Privacy Policy

1. Scope of this policy

The Local On Swan Pty Ltd (ABN  ) operates thelocalonswanau.space and provides accommodation and hospitality services from Melbourne VIC. This policy explains how we handle personal information. It applies to all visitors to our website and to all guests, clients, suppliers and prospective clients who interact with us.

We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the thirteen Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out in that Act. Where this policy refers to "we", "us" or "our", it means The Local On Swan Pty Ltd.

You do not need to identify yourself when making general enquiries. Where it is lawful and practicable, we will give you the option of dealing with us anonymously or under a pseudonym, for example when browsing this website. Identification is only required where it is necessary to provide a quote, accept a booking or comply with our legal obligations.

2. Information we collect

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities (APP 3). The kinds of information we may collect include:

• Contact details — your name, email address and, where relevant, delivery or property address.
• Booking and service details — dates, guest numbers, special requests, dietary or accessibility requirements you choose to share with us.
• Enquiry content — the message and any attachments you send through our quote or contact forms.
• Billing details — information necessary to issue invoices and process payments. We do not store full payment card numbers on our systems.
• Technical information — IP address, browser type, device type and pages visited, collected through cookies and similar technologies.

We do not ordinarily collect sensitive information (such as health information or data about racial or ethnic origin) about you. If you voluntarily provide sensitive information so that we can accommodate your needs, we will only use and disclose it for the purpose you provided it, with your consent, or as otherwise permitted by law.

3. How we use personal information

We use personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected (APP 6), and for reasonably related secondary purposes you would expect. Those purposes include:

• Preparing quotes, confirming bookings and delivering our accommodation and hospitality services.
• Communicating with you about enquiries, bookings, invoices and service updates.
• Improving our website, services and customer experience.
• Marketing our own services, where you have opted in — you may unsubscribe at any time.
• Meeting our legal, accounting, tax and regulatory obligations.

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we collect and use is accurate, up to date and complete (APP 10). We will not use or disclose personal information for direct marketing without meeting the requirements of APP 7, and every marketing communication includes a simple opt-out.

4. Disclosure of personal information

We do not sell personal information. We may disclose it to third parties only where it is reasonably necessary for our purposes, or where you have consented. Typical recipients include:

• Service providers who support our operations, such as website hosting, email, analytics and payment processing providers, bound by confidentiality and privacy obligations.
• Professional advisers, including our accountants and legal advisers, where reasonably required.
• Government bodies, regulators or law enforcement, where required or authorised by Australian law.

5. Cookies and analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site functioning, remember your preferences and understand how visitors use our pages. Cookies are small text files stored by your browser.

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect parts of the website. Aggregated analytics data is used only to improve site performance and is not used to identify individual visitors.

6. Security and retention

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure (APP 11). Safeguards include access limitations, encrypted connections (HTTPS) and reputable hosting providers.

We retain personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law — for example, financial records are retained for the period required under Australian taxation law. Once information is no longer needed and no legal retention obligation applies, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

7. Access and correction

Under APP 12, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you. Under APP 13, you may ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

To make a request, email ceo@thelocalonswanau.space. We will respond within a reasonable period, ordinarily within 30 days. There is no charge for making a request, although we may charge a reasonable fee for providing a copy of the information. We will decline access only in the limited circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act, and we will explain why.

8. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers, such as cloud hosting and email platforms, may store or process data outside Australia. Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles (APP 8), including through contractual safeguards.

9. Complaints and privacy enquiries

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, please contact us first so we can resolve the matter directly. We will:

• Acknowledge your complaint promptly, ordinarily within 5 business days.
• Investigate the matter and respond with the outcome, ordinarily 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 oaic.gov.au. Complaints to the OAIC are generally free of charge.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be published on this page, together with the date of the most recent revision. Continued use of this website after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.