Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Trees For Life Inc. (ABN 20 439 529 086) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, transparently and in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This policy applies to all personal information we collect in connection with our programs, services, fundraising activities, surveys, events, employment and volunteer engagement. By providing your personal information to Trees For Life, you consent to its collection and use as described in this policy. We review this policy annually, with the next review date being 1 July 2026.

Trees For Life will:

Collect only information which the organisation requires for its primary function;
Ensure that stakeholders are informed as to why we collect the information and how we administer the information gathered;
Use and disclose personal information only for our primary functions or a directly related purpose, or for another purpose with the person’s consent;
Store personal information securely, protecting it from unauthorised access;
Provide stakeholders with access to their own information, and the right to seek its correction
Provide an avenue for redress / complaints from stakeholders.

2. Details

Collection of personal information

TFL collects personal information from people who are connected to our operations and activities – including employees, members, donors, sponsors, volunteers, research study participants, participants in campaigns or promotion projects, professionals, suppliers and service providers.
Where possible, we will collect your personal information directly from you (in person, on the phone, or online). Our website collects only personal identifying information from visitors which is provided on a voluntary basis.
We may also obtain personal information from third parties such as contractors, including fundraising service providers. If we collect personal information about you from a third party and it is unclear that you have consented to the disclosure of your personal information to us, we will take reasonable steps to contact you and ensure that you are aware of the circumstances surrounding the collection and purposes for which we collected your personal information.
Where practicable, you will be given the opportunity to engage with us on an anonymous basis, or using a pseudonym.

What personal information we collect

The types of personal information we may collect include:

Contact and identity information

Name, email address, phone number and postal address
Organisation name and position (for corporate partners, council representatives and landholders)

Program and engagement information

Program participation history (volunteering, planting days, bush care activities)
Landholder property details relevant to program delivery
Donation history and giving preferences
Survey responses and feedback
Event attendance records

Communication and marketing preferences

Preferred communication channels and frequency
Consent records for marketing and fundraising communications

Technical information

Website usage data collected via cookies and analytics tools (see Section 9)
IP addresses and browser information collected automatically when you visit our website

We collect only the information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy. We do not collect sensitive information unless it is directly relevant and you have given explicit consent.

Why the information is collected

Personal information is collected for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

Program delivery — managing participation in programs, events and activities; coordinating volunteer activities; delivering program materials
Fundraising and donor relations — processing donations, issuing tax receipts, communicating impact reports and managing grant reporting
Communications and engagement — sending newsletters, event invitations and program updates; responding to enquiries; conducting surveys
Research and improvement — analysing how programs and communications are perceived; improving quality and relevance of work; refining strategic messaging
Legal and compliance obligations — meeting obligations under applicable laws; maintaining accurate financial records

Survey participation

Participation in any Trees For Life survey is entirely voluntary. Respondents may withdraw at any time without consequence.
Survey responses are collected solely to inform Trees For Life's communications strategy and program development. They are not used for commercial purposes.
Where the survey platform permits, respondents may choose to respond anonymously.
Where names or contact details are collected, these will not be attributed to individual responses in any published or internally circulated findings. Responses may be analysed using thematic coding or AI-assisted tools. Where AI-assisted analysis is used, all personally identifying information is removed before processing.
Where a respondent has opted in to providing a public quote, their first name and cohort description only will be used, unless they have requested full anonymity.
Survey responses are stored securely and retained for three years following the conclusion of the project, after which they are deleted or de-identified.
Surveys are administered via secure third-party platforms. The relevant platform's privacy policy governs the technical handling of data on their systems.

Use and disclosure of personal information

Information will only be used or disclosed for the primary purpose for which it was collected or a directly related secondary purpose.

Personal information may be disclosed to others in order to carry out TFL activities, e.g.

To external contractors and service providers who perform services on TFL’s behalf or provide a service to TFL, such as mailing houses, information technology service providers, database contractors.
For legal reasons, or where disclosure is required to prevent serious and imminent threat to life, health or safety.

Wherever it is necessary to disclose personal information to a third party for a reason not outlined above, TFL will provide a Collection Notice which explains the circumstances in which the personal information is to be disclosed.

Third party platforms and tools

Trees For Life uses a number of trusted third-party platforms to manage surveys, communications and data. These may include:

Online survey platforms for stakeholder consultation
Email marketing platforms for newsletters and communications
Payment processors for donation management
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems for contact management
Website analytics tools for understanding how our website is used

Opt-out provisions

Where we use your personal information to send you marketing and promotional information by post, email or telephone, we will provide you with an opportunity to opt-out of receiving such information. By not electing to opt-out, we will assume we have your implied consent to receive similar information and communications in the future. Our opt-out notices are always clear, noticeable and easy to take up.

We continue to be bound by the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth) when we undertake direct marketing and we comply with the provisions of these Acts.

Storage of personal information

Trees For Life takes the security of your personal information seriously and implements reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it.

Storage

Personal information is stored in secure, access-controlled systems
Physical records are stored in locked facilities with restricted access
Digital data is stored on secure servers with appropriate encryption and access controls

Access

Access to personal information is limited to staff and authorised volunteers who require it to perform their role
All staff and volunteers with access to personal information are required to maintain confidentiality

Retention

We retain personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law
Survey responses are retained for three years following the conclusion of the project, after which they are securely deleted or de-identified
Donor records are retained in accordance with financial reporting requirements

Website use and cookies

The only personally-identifying information collected from visitors to our website is that which is provided to us on a voluntary basis. When you access our website, we may use software embedded in our website and we may place small data files (or cookies) on your computer or other device to collect information about which pages you view and how you reach them, what you do when you visit a page, the length of time you remain on the page, and how we perform in providing content to you.

A cookie does not identify individuals personally, but it does identify computers. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie and this will provide you with an opportunity to either accept or reject it in each instance.

Payment information

TFL uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates which is the industry standard for encrypting credit card and debit card numbers and name and address. This acts to prevent viewing by any third party over the internet.

Access to your personal information

You may request access to the personal information Trees For Life holds about you. We will respond to access requests within 30 days.

However, the type of information requested must be clearly identified and the person’s right to access personal information is not absolute. TFL is not required to grant access in certain circumstances, such as where:

Providing access would pose a serious threat to the life, safety or health of any individual, or to public health or public safety

Providing access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals

The request for access is frivolous or vexatious

Denying access is required or authorised by a law or a court or tribunal order

Providing access would be unlawful, or

Providing access would reveal commercially sensitive information (such as that which may prejudice commercial negotiations, legal proceedings, enforcement activities or appropriate action being taken in respect of a suspected unlawful activity or serious misconduct)

Other exclusions as provided for or required by the Australian Privacy Principles.

The TFL Privacy Officer is responsible for determining whether or not access is to be granted.

If we refuse to grant you access to your personal information, we will provide you with our reasons for that decision (unless it is unreasonable to do so) as well as information regarding how you might complain about that refusal.

Children's Privacy

Trees For Life does not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 15 without the consent of a parent or guardian. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 15 without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Updating or correcting your personal information

You may ask us to update, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you at any time. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making any corrections to or deletion of your information.

We also have obligations to take reasonable steps to correct personal information we hold when we are satisfied that it is inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading for the purpose for which it is held.

Complaints

Queries or complaints relating to TFL’s Privacy Statement, or the manner in which personal information is/was handled, must be marked ‘confidential’ and directed to the TFL Privacy Officer as follows:

Privacy Officer
Trees For Life
GPO Box 165
BROOKLYN PARK SA 5032

Phone: (08) 8406 0500
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.treesforlife.org.au

The Privacy Act requires that any complaint be made in writing and that a reasonable time is given for TFL to respond.

All efforts will be made to respond to complaints and queries within 30 days of their receipt.

If the complainant is not satisfied with TFL’s response they may then refer the matter to the Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner at:

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 2999
CANBERRA ACT 2601