Communication & Privacy Policy

1. About TK Victorian Providers

TK Victorian Providers/Thrivingkidsvic.au is a privately operated, independent website offering information and directory visibility services.

We are not a government website and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Australian Government or any government department or agency. The term “Thriving Kids” and the associated program belong to the Australian Government. We do not own the term or program, administer the government program, or act as its official representative.

Our website provides an independent way for people to discover services and for providers to share information about their businesses.

2. Information you may provide

The information collected depends on how you use the website.

• Providers and businesses: business name, contact person's name, email address, phone number, website, service categories, locations, listing descriptions, and other details supplied for a directory profile.
• Referrers and professionals: name, organisation, professional role, contact details, areas of interest, and preferences for updates or other communications.
• Families and other visitors: contact details and information included in an enquiry, feedback message, or form submission. Please avoid sharing sensitive details about a child or family unless necessary and specifically requested.
• Technical information: depending on the website tools and settings, browser or device information, pages visited, and general usage data may be collected during normal website operation.

We aim to collect information reasonably needed to operate the website, manage listings, respond to users, and send communications that people have chosen to receive.

3. How we use information

Information may be used to:

• create, check, publish, maintain, update, or remove provider directory listings;
• display business information that a provider has supplied or authorised us to publish;
• respond to enquiries and provide requested assistance;
• send updates, service information, news, or offers where a user has chosen to receive them and provided the required consent;
• manage subscriptions, payments, cancellations, refunds, and account matters;
• maintain website security, address misuse, keep appropriate records, and comply with legal requirements.

A listing provides directory visibility. It does not guarantee referrals, enquiries, new clients, a particular search position, or any specific business result.

4. Provider listings and public information

Information submitted for a provider profile may be displayed publicly. This can include the provider or business name, service description, categories, locations, website, and contact details selected for publication.

Providers are responsible for ensuring they are authorised to submit the information and that it is accurate and lawful to publish. Do not include another person's personal information in public listing fields unless you have the necessary authority or permission.

Information sent privately through an enquiry or signup form is not automatically published. We use it for the purpose explained when it is collected, in line with this policy and applicable law.

If you notice incorrect information in a listing or want to request a change or removal, contact us using the details published on TK Victorian Providers/Thrivingkidsvic.au.

5. Optional email and SMS communications and consent

Some forms may invite you to sign up for email, SMS or other electronic updates, news, service information, or offers. SMS mobile numbers are currently collected with consent for future use; SMS sending is not connected yet. Signing up is voluntary. If you select the relevant consent option and submit the form, you agree to receive the types of communications described alongside that option.

You can browse the website without agreeing to optional promotional emails. If an optional consent box is left unticked, we will not treat that as a signup for those communications. We will not rely on silence or a pre-ticked box as consent where express consent is required by law.

We aim to communicate responsibly and avoid unnecessary contact. We respect the Australian Spam Act 2003 and applicable privacy and electronic messaging requirements. Commercial emails will identify the sender and include a working unsubscribe method where required by law.

We may still send non-promotional messages about an active listing, payment, subscription, security issue, or a request you have made. These necessary service messages are separate from optional marketing emails.

6. Your right to unsubscribe

You can opt out of optional email, SMS or other electronic communications at any time. Use the unsubscribe link in an email, where available, or contact us through the contact page on the website, specifying whether you wish to stop email, SMS or both. App email unsubscribe links are managed by our email service. A future SMS service will include its own opt-out instructions. Requests to stop optional commercial communications will be actioned within five working days, as required by the Spam Act 2003.

After your unsubscribe request has been processed, we will stop sending the relevant optional emails. We will not resume those emails unless you choose to subscribe again by visiting the website, completing the relevant form, and providing consent.

We may keep a limited suppression record where reasonably necessary to ensure your preference is respected. Unsubscribing from promotional emails does not itself cancel a paid provider listing and does not prevent essential messages relating to an active listing, transaction, or request.

7. When information may be shared

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

Information may be handled by service providers that help us run the website or deliver requested services. These may include website hosting, form and email systems, payment processors, analytics tools, and technical support providers. Information shared with them should be limited to what is reasonably needed for their role, and their own privacy terms may also apply.

We may also disclose information where required or authorised by law, in response to a lawful request, or where necessary to protect the safety, rights, or security of users or the website.

8. Information security and retention

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. However, online transmission and electronic storage cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.

We keep information for as long as reasonably needed for the purposes explained in this policy, including legitimate operational, accounting, security, dispute-resolution, and legal purposes. When information is no longer needed, we may delete it, de-identify it, or securely dispose of it where appropriate.

9. Access, correction, and removal requests

You can contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you, ask for it to be corrected, or request removal of information from a provider listing. We may need to confirm your identity or authority before acting, and some records may need to be retained for legal or legitimate operational reasons.

Please use the contact details published on ThrivingKidsVic.au. We will consider requests and respond within a reasonable period, in accordance with applicable law.

10. Cookies and website analytics

Depending on the website configuration, cookies or similar technologies may be used to support site functionality, remember preferences, help maintain security, or understand general website usage. You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect how parts of the website work.

11. External links

Our website may contain links to external websites or third-party services. Those sites are not controlled by us, and we are not responsible for their content, security, or privacy practices. Review the relevant site's privacy policy before submitting information to it.

12. Children’s privacy

The website supports service discovery for families, referrers, and professionals. We do not ask users to submit unnecessary personal or sensitive information about children. Please take care not to include identifying details about a child in public listing fields or general enquiries.

If you believe information about a child has been submitted inappropriately, contact us so we can review the issue.

13. Cancellation policy for visibility directory listings

Providers can request cancellation of a paid visibility listing at any time. Unless the relevant plan terms say otherwise, cancellation stops the plan from renewing, while the listing remains active until the end of the paid period or the next due date covered by the payment.

Once cancellation has been processed, the plan should not renew for a further billing period. Cancellation does not automatically create a right to a refund for the unused portion of the current paid period. Refunds are considered under the policy below and applicable consumer law.

14. Provider refund policy

Paid provider plans provide directory visibility through TK Victorian Providers/Thrivingkidsvic.au. Depending on the plan purchased, this may include visibility across Victoria and exposure through a nationwide or associated directory. The plan description at the time of purchase sets out the visibility included. Payment does not guarantee referrals, enquiries, clients, rankings, or business results.

If you have paid for a provider listing and want to request a refund, please contact us within 24 to 48 hours of payment. If we receive your request within that period and your listing has not yet been processed for activation, we will review the request and, where applicable, arrange the refund and stop activation processing.

If activation processing has already taken place, or the request arrives outside that period, we will assess the request individually and in accordance with the applicable plan terms and Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in this policy removes or limits any consumer guarantee, right, or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

For a refund or cancellation request, contact us using the details on the website and include the provider or business name, payment date, and relevant order or transaction reference. Do not email full payment-card details.

15. Free access for referrers and families

Families, referrers, and other users can browse and use the directory's family- and referrer-facing information services free of charge. No subscription fee applies to that access. Charges apply to provider visibility listings or other services only where a fee is clearly stated.

16. Changes to this policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy as our website, services, practices, or legal obligations change. The current version will be available on this page, with the date it was last reviewed. We encourage users to check this page periodically.

17. Contact

For privacy questions, access or correction requests, listing updates or removal, unsubscribe requests, cancellations, or refund enquiries, contact us using the details published on TK Victorian Providers/Thrivingkidsvic.au.