Privacy Policy
Effective date: 1 January 2025
This Privacy Policy describes how VelvetFields (https://velvetfields.com.au) collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information. We are committed to handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in Schedule 1 of that Act.
1. Who We Are
VelvetFields is an Australian online resource providing livestock guides and information for goat, sheep, poultry, and small farm producers. Our website is located at https://velvetfields.com.au.
For any privacy-related questions, contact us at contact@velvetfields.com.au.
2. What Personal Information We Collect
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our functions. The types of information we may collect include:
Contact enquiry information: When you submit our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. Phone number and area of interest are optional fields. This information is stored in our secure database and used solely to respond to your enquiry.
Newsletter subscription information: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address for the purpose of sending you livestock tips and guide updates. We use a reputable third-party email service provider to manage our mailing list.
Automatically collected information: When you visit our website, our hosting provider and analytics tools may automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type, device type, the pages you visit, and the time and duration of your visit. This information is collected in aggregate and used to improve the website. We do not use this information to identify individual users.
We do not collect sensitive information (as defined in the Privacy Act) and we do not collect personal information from children under 13 years of age.
3. How We Use Your Personal Information
We use your personal information only for the purpose for which it was collected or for a directly related secondary purpose you would reasonably expect. Specifically:
Contact enquiry information is used to respond to your question or request. We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit consent and we do not use your enquiry information for marketing purposes unless you separately opt in to receive communications from us.
Newsletter subscriber information is used to send you the email updates you subscribed to receive. Each newsletter includes an unsubscribe link that allows you to opt out at any time.
Technical and analytics information is used in aggregate to understand how our website is used and to improve its content, navigation, and performance.
4. How We Store and Protect Your Information
Contact enquiry information is stored in a password-protected database on our hosting server. We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. Our hosting provider maintains industry-standard physical and technical security measures.
We retain contact enquiry information for a period of two years, after which it is deleted from our systems unless there is a legitimate reason to retain it for longer (for example, if an ongoing correspondence has not been concluded).
Email subscriber information is held by our third-party email service provider in accordance with their data protection practices. We recommend reviewing that provider's privacy policy for information about how they protect subscriber data.
While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of electronic storage or internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or stored by our website.
5. Disclosure of Your Personal Information
We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes.
We may disclose personal information to:
Service providers who assist us in operating the website or conducting our activities, where those providers are subject to confidentiality obligations and are only permitted to use your information for the specific purpose we have engaged them for. These may include our web hosting provider, email service provider, and website analytics provider.
Law enforcement or regulatory bodies where we are required to do so by law, court order, or in response to a legitimate request by a government authority.
We do not transfer personal information to recipients outside Australia unless we have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient handles the information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website may use cookies — small data files stored on your device — to support website functionality and analytics. Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information in the form you provide it to us directly.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of the website, but will not prevent you from accessing or reading our guides and content.
We may use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to understand how our website is used. These services may collect information about your use of the website through cookies and similar technologies. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
7. Your Privacy Rights
Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:
Access the personal information we hold about you. To request access, contact us at contact@velvetfields.com.au. We will respond within a reasonable time (generally 30 days) and may ask you to verify your identity before providing access.
Correct personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. Contact us using the details below to request a correction.
Complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles. If you believe we have not complied with our obligations under the Privacy Act, please contact us first at contact@velvetfields.com.au and we will attempt to resolve your complaint within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.
8. Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with personal information. The inclusion of a link does not imply our endorsement of the linked website or its privacy practices.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we update the policy, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal information. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to your personal information or this Privacy Policy, please contact us: