Privacy Policy
1. About this policy
At thevillagehealthco.au, we take your privacy seriously. This policy explains in plain language what personal information we collect when you use our website, why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and what rights you have.
We handle your information in line with the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024.
This policy covers any information collected through our website, online store, emails, and social media.
2. What we collect
When you make a purchase, create an account, sign up for our emails, or contact us, we may collect:
Your name and contact details (email, phone, address)
Your mobile number, which we only use for SMS marketing if you have opted in
Your business name and ABN (if applicable)
Billing and shipping addresses
Payment details (processed securely by our payment provider and never stored on our servers)
Any messages, questions or feedback you send us
Survey responses
Social media handles (if you share them with us)
When you visit our website, we automatically collect some technical information:
Your IP address and approximate location
Browser type and device information
Which pages you visit, how long you stay, and where you came from
Cookie data (see Section 7)
3. Why we collect your information
We only collect information when we have a good reason to. Here is how we use it:
To fulfil your order: processing your purchase, arranging delivery, sending receipts and updates
To run your account: setting up and managing your account, saving your preferences
To communicate with you: responding to your questions, sending support replies
To send you marketing: newsletters, offers and updates by email or SMS, only if you have opted in
To improve our website: understanding how people use our site so we can make it better
To keep things secure: detecting fraud and protecting our website and customers
To meet legal requirements: tax record-keeping and responding to legal requests
We only send marketing messages, whether by email or SMS, to people who have asked for them. You can opt out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email, replying STOP to any SMS, or contacting us.
4. Automated tools and AI
We may use automated tools or artificial intelligence to help run our business, for example:
Recommending products based on what you have browsed or purchased
Screening orders for potential fraud
Using chatbots to answer common questions
Analysing website traffic to spot trends
We do not use automated tools to make important decisions about you without a real person checking first. If you have concerns about how an automated tool has been used, contact us, and we will have someone review it.
5. Who we share your information with
We never sell or rent your personal information.
We do share it with a small number of trusted service providers who help us run our business. These include our payment processor, email platform, SMS provider, website host, analytics provider, advertising platforms, and shipping provider. Each of these providers is only allowed to use your information for the specific service they provide to us. They are required to keep it secure and confidential.
We may also share your information if we are legally required to do so, for example, in response to a court order or government request. If our business is sold or merged with another, your information may be transferred to the new owner under a confidentiality agreement.
6. Keeping your information safe
We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including:
Encrypting data sent between your browser and our website (SSL/TLS)
Restricting access so only staff who need it can see your information
Using secure, encrypted storage for sensitive data
Running regular security checks
No system is completely secure, but we do our best to protect your information.
We only keep your information for as long as we need it. As a guide:
Type of informationHow long we keep itPurchase and payment records7 years (required by tax law)Your account detailswhile your account is active, plus 2 yearsMarketing preferencesuntil you unsubscribe, plus 1 yearSupport messages3 years after your issue is resolvedWebsite analytics26 monthsCookie consent records12 months
When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or anonymise it.
7. Cookies
Cookies are small files saved on your device when you visit our website. They help our site work properly and let us understand how people use it.
We use four types of cookies:
TypeWhat it doesYour choiceEssentialkeeps the site working (e.g. your shopping cart)Always onAnalyticshelps us see how people use the siteYou can opt outMarketingused to show you relevant adsYou can opt outPreferencesremembers your settings and choicesYou can opt out
When you first visit our website, you may see a cookie banner that lets you opt out of non-essential cookies. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.
8. What happens if there is a data breach
If there is a data breach that is likely to cause you serious harm, we will:
Notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as possible
Let you know what happened, what information was involved, and what you can do to protect yourself
Take steps to contain the breach and reduce any further risk
This is in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988.
9. Children's privacy
As a family healthcare practice, we provide care to clients of all ages, including infants, children, and adolescents. Where a client is a child, we collect and handle their personal and health information with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, as part of providing clinical care, including intake forms, treatment notes, referral correspondence, and appointment records.
As children mature, they may gain the ability to make their own healthcare decisions and provide their own consent for the collection and use of their information, consistent with their capacity to understand what is being asked of them. Where this occurs, we will engage directly with the young person about their information as appropriate, alongside continuing to involve their parent or guardian as relevant to their care.
We take extra care with children's health information given its sensitivity, and it is subject to the same security, storage, and access protections described elsewhere in this policy.
10. Your rights and your right to take action
Under Australian privacy law, you have the right to:
Ask us what personal information we hold about you
Ask us to correct any information that is wrong or out of date
Ask us to delete your personal information (where we are not required by law to keep it)
Make a complaint if you think we have mishandled your information
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 13. We will respond within 30 days.
Since June 2025, the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 gives individuals the right to take legal action for serious invasions of privacy. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to sort things out directly.
11. Links to other websites
Our website may link to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, so we encourage you to read their privacy policies before giving them any personal information.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the date at the top and post a notice on our website. If we make a major change that affects how we handle your information, we will do our best to let you know by email.
13. Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or want to make a complaint, please get in touch at hello@thevillagehealthco.au. We aim to respond within 48 hours and to resolve any complaints within 30 days.
If you are not happy with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at [www.oaic.gov.au](https://www.oaic.gov.au) or on 1300 363 992.