Our Blog’s Privacy Policy

This policy must be read along with our blog’s Disclaimer and Terms of Service.

HeartBeat, the blog by Store with a Heart, is committed to privacy and transparency as we work towards making a difference through our content. This Privacy Policy explains our ongoing obligations to you regarding the management of your Personal Information and follows the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). You can find the Australian Privacy Principles at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website here.

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1. What is Personal Information and Why Do We Collect It?

Personal Information includes any information or opinion that identifies an individual, such as names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers. We collect this information in several ways, including:

• Through interviews, correspondence, and emails
• Via interactions on our website, cookies, and publicly available sources
• From third parties, media, or other publications

Our primary purpose in collecting Personal Information is to provide and improve our services, share impactful information, and engage with our community for marketing purposes. We may also use your information for closely related secondary purposes, where you would reasonably expect such use. You can opt out of marketing communications anytime by contacting us in writing using our Contact Form or by managing your subscription at the bottom of our email newsletters.

When collecting Personal Information, we will inform you where appropriate why we are collecting it and how we intend to use it.

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2. Sensitive Information

The Privacy Act defines Sensitive Information as data concerning an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political views, religious beliefs, union memberships, criminal records, or health information. This information will only be used:

• For the primary purpose for which it was collected
• For directly related secondary purposes
• With your consent, or as required or authorized by law

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3. Third Parties

Whenever possible, we collect your Personal Information directly from you. However, we may receive information about you from third parties. In such cases, we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are aware of the information provided to us by those third parties.

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4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose your Personal Information under specific circumstances, such as:

• To third parties with your consent for a specific purpose
• Where required or authorized by law

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5. Security of Personal Information

HeartBeat values your privacy and takes measures to protect your Personal Information from misuse, unauthorized access, modification, or loss. When your information is no longer needed for its initial purpose, we will destroy or permanently de-identify it securely. Client files containing Personal Information may be retained for at least 7 years, as required by law.

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6. Access to Your Personal Information

You may request access to your Personal Information held by us and request updates or corrections if needed. To access your information, please contact us through our Contact Form. While we do not charge a fee for access requests, an administrative fee may apply for providing copies. To protect your data, we may ask for verification of your identity before releasing the requested information.

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7. Maintaining the Quality of Your Personal Information

Ensuring your Personal Information is accurate is essential to us. We take reasonable steps to maintain updated, accurate records. If you believe that any information we hold is outdated or incorrect, please notify us so we can update our records and continue to provide quality service.

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8. Policy Updates

This Privacy Policy may change from time to time and will always be accessible on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically to stay informed.

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9. Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about our Privacy Policy, please reach out to us via our Contact Form.

Credit: This Privacy Policy template was adapted from resources provided by Business Victoria.

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Thank you for being part of HeartBeat—together, we aim to make a meaningful difference.