Privacy Policy
Newtown Mission| Last updated: 29 September 2026
1. About this policy
Newtown Mission is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting the personal information you share with us.
As a church and community organisation, we interact with people in many different ways, including through worship, community programs, volunteering, events, fundraising, donations and our website.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information, and how you can access or correct the information we hold about you.
We aim to handle personal information responsibly, transparently and in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, where they apply to us.
By engaging with Newtown Mission, you can expect us to treat your personal information with care and respect.
2. What personal information do we collect?
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with Newtown Mission.
This may include:
Contact information: your name, email address, phone number and postal address.
Donations and payments: information needed to process donations, purchases or other transactions. Payment details may be collected and processed by third-party payment providers.
Volunteering information: details relevant to your volunteer role, including availability, emergency contacts and required compliance documentation.
Event and program information: details you provide when registering for or participating in worship, events, activities or community programs.
Communications: information you share when contacting us, subscribing to newsletters, providing feedback or making an enquiry.
Website information: technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and how you interact with our website.
Other information: any additional information you choose to provide to us in connection with our activities.
In some circumstances, we may collect sensitive information, such as information about your health, religious beliefs or other matters relevant to your involvement in our activities. We will only collect sensitive information where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent.
We do not seek to collect more personal information than is reasonably necessary for our activities.
3. How do we collect personal information?
We may collect personal information in several ways, including:
Directly from you when you contact us, complete a form, make a donation, register for an event or volunteer with us.
When you subscribe to our newsletter or other communications.
Through conversations and interactions with our staff, volunteers and ministry leaders.
When you use our website or interact with our online services.
From third parties, where appropriate and permitted by law.
Where practical, we collect personal information directly from the person it relates to.
If we receive personal information about you from another source, we will handle it in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.
4. How do we use personal information?
We use personal information to support the work and activities of Newtown Mission, including to:
Provide and coordinate worship, pastoral care, community programs and other activities.
Communicate with you about events, services, activities and opportunities you have expressed an interest in.
Manage volunteering, including rostering, training and relevant compliance requirements.
Process donations, payments and fundraising activities.
Respond to enquiries, feedback and requests for assistance.
Send newsletters and other communications where appropriate.
Improve our website, programs and services.
Maintain the safety and security of our people, facilities and activities.
Meet our legal, regulatory and reporting obligations.
We will only use your personal information for purposes that are reasonably connected to our activities, or for another purpose where permitted or required by law.
5. When do we share personal information?
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share personal information in the following circumstances:
With service providers
We may share information with trusted organisations that provide services on our behalf. These may include website hosting, email distribution, payment processing, event management, data storage and technology providers.
We expect service providers to handle personal information appropriately and take reasonable steps to protect it.
Within Newtown Mission
Where necessary, relevant staff, ministry leaders and authorised volunteers may access personal information to carry out their responsibilities.
Access should be limited to what is reasonably necessary for their role.
With the Uniting Church and other organisations
We may share information with the Uniting Church in Australia, relevant church bodies or other partner organisations where this is necessary for our activities, permitted by law or authorised by you.
Where required by law
We may disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, or where necessary to protect someone's safety or meet our legal obligations.
With your consent
We may share your information with other organisations or individuals when you have given us permission to do so.
6. Sensitive information and pastoral care
As a church community, we recognise that people may share personal and sensitive information with us in the context of pastoral care, prayer, community support and other activities.
We treat this information with particular care and seek to limit access to those who need it for a legitimate purpose.
We will only collect, use or disclose sensitive information in ways permitted by applicable law, including where appropriate, with your consent.
If you share information with a staff member, minister or pastoral care volunteer, please be aware that confidentiality may have limits where disclosure is required by law or necessary to address a serious safety concern.
7. Photography, video and events
From time to time, Newtown Mission may take photographs or record video at worship services, events and community activities.
We may use these images and recordings in our publications, on our website, or on our social media channels to share information about our community and activities.
Where appropriate, we will seek permission before using identifiable images, particularly where children or vulnerable people are involved.
If you have concerns about an image or recording of you being used, please contact us.
8. Website, cookies and analytics
Our website may collect certain technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and the date and time of your visit.
We may use cookies and similar technologies to help our website function, understand how visitors use it and improve the experience.
We may also use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, if enabled on our website. These services may collect information about how visitors interact with our website.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. However, some website features may not work as intended if cookies are disabled.
Our website may contain links to external websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.
9. How do we store and protect personal information?
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Depending on the nature of the information, we may store it in electronic systems, secure online platforms or physical records.
Access to personal information is limited to authorised people who need it to perform their responsibilities.
While we take reasonable precautions to protect personal information, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. How long do we keep personal information?
We retain personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required or permitted by law.
When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.
Some records may need to be retained for legal, financial, safeguarding or organisational reasons.
11. Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask us whether we hold personal information about you and request access to that information.
You can also ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
To make a request, please contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making changes.
We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
In some circumstances, we may be unable to provide access to certain information. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where we are permitted to do so.
12. Email communications
If you subscribe to our newsletters or other email communications, we may use your contact details to send you updates about Newtown Mission and its activities.
You can unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in the email or by contacting us directly.
We may still send essential communications relating to a service, activity or transaction you have requested.
13. Overseas disclosure
Some of the technology and service providers we use may store or process information outside Australia.
Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is handled in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements.
The countries in which information may be stored or processed will depend on the providers and services we use.
14. Privacy complaints
We take privacy concerns seriously.
If you believe we have mishandled your personal information or breached your privacy, we encourage you to contact us so we can investigate and respond.
Please provide as much detail as possible about your concern. We will acknowledge your complaint and take reasonable steps to investigate and resolve it.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), where it has jurisdiction.
You can find further information about making a privacy complaint on the OAIC website.
15. Children and young people
Newtown Mission recognises the importance of protecting the privacy and safety of children and young people who participate in our activities.
Where we collect personal information about children or young people, we take particular care to handle it appropriately and in accordance with applicable laws and our safeguarding responsibilities.
Where required, we will seek consent from a parent or guardian before collecting or using a child's personal information.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities, technology or legal obligations.
The latest version will be published on our website, with the date of the most recent update.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
17. Contact us
If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, wish to access or correct your personal information, or would like to make a privacy complaint, please contact us.
Newtown Mission
Email: comms@newtownmission.org.au
Website: www.newtownmission.org.au