Collection of Personal Information

APP 1 — Open and transparent management of personal information

Merion Pty Limited (ACN 684 211 390) is committed to managing personal information in an open and transparent way, as required by Australian Privacy Principle 1 under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Merion maintains a privacy policy, available at merion.com.au/privacy-policy/, which sets out how it handles personal information across its operations.

This Trust Centre is part of Merion's transparency obligations. Individuals may contact Merion at any time to understand how their personal information is handled, by emailing [email protected] or calling (08) 6325 5761.

APP 2 — Anonymity and pseudonymity

APP 2 requires that individuals be given the option to interact with an entity anonymously or under a pseudonym, where it is lawful and practicable to do so.

In the debt recovery context, Merion cannot provide its core services to individuals who do not identify themselves. The nature of the service — pursuing a named debt owed by a named debtor on behalf of a named creditor — requires identification of the parties involved. Anonymity is not available for the core service, and this is a lawful exception under APP 2.2(b).

Where interactions with Merion do not require identification — for example, general enquiries submitted through the Trust Centre contact form or public questions about Merion's practices — individuals may make those enquiries without identifying themselves.

APP 3 — Collection of solicited personal information

Under APP 3, Merion may only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for one or more of its functions or activities.

Primary collection sources

• Creditor clients: businesses that engage Merion to recover a debt provide debtor details as part of the account referral — this is the primary source of debtor personal information.
• Debtors: individuals who access the debtor portal, respond to Merion's contact, or submit a dispute or hardship enquiry.
• Website enquiries: individuals or businesses who submit an enquiry, partner, or onboarding form via merion.com.au.

Types of information collected

• Name and contact details — phone number, email address, and postal address.
• Financial information — amount owed, payment history, and account documentation provided by the creditor.
• Case correspondence — communications between Merion, the creditor, and the debtor relating to the account.

Sensitive information

Merion does not collect sensitive information — as defined under the Privacy Act, including health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, and similar categories — as part of its standard debt recovery service. If sensitive information is volunteered by an individual (for example, a medical hardship explanation), it is handled with additional care and used only to the extent necessary to process the relevant request.

Unsolicited personal information

If Merion receives personal information it did not seek — for example, medical records provided without request — it assesses whether it could lawfully have collected that information under APP 3. If it could not have, Merion destroys or de-identifies the information as soon as practicable, provided it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

Further information

For information about how Merion uses and discloses personal information once collected, see Use and Disclosure of Personal Information. For access and correction rights, see Access and Correction.