Suburbly (operated by The Blue Water Community Trust – ABN: 13 636 334 474) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in an open and transparent way. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information when you use our website suburbly.com.au, associated subdomains (e.g., suburbly.com.au/4017), and related services (collectively, the “Platform”).
1. What personal information do we collect?
We may collect the following types of personal information:
- Account & Profile Information — name, email address, postcode/suburb, username, password, profile photo, bio, and other details you provide when registering or updating your profile.
- User-Generated Content — posts, comments, event listings, photos, reviews, messages, and other content you upload or share on the Platform (this may include personal information about yourself or others).
- Contact & Communication Information — details you provide when contacting us, subscribing to notifications, or using our contact forms.
- Technical & Usage Data — IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time/date of access, referral sources, and analytics data collected via tools like Google Analytics.
- Location Data — suburb/postcode information (essential for hyperlocal features) and, if you enable it, more precise geolocation data via your device.
- Other Information — any other personal information you voluntarily provide, such as when reporting issues or participating in surveys.
We do not intentionally collect sensitive information (e.g., racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, health information) unless it is relevant to a specific community post and you have chosen to share it publicly.
2. How do we collect your personal information?
We collect personal information directly from you when you:
- Create an account or log in
- Post content, events, deals, or directory listings
- Comment, message other users, or interact on the Platform
- Subscribe to notifications or newsletters
- Contact us for support
We may also collect information automatically through cookies, pixels, and similar technologies. Some data may come from third-party services we integrate (e.g., maps or authentication providers).
3. Why do we collect, use, and disclose your personal information?
We collect and use your personal information to:
- Provide, operate, and improve the Platform (including hyperlocal feeds, events, deals, and directories)
- Verify your identity and manage accounts
- Enable you to interact with your suburb community
- Send service-related communications (e.g., password resets, moderation notices)
- Protect against spam, abuse, and security threats
- Comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes
- Analyse usage trends to enhance community features
We may disclose your personal information to:
- Service providers (hosting, cloud storage, analytics, moderation tools) who assist us
- Law enforcement or government agencies when required by law
- Successors in the event of a business sale or merger
We are unlikely to disclose personal information to overseas recipients on a regular basis. However, some of our service providers (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics) may store data in overseas locations such as the United States or Europe. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers comply with Australian privacy standards or equivalent protections.
4. Anonymity and pseudonymity
Where it is lawful and practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym (e.g., using a username without providing your real name). However, many core features (posting, commenting, private messaging) require a registered account linked to at least an email address.
5. How do we protect your personal information?
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, including through technical safeguards (encryption, access controls) and organisational measures (staff training, policies).
No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Access and correction of your personal information
You have the right to access and correct your personal information we hold, subject to exceptions under the Privacy Act.
To request access or correction, contact us at privacy@suburbly.com.au. We will respond within a reasonable period (usually 30 days) and may charge a reasonable fee for access requests.
7. Complaints
If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact us first at privacy@suburbly.com.au with details of your complaint. We will investigate and respond promptly.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): Website: www.oaic.gov.au Phone: 1300 363 992
8. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted here with the new “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review it periodically.
9. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact: Email: privacy@suburbly.com.au
By using Suburbly, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.
Last Updated: 11 January 2026