Who this policy applies to
This policy covers treeloppersnewcastle.com.au, operating as Tree Removal Newcastle. It explains how personal information submitted through this website, or given over the phone in response to it, is collected, used, disclosed and stored. It is written to align with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
This is a referral website. Information you provide is passed to independent tree contractors so they can quote and carry out your work. That disclosure is the main purpose of collecting it, and it is set out in detail below.
What is collected
Through a quote or contact form: your name, phone number, email address, the property address or suburb the work relates to, and whatever you write in the message field, including any photographs you attach.
Over the phone: the same categories of information, recorded as notes so a contractor can call you back and quote.
Automatically, when you use the site: your IP address, browser type and version, the pages you visited, the time of the visit and the referring page. This is standard web server and analytics information and is not used to identify you personally.
Sensitive information as defined by the Privacy Act — health information, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, criminal record and similar categories — is not collected. Do not include it in a form.
How it is used
Your information is used to respond to your enquiry, to pass the job to a suitable local contractor, to arrange a quote or a site visit, to follow up on a quote already given, and to keep a record of the enquiry.
It is not sold, rented or traded. You will not be added to a marketing list from a quote request alone, and any marketing message sent will identify the sender and provide a working unsubscribe option, as required by the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).
Who it is disclosed to
Three categories of recipient:
- Contractors. The independent tree contractor who will quote and carry out your work receives the details necessary to do so, including your name, contact details and the property address.
- Service providers. The companies that host this website, deliver its forms and store the enquiry records on our behalf. They are permitted to use the information only to provide those services.
- Where required by law. If a law, court order or regulator requires disclosure, or where disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
Some of the service providers used to host websites and process form submissions store data on servers located outside Australia. Where that occurs, reasonable steps are taken to ensure the overseas recipient handles the information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Cookies and analytics
This site may use cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, remember preferences and measure traffic through analytics services. Cookies are small files stored by your browser. You can block or delete them through your browser settings; parts of the site may not work as intended if you do.
Third-party analytics and advertising services set their own cookies and are governed by their own privacy policies.
How long it is kept
Enquiry records are kept for as long as needed for the purpose they were collected for, and afterwards only as long as required to meet legal, tax or insurance record-keeping obligations. Once no longer needed, information is deleted or de-identified. Quote enquiries that do not proceed to work are generally kept for no longer than is reasonably necessary to follow them up and to handle any later dispute about them.
Security
Reasonable technical and organisational steps are taken to protect information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. This includes transport encryption on the website, access controls on the systems that hold enquiry records, and limiting internal access to people who need it.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and no absolute guarantee can be given. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, it will be handled in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask what personal information is held about you and ask for a copy of it. You can ask for it to be corrected if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. You can ask for it to be deleted, subject to any legal obligation to retain it.
Requests are handled within a reasonable period, normally within 30 days. Identity verification may be required before information is released. There is no charge for making a request, though a reasonable cost may apply to supplying a copy in an unusual format.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy has been mishandled, raise it by calling (02) 4071 2525 or through the contact page, setting out what happened. Complaints are acknowledged and investigated, and you will receive a written response.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which can be reached at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
Changes
This policy may be updated from time to time. The current version is always the one published on this page. Material changes affecting how your information is handled will be reflected here.
Related pages: terms and conditions and the disclaimer.