YOUR PRIVACY

Last updated: October 2026

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At The Virtual Cooee, we value trust, transparency and treating people’s information with care.

This Privacy Policy explains how The Virtual Cooee ("TVC", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when you visit our website, create an account, use our marketplace or interact with our services.

We are committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws and, where applicable, the Australian Privacy Principles.

By using The Virtual Cooee website or marketplace, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

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1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

The information we collect depends on how you interact with The Virtual Cooee.

It may include:

• your name, email address, telephone number and contact details

• business name and business information

• specialist profile information, including skills, experience, qualifications, services, availability, profile photographs and other information you choose to provide

• information contained in job or project listings, enquiries and applications

• messages and communications sent through the TVC marketplace or Hub

• booking and transaction information

• billing and payment-related information

• reviews, testimonials and feedback

• survey responses

• support enquiries and correspondence with us

• marketing preferences

• IP address, browser and device information

• website and marketplace usage information

• information collected through cookies and similar technologies

• information you choose to provide through forms, diagnostic tools or other TVC services.

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for operating and improving The Virtual Cooee and providing our services.

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Sensitive information

Please do not provide sensitive personal information through your profile, listings, Hub conversations or other areas of the marketplace unless it is genuinely necessary.

Where we need to collect sensitive information, we will handle it in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

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2. INFORMATION YOU MAKE VISIBLE TO OTHERS

The Virtual Cooee is a marketplace designed to connect Australian businesses with skilled people living and working in rural, regional and remote Australia.

Because of this, some information you provide is intended to be seen by other users.

For example, information contained in a specialist profile may be visible to prospective clients, and information contained in a business listing may be visible to specialists using the marketplace.

Information included in applications, bookings and Hub conversations will generally be available to the other party involved in that interaction.

Please consider carefully what information you choose to include in publicly visible profiles, listings or messages.

TVC administrators may also access marketplace information and communications where reasonably necessary to provide support, resolve disputes, maintain the integrity and security of the marketplace, investigate misuse or administer transactions.

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3. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you register or create an account

• when you create or update a profile or listing

• when you contact another marketplace user

• when you make or receive a booking or payment

• when you complete a form, survey, diagnostic or questionnaire

• when you contact us for support

• when you subscribe to marketing communications

• automatically when you use our website or marketplace

• through service providers that help us operate The Virtual Cooee.

Where reasonable and practicable, we collect personal information directly from you.

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4. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We may use personal information to:

• create and manage your TVC account

• provide and operate the TVC marketplace

• display specialist profiles and business listings

• connect businesses with appropriate specialists

• facilitate enquiries, applications, bookings and engagements

• enable communication through the TVC Hub

• process and administer marketplace transactions

• provide customer support

• respond to enquiries and resolve disputes

• communicate important service or account information

• improve the website, marketplace and customer experience

• understand how people use our services

• develop new TVC services and tools

• maintain the safety, security and integrity of the marketplace

• prevent or investigate fraudulent, inappropriate or unlawful activity

• comply with legal, taxation, accounting or regulatory requirements

• send marketing communications where you have agreed to receive them.

We may also use aggregated or de-identified information for research, analytics, service development and business planning where that information no longer reasonably identifies an individual.

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5. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

We will only send you marketing communications where we are permitted to do so.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link contained in the email or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary service-related communications about your account, marketplace transactions or changes that affect your use of The Virtual Cooee.

 

6. PAYMENTS

Payments made through The Virtual Cooee marketplace are processed using third-party payment services, including Stripe.

TVC does not store your full credit or debit card details on our own systems.

Payment providers may collect and process financial and identifying information in accordance with their own privacy policies and legal obligations.

We may retain transaction information such as payment status, transaction amounts, dates, fees and other records required to administer the marketplace, maintain financial records and comply with our legal obligations.

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7. THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS

We use trusted technology and service providers to help operate The Virtual Cooee.

These may include providers involved in:

• marketplace hosting and functionality, including Sharetribe

• website hosting and functionality, including Wix

• payment processing, including Stripe

• email and communications

• cloud hosting and data storage

• analytics

• accounting and financial administration

• customer support

• security and fraud prevention

• business automation and other software services.

We provide these organisations only with information reasonably necessary for them to perform the relevant service.

These providers may have their own privacy policies and may process information on infrastructure located outside Australia.

We do not sell your personal information.

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8. OVERSEAS STORAGE AND DISCLOSURE

Some of the technology providers we use operate internationally or use servers and service providers located outside Australia.

As a result, personal information may be stored, processed or accessed in countries outside Australia.

Where Australian privacy laws apply to an overseas disclosure of personal information, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to ensure that information is handled consistently with applicable privacy requirements.

The countries in which our service providers process information may change as their infrastructure and services change. Where required and practicable, we will provide further information about likely overseas locations.

If you would like more information about overseas processing relevant to your personal information, please contact us.

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9. AI AND AUTOMATED TOOLS

The Virtual Cooee may use artificial intelligence and other technology-enabled tools to help us improve our services.

For example, these tools may assist with organising information, analysing responses, helping users identify areas where they need support, generating suggestions, improving workflows or assisting with matching businesses and specialists.

These tools are intended to support people rather than replace appropriate human judgement.

If The Virtual Cooee introduces automated decision-making that uses personal information to make, or substantially assist in making, decisions that could significantly affect an individual's rights or interests, we will provide the information required by applicable Australian privacy law and update this Privacy Policy where necessary.

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10. COOKIES AND WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Our website and marketplace may use cookies, pixels and similar technologies.

These technologies may help us:

• operate essential website and marketplace functions

• remember preferences

• understand how visitors use our website

• measure website traffic and performance

• improve our services

• measure the effectiveness of marketing

• deliver relevant advertising where we choose to use advertising services.

Cookies and similar identifiers may collect information such as your IP address, device information, browser information, pages viewed, links selected and interactions with our website.

You can usually manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect the way parts of our website or marketplace function.

Where required, we will seek consent before using non-essential cookies or tracking technologies.

 

11. SECURITY

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Our security measures may include access controls, password protection, secure third-party platforms and other administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to our operations.

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and users should also take reasonable steps to protect their accounts.

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and should contact us promptly if you believe your TVC account has been accessed without permission.

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12. DATA BREACHES

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will investigate and respond to the breach in accordance with applicable law.

Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies and the legal requirements for notification are met, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required.

 

13. HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate business, legal, accounting and compliance purposes.

The period for which information is retained may depend on factors including:

• whether your TVC account remains active

• whether a transaction or dispute is ongoing

• taxation and accounting requirements

• legal and regulatory obligations

• fraud prevention and marketplace security requirements.

When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to delete it, destroy it or de-identify it where appropriate.

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14. ACCESSING, CORRECTING OR DELETING YOUR INFORMATION

You may be able to review or update some personal information by logging into your TVC account.

You may also contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you or to request that information be corrected.

You may request deletion of personal information or closure of your account. However, in some circumstances we may need or be legally required to retain particular information, including transaction, taxation, accounting, dispute or security records.

We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable privacy law and may need to verify your identity before providing access to or changing personal information.

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15. PEOPLE UNDER 18

The Virtual Cooee marketplace and services are intended for people aged 18 years and over.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 through the marketplace.

If we become aware that personal information has been provided by a person under 18 in circumstances where it should not have been collected, we will take reasonable steps to address the situation.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe a person under 18 has provided personal information to us, please contact us.

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16. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

Our website and marketplace may contain links to third-party websites or services.

A link does not mean that The Virtual Cooee endorses or controls the privacy practices of that website.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of other services before providing personal information to them.

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17. REVIEWS, TESTIMONIALS AND PUBLIC CONTENT

If you choose to provide information that is intended for public display, such as a review, testimonial, specialist profile or public listing, that information may be viewed, copied or shared by other people.

If public information is later removed from TVC, copies may continue to exist elsewhere where they have previously been copied, cached, indexed or saved by third parties.

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18. PRIVACY COMPLAINTS

If you believe we have mishandled your personal information or have a concern about our privacy practices, please contact us.

Please provide enough information for us to understand and investigate your concern.

We will acknowledge your complaint and take reasonable steps to investigate it. We aim to provide a response within 30 days, although complex matters may take longer. If additional time is required, we will let you know where reasonably practicable.

Where the Australian Privacy Act applies to the matter and you are not satisfied with our response, you may also be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

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19. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, business practices or legal requirements.

The latest version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.

Where a change is significant and affects how we handle existing personal information, we may provide additional notice where appropriate.

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20. CONTACT US

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, would like to access or correct personal information, request deletion of information, or make a privacy complaint, please contact:

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The Virtual Cooee
Email: hello@thevirtualcooee.com.au

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We welcome questions about how your information is handled and will do our best to respond clearly and promptly.