Privacy notice

Who we are (APP 1)

Outback Fencing & Steel Supplies Pty Ltd (ABN 76 674 671 820), 76 Astill Drive, Orange NSW 2800. We run Outback Connections — a free rural marketplace.

Privacy questions, requests, or complaints go to help@outbackconnections.com.au. A real person reads it.

Anonymity and pseudonyms (APP 2)

You can browse listings without giving us any personal information. To post or contact a listing you must sign up with an email address; we don't require your real name on the public listing (a display name is fine).

What we collect and why (APPs 3, 5, 6)

Account information: email address, sign-in timestamps, the version of these terms / this notice you agreed to, and (optionally) your home postcode and a display name.

Listings: what you type into the post forms — category, title, description, postcode, contact email or phone number, kind-specific fields (pay rate, vehicle type, travel willingness, etc.), and the policy version current at posting.

Flags and complaints: reason and optional note when a user flags a listing; the listing identifier, the flagger identifier, and timestamps.

Server logs: IP address, browser user agent, request timestamps. Standard infrastructure logging from Vercel.

Cookies: see our cookies notice for the full list. Today: auth session cookies only — no analytics, no tracking pixels.

We use this information to run the marketplace, prevent abuse, comply with the law, and (for opt-in users) send occasional product updates. We don't use it for any other purpose.

Unsolicited information (APP 4)

If we receive information we didn't ask for and don't need (e.g. a stranger emails us their resume), we'll delete or destroy it within a reasonable time unless we're required to keep it by law.

Direct marketing (APP 7)

We won't send you marketing emails unless you tick the opt-in box at signup. Even then, every marketing email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can revoke consent any time via Account settings.

Transactional emails (sign-in links, listing renewal reminders, flag notifications about your own listing, account-related messages) are not marketing and are sent regardless of opt-in status.

Cross-border disclosure (APP 8)

We don't intentionally disclose your personal information to anyone overseas. Our infrastructure providers may process data in their global facilities:

• Supabase (database + auth) — primary region ap-southeast-2 (Sydney). Auth metadata may transit US-based control planes.
• Vercel (hosting + edge) — primary region for our project is iad1 (Washington DC, USA). Static assets are served from edge nodes worldwide.
• Resend (transactional email) — US-based, email delivery is global.

Each of these has its own privacy practices. We choose providers with reasonable data protection standards but you should know some routing happens outside Australia.

Government identifiers (APP 9)

We don't collect Tax File Numbers, Medicare numbers, or drivers' licence numbers. ABN is optional for the future Verified badge — voluntary, you can leave it blank.

Quality and security (APPs 10, 11)

We take reasonable steps to keep your information accurate and secure: HTTPS everywhere, row-level security on the database, service-role access strictly limited, password-less sign-in via email magic links.

Storage location: Supabase Sydney region (ap-southeast-2). Backups within the same region.

Data breach response: if there's a notifiable data breach we'll tell the OAIC within 72 hours of becoming aware, and tell affected users as soon as practicable. Our internal procedure is documented at docs/DATA-BREACH-RESPONSE-PLAN.md in the project repository.

Right to access (APP 12)

You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. Email help@outbackconnections.com.au with the subject “Access request”. We'll respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity by sending a confirmation link to your account email.

You can also see most of your data in real time at your dashboard.

Right to correction (APP 13)

If something we hold about you is wrong, edit it via Account settings (for account info) or My listings (for listings). For anything you can't self-edit, email us and we'll fix it within 30 days.

Right to erasure

From Account settings, click “Delete my account” and confirm. This deletes your account, all your listings, all flags you submitted, and your profile, immediately and permanently. It cannot be undone.

You can also delete a single listing without closing your account.

How long we keep data

• Active listings: until expiry (30 days) or you delete.
• Expired listings: kept for 60 days after expiry so you can renew, then permanently deleted.
• Account info: kept until you delete your account.
• Server logs: typically rotated within 30 days.
• Flag records: kept while the listing exists; cascade-deleted with the listing or the flagger's account.
• Defamation complaints: kept for 7 years (limitation period under the Defamation Act 2005).

Under-18s

Outback Connections is for adults. If you're under 18, please don't use the site. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18 — if you tell us we have, we'll delete it.

Complaints

If you think we've mishandled your information, email help@outbackconnections.com.au first. We'll respond within 30 days. If we can't resolve it, you can take it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this notice

We'll update this when our practices change or the law changes. The version stamp at the top is what was current when you last interacted with the site. Material changes get an email to opted-in users and a banner on-site for at least 14 days.