Privacy Policy

ParishLocal (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who uses our website and services. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it.

By using parishlocal.com.au or submitting any form on our site, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy.

1. Who We Are

ParishLocal is an Australian business that creates and manages online business directories for church communities. Our platform connects local businesses with parish communities and facilitates listing fee payments that generate ongoing income for participating parishes.

For privacy enquiries, contact us at hello@parishlocal.com.au.

2. What Information We Collect

We collect personal information in the following circumstances:

From parish administrators (Register Interest form)

• Name and role
• Parish name and suburb
• Email address and phone number
• Any additional information voluntarily provided

From businesses (List Your Business form)

• Business name and contact name
• Email address and phone number
• Business address, website, and trading hours
• Business description and category
• Payment information (processed securely by Stripe — we do not store card details)

From parishioners (Recommend a Business form)

• Name and email address
• The name of the business being recommended
• Any personal comment or quote submitted with the recommendation
• Whether the parishioner consents to their first name being displayed publicly on the listing (see Section 5)

From website visitors generally

• IP address and browser type (via server logs)
• Pages visited and general usage patterns, collected in aggregated form via analytics tools such as Google Analytics
• Cookies (see Section 7 below)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect to:

• Respond to enquiries from parishes and businesses
• Set up and manage parish directory pages
• Create and publish business listings on the directory
• Process listing fee payments and issue receipts via Stripe
• Send renewal reminders to listed businesses
• Remit parish income with itemised quarterly reports
• Follow up on business recommendations submitted by parishioners
• Improve our website and services based on aggregated usage data
• Comply with our legal obligations

We do not use your personal information for unsolicited marketing without your consent.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell personal information to third parties. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• With parish contacts: Business application details and, where relevant, business recommendation details may be shared with the relevant parish contact for the purpose of reviewing and approving listings
• With Stripe: Payment information is processed by Stripe, Inc. in accordance with their privacy policy at stripe.com/au/privacy
• With service providers: We use third-party tools for website hosting, email delivery, and form processing. These providers access data only as necessary to provide their services. Some service providers may store or process information outside Australia, including in countries where those providers operate
• When required by law: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request

5. Business Listing and Recommendation Information

Information submitted as part of a business listing — including business name, contact details, description, and category — will be published publicly on the ParishLocal directory. By submitting a listing application, you consent to this information being displayed on the relevant parish directory page.

Where a parishioner recommendation is used as part of a listing (as a “Community Recommended” note), the recommender will have been asked at the time of submission whether they consent to their first name and parish being displayed publicly. If the recommender selects the anonymous option, their recommendation may still be used to award a Community Recommended badge, but no identifying information will be displayed.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with our legal obligations. Specifically:

• Business listing information is retained for the duration of the listing and for a reasonable period after expiry in case of renewal
• Parish and business contact information is retained while the relationship is active and for up to seven years for financial record-keeping purposes
• Form submissions from parishioners are retained for the period required to process the recommendation

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small files placed on your device — to improve your experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function (e.g. form security tokens)
• Analytics cookies: We may use tools such as Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site in aggregate. We do not use this data to identify individual users

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect some website functionality.

8. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access. Our website is served over HTTPS, and payment processing is handled exclusively by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your information (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@parishlocal.com.au. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to external sites, including parish websites and business websites listed in the directory. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us