Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

To provide our services and improve your experience, we collect the following types of personal information:

1.1 Information You Provide To Us

• Newsletter Subscription: Your email address (required) and name (optional).
• Contact Form: Your name, email address, and any additional information you include in the message.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

We use Google Analytics to analyse website usage and user behaviour. Google Analytics uses cookies (see Section 1.3) to collect the following information:

• Browser and device type
• IP address
• Operating system
• Pages visited
• Referring URLs
• Time spent on the website

For more details, please see Google Analytics’ Privacy Policy at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245 (operated by Google).

1.3 Cookies

Our website uses cookies to analyse traffic and provide an optimal user experience. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help us understand how users interact with our website. We use both first-party cookies (set by us) and third-party cookies (set by Google Analytics or any third-party service we use) to collect data described in Section 1.2 above.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect your experience on our website. For instructions, refer to your browser’s help section (e.g., for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected for the following purposes:

• Newsletter: To send updates, tips, and information about studying and living in Australia. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails.
• Contact Form: To respond to your inquiries or messages submitted through the contact form.
• Website Improvement: To analyse user behaviour via Google Analytics to improve our website content and user experience.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, such as the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Spam Act 2003.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following cases:

• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers to deliver our services, such as MailerLite (to send newsletters) and Google Analytics (to analyse website traffic). These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and comply with applicable privacy laws, including the Australian Privacy Act 1988.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, such as to comply with a court order, government request, or to protect our rights, safety, or property, as permitted under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, or other applicable laws. Where legally allowed, we will notify you of such disclosures.

4. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and Correction: You can request access to or correction of your personal information by contacting us via the contact form. We aim to respond within 30 days, subject to legal exemptions, as required by the Australian Privacy Act 1988.
• Unsubscribe: You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link in our emails or contacting us directly.
• Cookies: You can disable cookies through your browser settings, as described in Section 1.3, though this may affect website functionality.

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information collected through our website, including:

• Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption (e.g., SSL/TLS) to secure data during transmission.
• Secure Storage: Your information is stored on servers protected by access controls and restricted to authorised personnel only.

Despite these measures, no online system can be completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that may impact your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by laws such as the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Notifiable Data Breaches scheme). We continuously review and update our security practices to better protect your data.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, in compliance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988:

• Newsletter and Contact Form Data: We retain your email address, name, and any contact form messages to provide newsletter services or respond to your inquiries. This data is kept until you unsubscribe (via the link in our emails) or request deletion by contacting us through the contact form. Upon your request, we will securely delete your data within 30 days.
• Google Analytics Data: Usage data collected via Google Analytics (e.g., IP address, browser type) is retained for up to 26 months, as per Google’s data retention policies, after which it is anonymised or deleted. We configure retention settings to ensure compliance, and you can learn more in Google’s Data Retention Policy.

7. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of those websites.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new “Last Updated” date.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding your privacy or this policy, please contact us via the contact form on our website.