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About this policy.
This Privacy Policy explains how Newtowne East Coast ("Newtowne," "we," "us," "our") collects, uses, stores, and shares personal information when you visit newtowne.com.au or purchase from us.
Newtowne East Coast is a registered Australian business (ABN 32 261 010 254) operated from Newcastle, New South Wales. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and we take these obligations seriously.
By using our website or buying from us, you agree to this policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.
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What we collect.
We only collect the personal information we need to run the business and serve you well. Specifically:
When you place an order
- Contact details — your name, email address, phone number, and shipping address
- Billing details — your billing address (we do not store credit card numbers ourselves; payment data is handled by Stripe)
- Order history — what you bought, when, and any related correspondence
When you create an account
- Your email address and a password (encrypted)
- Any saved addresses or preferences you choose to add
When you subscribe to our mailing list
- Your email address and your consent to receive marketing communications
When you visit our website
- Technical information — IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
- Usage information — pages visited, time on site, referring URL
- Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 6 below
What we don't collect
We do not collect sensitive personal information (as defined under the Privacy Act) unless you voluntarily provide it. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18 (see Section 10).
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How we use it.
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- Fulfilling your order — processing payment, packing, shipping, and tracking
- Customer service — answering questions, handling returns, resolving issues
- Account management — keeping your account active and secure
- Marketing — sending newsletters and offers (only with your consent, and you can unsubscribe at any time)
- Site improvement — analysing usage patterns to improve the website experience
- Legal compliance — meeting our tax, financial, and other legal obligations
- Fraud prevention — verifying identity and preventing unauthorised transactions
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. Ever. Full stop.
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Who we share it with.
We share your information only with trusted third parties who help us run the business. Each of these has their own privacy obligations:
| Service | What they receive | Where |
|---|
| Stripe / WooPayments |
Payment information for processing transactions |
USA, Ireland |
| Hostinger |
Website hosting; data stored on their servers |
Australia / Singapore |
| Cloudflare |
IP addresses and traffic data for site security and performance |
Global |
| Australia Post / Sendle / courier partners |
Shipping address and contact details for delivery |
Australia |
| Google Analytics |
Anonymised usage data (page views, time on site) |
USA |
| Mailing list provider |
Email address and subscription status |
Varies — disclosed at point of subscription |
We may also disclose your information where we are legally required to do so — for example, in response to a court order, subpoena, or other valid legal process.
If Newtowne is sold, merged, or restructured, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you in advance if this happens.
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How we keep it safe.
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between you and our website
- Secure password hashing for any stored passwords
- Two-factor authentication on administrative accounts
- Regular security updates and monitoring
- Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
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Cookies and tracking.
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:
Essential cookies
Required for the site to function. These cookies remember the contents of your shopping bag, keep you logged in, and process payments. The site cannot work without them.
Analytics cookies
Help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. These cookies do not personally identify you. We use Google Analytics for this purpose.
Marketing cookies
If we run advertising campaigns, marketing cookies help us measure their effectiveness. You can opt out of these without affecting your ability to use the site.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling essential cookies will prevent you from completing purchases.
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Your rights.
Under the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles, you have the following rights:
- Access — you can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction — you can ask us to correct any information that is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete
- Deletion — you can ask us to delete your information, subject to our legal record-keeping obligations
- Withdraw consent — you can unsubscribe from our mailing list or withdraw consent for marketing at any time
- Complain — if you believe we have mishandled your information, you can contact us to discuss it, or lodge a complaint with the OAIC
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We aim to respond within 30 days. Some requests may be subject to verification of your identity to protect your information.
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How long we keep it.
We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it to fulfil the purposes set out in this policy, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
- Account information — kept while your account is active, and up to 12 months after you delete it (in case you wish to reactivate)
- Order records — kept for at least 7 years to comply with Australian taxation requirements
- Marketing subscriptions — kept until you unsubscribe
- Website analytics — typically retained for 26 months
After these periods, your information is securely deleted or anonymised.
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International transfers.
Some of the third parties we work with (listed in Section 4) are located outside Australia. When we share your information with them, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
By using our website, you consent to this international transfer of your information.
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Minors.
Our website and services are intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.
If you are under 18, please do not use our website or provide us with any personal information. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, we will delete it.
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Changes to this policy.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.
For material changes, we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice on the website before the changes take effect.
Your continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.