange payment and complete the sale.

You should also review The Saleroom’s privacy policy and terms when registering for an auction.

6. PAYMENT INFORMATION

Where payment is made through a third-party payment provider, APAA may receive confirmation of payment and relevant transaction information.

Payment card details may be processed by third-party payment providers rather than being stored directly by APAA, depending on the payment method used.

APAA does not intend to retain complete payment card numbers or security codes where these are processed through a third-party payment provider.

7. SHIPPING AND DELIVERY

Where necessary to complete a purchase, APAA may provide relevant personal information to a shipping or freight provider.

This may include:

name;
delivery address;
telephone number;
email address;
details of the purchased item; and
information necessary to arrange delivery or collection.

Where you appoint your own carrier, we may provide information reasonably necessary to release the purchased property to that carrier.

8. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may disclose personal information to third parties where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

These third parties may include:

The Saleroom and other auction platforms;
payment processors and financial institutions;
shipping, freight and courier providers;
professional advisers;
information technology and website service providers;
accounting and administrative service providers;
insurers;
government agencies or law enforcement bodies where required or authorised by law; and
other service providers assisting APAA to operate its business.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

9. OVERSEAS DISCLOSURE

Because APAA conducts auctions and transactions with international buyers and uses third-party service providers, personal information may be disclosed to or accessed by organisations located outside Australia.

For example, information may be handled by international auction platforms, technology providers, payment providers or shipping and logistics companies.

Where required by applicable privacy laws, APAA will take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas disclosures are handled appropriately.

The countries in which overseas recipients may be located will depend on the service providers and platforms being used at the relevant time.

10. COOKIES AND WEBSITE TECHNOLOGIES

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

operate the website;
remember preferences;
understand website usage;
improve website performance;
analyse visitor activity; and
support website security and functionality.

Some cookies may be provided by third-party services used on our website.

You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or restrict cookies. However, doing so may affect the functionality of some parts of our website.

11. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

From time to time, APAA may send information about upcoming auctions, new services, exhibitions, consignments or other activities that may be of interest to you.

Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before sending direct marketing communications.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe facility provided in the communication or by contacting us.

You may continue to receive essential transactional or administrative communications, such as invoices, auction notifications or information relating to a purchase.

12. HOW WE STORE AND PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

APAA takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Depending on the circumstances, security measures may include:

access controls;
password protection;
secure online systems;
restricted access to business records;
secure storage of physical documents; and
appropriate security measures provided by third-party technology and service providers.

No method of storing or transmitting information over the internet is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to:

administer ongoing customer relationships;
maintain transaction and financial records;
meet legal and regulatory obligations;
resolve disputes;
maintain business records; and
protect APAA’s legal rights and interests.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required and there is no legal or business reason to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

14. ACCESSING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

You may request access to personal information APAA holds about you.

We will generally provide access unless an exception under applicable privacy law applies.

To request access, contact us using the details below.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information.

15. CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date.

If you believe information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or out of date, please contact us and request that it be corrected.

We will consider your request and take reasonable steps to correct information where appropriate.

16. PRIVACY ENQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS

If you have a question, concern or complaint about how APAA has handled your personal information, please contact us first.

Australia Pacific Art Auctions
12 Shields Street
Cairns QLD 4870
Australia

Email: info@apaauctions.com.au

Please provide sufficient information for us to understand and investigate your concern.

We will review and respond to privacy complaints within a reasonable period.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

17. ANONYMITY AND PSEUDONYMS

Where it is lawful and practicable to do so, you may deal with APAA anonymously or using a pseudonym.

However, anonymity or a pseudonym may not be practicable for activities such as:

registering to bid;
purchasing property;
consigning property;
arranging payment;
arranging collection or delivery; or
complying with legal, security or verification requirements.

18. CHILDREN

APAA’s services are primarily intended for adults.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children for the purpose of participating in auctions.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to APAA, please contact us so that we can consider appropriate action.

19. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including auction platforms, shipping providers, payment providers and other services.

Once you leave the APAA website, the privacy practices of the third-party website will apply.

APAA is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing personal information.

20. AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

APAA may use automated systems or third-party platforms to assist with website functionality, auction administration, fraud prevention, security, communications or other business processes.

Where APAA uses a computer program to make a decision using personal information that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests, APAA will provide the additional information required by applicable privacy law.

At the date this Privacy Policy was published, APAA does not intend to use automated decision-making to make significant decisions about individuals unless appropriate privacy requirements are satisfied.