Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Pacific Palms Community Association (PPCA) operates the villagefirst.org.au website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number when you send us a message or feedback
• Feedback Content: Ideas, suggestions, and comments you share
• Community Updates: Your email address, the topics you choose, and a record of your consent (see below)
• Membership: Your name, contact details and membership payments, when you apply to become a member
• Volunteering: Your name, contact details, the groups you join and the hours you contribute
• Contributions: Your name, contact details and what you pledged or gave, when you support the community
• Website Analytics: Anonymous usage data (pages visited, time on site, general location)

Consent for community updates. When you sign up for community updates we send you an email with a confirmation link, and you only start receiving updates once you click it. We record the exact wording you agreed to, when you agreed, and which page you signed up on, so we can show your consent was given. We never store your full IP address for this — only a one-way scrambled (hashed) version.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiries and feedback
• Send you community updates (if subscribed)
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations

Analytics and Cookies

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. This service uses cookies to collect anonymous information including:

• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• How you arrived at our website
• General geographic location (city/region level)
• Device and browser type

We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise IP addresses. You can opt out of analytics cookies using the cookie consent banner when you first visit our site.

How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our website uses HTTPS encryption for all data transmission.

Personal information you give us through this website is stored in a secure database hosted in Sydney, Australia. It can only be seen by committee members who need it for their role, after signing in to our administration area, and every change is recorded against the person who made it. It is never published on the website and never sold or shared for marketing.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Netlify: Website hosting and the committee's secure sign-in
• Supabase: Our secure database, hosted in Sydney, Australia, where the personal information you give us is kept
• Resend: Sending the emails you ask for — confirmations, receipts and replies
• Mailchimp: Sending community updates. Mailchimp holds a copy of the mailing list for this purpose only
• Google Analytics: Website analytics (only if you accept analytics cookies)

Each service has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data.

Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information
• Unsubscribe from community updates at any time, using the link in any update email

Data Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it, or as long as the law requires. Our records are checked automatically every night, and anything past its time is deleted — or your details are removed from it — without anyone needing to remember.

• Messages and feedback: deleted 12 months after we close them.
• Community updates: kept while you are subscribed. If you unsubscribe, your name and details are removed within 30 days; we keep only your email address, so we can make sure you are never emailed again.
• Membership records: kept for 7 years after your membership ends, as the law for incorporated associations requires, then deleted.
• Volunteering records: deleted 2 years after you stop volunteering.
• Contributions: your contact details are removed after 2 years; the financial record is kept for 7 years, then your name is removed from it.
• Deleted records: when a record is deleted it is kept for up to 90 days in case it was deleted by mistake, then removed permanently.

Other records we keep for community work — for example if you take part in a local event or a recovery effort — follow the same approach: kept only as long as needed, financial records for 7 years, then deleted or with your details removed.

Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us via our Contact Form.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy has been breached and are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.