Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 2025
1. Who we are
Village Australia (“Village”, “we”, “us”) operates the Village platform at villageapp.au. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
2. Information we collect
We collect information you provide when you create an account or use our services, including:
- Name and email address
- Profile photo and suburb
- Service listings and descriptions you create
- Messages sent through the platform
- Payment information (processed securely by Stripe — we do not store card details)
- Reviews and ratings
If you send us a help request through Tell us what you need, we also collect:
- Your first name, mobile number, email address and how you would like us to contact you
- Your suburb and postcode
- How many children you have and their broad age groups (baby, toddler, preschool, school age). We never ask for your children's names or dates of birth
- The kind of help you need, the days and times that suit, and anything else you choose to tell us
You do not need a Village account to send a help request.
We also automatically collect usage data such as pages visited, device type, and IP address to help us improve the platform.
3. How we use your information
We use your information to:
- Provide and operate the Village platform
- Connect families with local providers
- Process payments and send booking confirmations
- Send notifications about your bookings, messages, and account
- Improve and personalise your experience
- Comply with our legal obligations
- Find and suggest helpers who suit your family when you send us a help request
We will never sell your personal information to third parties.
4. Sharing your information
We share your information only as necessary:
- With other users — your public profile (name, photo, suburb, listings) is visible to other members
- With service providers — we use trusted third parties including Clerk (authentication), Stripe (payments), and Resend (email) who process data on our behalf under strict data agreements
- With authorities — where required by Australian law or to protect safety
Help requests are private by default. When you send us a help request you choose who can see it, and you can change your mind by emailing us:
- Keep it private — only the VillageApp team sees your request
- Share an anonymous version — helpers on Village, and our Adelaide Mother's Helper group on Facebook, may see your suburb, the help you need, the days and times, and your children's age groups. Your name is not included
- Share with my first name — as above, with your first name shown to helpers signed in to Village
Your mobile number and email address are never shown to helpers or posted publicly, whichever option you choose. Posts shared to our Facebook group never include your name or contact details. Facebook is a third party with its own privacy policy, and anything posted in a group can be seen and copied by its members.
5. Data storage and security
Your data is stored on secure servers. We use industry-standard encryption and access controls to protect your information. While we take reasonable precautions, no internet transmission is completely secure.
6. Your rights
Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request corrections to inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your account and associated data
- Opt out of marketing emails at any time
To exercise these rights, contact us at admin@villageapp.au.
7. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in and understand how the platform is used. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features may not work correctly.
8. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We'll notify you of significant changes by email or via the platform. Continued use of Village after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.
9. Contact us
Questions or concerns about your privacy? Email us at admin@villageapp.au. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).