Question: How Secure is your Data?

Answer:    Your personally identifiable information is kept secure. Only authorised employees of Dualandre Consulting (who have agreed to keep information secure and confidential) have access to this information. All emails and newsletters from our site will allow you to opt out of further mailings.

Question: Does this Act (PAIA) mean that anyone may now have access to my records?

Answer:    A very emphatic NO!

The only people who have any right to request any access to any record of your business are people who wish to exercise or protect a right to which they are entitled. Such rights may be the result of a contract or may exist because of some legislation.
Rights may also come into existence as a consequence of anybody having suffered damages due to the negligence or recklessness of another.
The Act is intended to encourage openness and to establish voluntary and mandatory mechanisms or procedures which give effect to the right of access to information in a speedy, inexpensive and effortless manner as reasonably as possible and to promote transparency, accountability and effective governance of all public and private bodies by empowering and educating everyone to understand their rights in terms of the Act so that they are able to exercise their rights in relation to private bodies.
The Act does not create any additional rights – it is essentially intended to make it easier for someone who does have a right, to protect that right or to exercise that right by making public the name of the contact person and details of the kinds of records a business holds.
The onus of proving that he or she has a right to such records lies with the requester. There are also many grounds for refusing access to any record.