Garfield Community Website Inc operates this website to share information about community activities, associated organisations, and local initiatives in and around the West Gippsland Rail Towns. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information collected through this site and through our usual dealings with community members.
This policy applies to personal information we collect through our website (including contact forms and email links), at events and meetings, and through other direct contact with you. It covers how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information, and the choices you have about this.
Garfield Community Website Inc seeks to follow the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, as applicable to community and not-for-profit organisations. We aim to handle personal information in a way that is transparent, respectful, and consistent with good privacy practices.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the law or in how we operate. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
We may collect personal information you choose to provide to us, such as your name, email address, phone number, suburb or town, and any other details you include when you contact us through the website, by email, by phone, or in person. This may include enquiries, feedback, offers to volunteer, or sponsorship and partnership discussions.
When you visit our website, we may collect information such as your device type, browser type, pages viewed, date and time of visits, and referring website. This information is generally collected in a de-identified or aggregated form and does not directly identify you, but in some circumstances it may be linked with other information to become personal information.
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences and help us understand how people use the site. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. You can usually disable or manage cookies through your browser settings, although this may affect how the site functions for you.
We do not usually ask for sensitive information (such as information about your health, racial or ethnic origin, or religious beliefs). If you voluntarily provide any sensitive information, we will only use it for the purpose for which you provided it, or as otherwise required or authorised by law, and we will take extra care in handling it.
We use the information you provide to respond to your questions, provide information about Garfield Community Website Inc and associated organisations, and connect you with relevant community groups or opportunities where appropriate.
We may use your information to manage our activities as a community organisation, such as coordinating volunteers, managing mailing lists or event invitations (where you have opted in), keeping records of committee or membership communications, and improving how we support the Garfield community and surrounding towns.
Information about how the website is used helps us understand what people are looking for and how we can make the site clearer and easier to navigate. We may use analytics tools to review website traffic and trends in an aggregated way.
We generally handle personal information with your consent, to respond to your requests, or where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate interests in running a community-focused, not-for-profit organisation. We may also handle personal information where required or authorised by Australian law, including to comply with legal obligations or respond to lawful requests from authorities.
We may use cookies to remember your preferences (such as your preferred view of pages) and to help the website function properly. These cookies do not usually identify you personally, but they may identify your browser or device.
We may use analytics tools to collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited, how long people stay, and which links are clicked. This information is typically collected in an aggregated and de-identified form and helps us understand and improve the site.
Most browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings, including blocking or deleting cookies. If you choose to disable cookies, some parts of the website may not function as intended, but you will still be able to access key information.
Our website includes links to associated community organisations and other external websites. These sites have their own privacy practices, which may be different from ours. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.
We store personal information in a combination of electronic records and, in some cases, paper files. Electronic records may be held on secure systems operated by or for Garfield Community Website Inc, including reputable third-party service providers that help us manage email, website hosting, or document storage.
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps may include access controls, password protection, use of secure connections where appropriate, and limiting access to people who need the information for their role.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy it or de-identify it, where it is practicable to do so.
If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to individuals, we will assess the situation and, where required under Australian law, take reasonable steps to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
We may share personal information with trusted service providers that assist us in operating the website, managing communications, or supporting our activities, such as website hosting, email services, or IT support. These providers are only given the information they need to perform their services and are expected to handle it securely.
Where you ask to be connected with, or request information about, one of our associated community organisations, we may share your contact details with that organisation so they can respond to you directly. We will do this in line with your request or reasonable expectations.
We may disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, for example in response to a court order or lawful request from a regulator or law enforcement agency, or where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of any person.
Some of our service providers may store or process information outside Australia. Where this occurs, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient will handle your personal information in a way that is consistent with this policy and applicable Australian privacy requirements.
You can contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you, or to ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. We may ask you to confirm your identity before providing access or making corrections.
Where we rely on your consent to handle your personal information, you can withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us. If you receive email updates or invitations from us, you can ask to be removed from the mailing list or adjust your preferences.
If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us using the details in the Contact for Privacy Queries section below. We will take your concerns seriously and work with you to try to resolve them.
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, you may be able to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. For current contact details and guidance, visit www.oaic.gov.au.
How to contact us about privacy
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or how Garfield Community Website Inc handles personal information, you can contact us using the details below.
Email: admin@garfield.org.au
Phone: 0498 386 958 (Mon-Fri 11am to 4pm)
Postal address: PO Box 47, Garfield VIC 3814, Australia
You can also use the online contact form on our Contact page if that is more convenient for you. Please include enough detail for us to understand your enquiry, and let us know how you would prefer us to respond.
Last updated: May 2026