Privacy policy

Thanks for visiting our website.

This privacy policy applies to Inner West Guide, South West Sydney Guide and The Sydney Free List (together, the "Publications"). It covers the Publications' websites and newsletters at innerwestguide.com.au, southwestsydneyguide.com.au and sydneyfreelist.com.au, including any Beehiiv-hosted pages or forms used for those Publications.

This privacy policy explains how we collect and process your personal data when you use a Publication website or newsletter, subscribe, respond to surveys, make submissions or contact us.

As an online business, we aim to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and, where applicable, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ensure that your information is protected.

We use the information we collect about you to maximise the services and products we provide to you via our website and through our business.

By providing us with your data, you warrant that you are over the age of 18 years.

Local Media Guides, which publishes Inner West Guide, South West Sydney Guide and The Sydney Free List, operates the Publications and is the controller of personal information collected through them. Local Media Guides is therefore responsible for your personal data and is referred to as "we", "us" or "our" in this Privacy Policy.

A subscription to one Publication does not automatically subscribe you to another. We only add you to each newsletter that you deliberately choose to receive.

CONTACT DETAILS

Privacy enquiries for all three Publications are handled through our shared Local Media Guides contact:

Inner West Guide
South West Sydney Guide
The Sydney Free List

[email protected]

Please email [email protected] with privacy questions, requests or complaints.

It is essential that the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. Please let us know if at any time your personal information changes by emailing [email protected].

Personal Information: Type, purpose and legal grounds

Personal information/data means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. It does not include information that is genuinely anonymous.

The legal grounds described below apply where the GDPR applies. We rely on legitimate interests only where the processing is necessary and your rights and interests do not override ours. Where consent is required by applicable law, we obtain it.

We may process the following categories of personal data about you:

Communication Information

Communication information includes any communication that you send to us. This information can be sent to us through:

  • The contact and submission forms linked from our website;
  • The subscriber form on our website;
  • Email, text, social media messaging;
  • Social media posting; or
  • Through any other communication that you send to us.

We process this data for:

  • Communicating with you;
  • For record-keeping, and;
  • For the establishment, pursuance or defence of legal claims.

Our legal ground for this processing is our legitimate interests, which are to respond to communications sent to us, keep records, and establish, pursue, or defend legal claims.

User Information/Data

User information includes data about how you use our website and any online services together with any data that you may post for publication on our website or through other online services. We may collect, store and use:

  • information that you provide to us when using the services on our website or that is generated in the course of the use of those services (including the timing, frequency, and pattern of service use);
  • information contained in, or relating to, a personal or business account with our website (including name, email address, subscription status and preferences);
  • information that you provide when you provide feedback;
  • information that you provide when you change your personal details or email preferences;
  • information that you provide when you respond to a survey, including your first name, suburb, gender, content preferences and whether you run or own a local business;
  • information that you provide when you communicate with our customer support;
  • any other personal information that you choose to send to us.

Before you disclose to us the personal information of another person, you must obtain that person's consent to both the disclosure and the processing of that personal information in accordance with this policy.

We process this data to

  • Operate our website and ensure relevant content is provided to you;
  • To ensure the security of our website;
  • To maintain backups of our website and/or databases and;
  • To enable publication and administration of our website, other online services, and business.

Our legal ground for this processing is our legitimate interests, which are to enable us to administer our website and our business properly.

We will not, without your express consent, supply your personal information to any third party for their or any other third party's email marketing. Our use of website analytics and advertising technologies, including the sharing of device identifiers and website activity, is explained in the Cookies section. Where applicable law requires consent, we obtain it.

After subscribing, you may be offered other newsletters. If you choose to subscribe to one, Beehiiv shares your email address with that publication so it can send you its newsletter.

Technical Data

  • Technical data is information about your use of our website and online services, such as information about your visits to and use of this website, including your IP address, browser or device identifiers, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views, page content and website navigation paths.
  • The source of this data is from our website, newsletter and analytics providers.
  • Our email platform also records newsletter opens and link clicks.
  • We process this data to analyse your use of our website and other online services, administer and protect our business and website, deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you, and understand the effectiveness of our advertising.
  • Our legal ground for this processing is our legitimate interests, which are to enable us to administer our website and our business properly, grow our business, and decide our marketing strategy.

Marketing Information/Data

  • Marketing information includes data about your preferences in receiving marketing from our third parties and us and your communication preferences.
  • We process this data to:
    • Enable you to receive our newsletter;
    • Enable you to participate in promotions such as competitions, prize draws and free giveaways;
    • To deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of this advertising.
  • Our legal ground for this processing is our legitimate interests, which are to study how customers use our products/services, develop them, grow our business, and decide our marketing strategy.
  • We may use User, Technical and Marketing Information/Data to:
    • Deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you (including Facebook adverts or other display advertisements) and;
    • Measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we offer to you.
  • Our legal ground for this processing is legitimate interest which is to grow our business.
  • We may also use such data to send other marketing communications with your consent, which may be express or lawfully inferred. (Please see Marketing Communications below).

Sensitive Data

We do not ask for Sensitive Data when you subscribe. Sensitive data refers to data that includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data. We do not ask for information about criminal convictions and offences. Please do not include sensitive information in general enquiries or submissions unless necessary.

Contract Obligations

  • Where we are required to collect personal data by law or under the terms of the contract between us, and you do not provide us with that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract (for example, to deliver goods or services to you).
  • If you don't provide us with the requested information, we may be unable to provide the service you request, and we will notify you at the time.

Use of Personal Information

  • We will only use your data for the purpose it was collected for or reasonably compatible purposes if necessary. If we need to use your details for an unrelated new purpose, we will let you know and explain the legal grounds for processing.
  • We may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent where this is required or permitted by law.

HOW YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED

Cookies

  • We may automatically collect certain data from you as you use our website by using cookies and similar technologies.
  • A "cookie" is a piece of information that is stored on your computer's hard drive and which records how you move your way around a website so that, when you revisit that website, it can present tailored options based on the information stored about your last visit. Cookies can also be used to analyse traffic and for advertising and marketing purposes.
  • Cookies are used by nearly all websites and do not harm your system.
  • If you want to check or change what types of cookies you accept, this can usually be altered within your browser settings. You can block cookies at any time by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. If you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site.

How do we use cookies?

  • We use cookies to track your use of our website. This enables us to understand how you use the Site and track any patterns regarding how you are using our website. This helps us develop and improve our website and products and/or services in response to what you might need or want.

We use Beehiiv for website and newsletter services, Google Analytics for website measurement, and Meta Pixel to measure and help target our Facebook and Instagram advertising. These services may receive identifiers and information about visits, pages viewed and interactions. Meta may associate this activity with information it already holds about you. Meta may use this information to personalise advertising and other content in accordance with its privacy policy and your settings.

For provider privacy information, see https://www.beehiiv.com/privacy, https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/. Google's use of information from partner sites is explained at https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. Google Analytics offers a browser opt-out at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, and Meta provides advertising preferences at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences. These settings do not necessarily stop all data collection.

Types of cookies

  • Session cookies: these are only stored on your computer during your web session and are automatically deleted when you close your browser. They usually store a session ID allowing you to browse a website without having to log in to each page; or
  • Persistent cookies: a persistent cookie is stored as a file on your computer, and it remains there when you close your web browser. The cookie can be read by the website that created it when you visit that website again. For example, we use persistent cookies for Google Analytics.

Cookie categories

  • Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential to enable you to use the website effectively, such as when logging in or using a requested service. Without these cookies, the services available to you on our website cannot be provided.
  • Performance cookies: These cookies enable us to monitor and improve the performance of our website. For example, they allow us to count visits, identify traffic sources and see which parts of the Site are most popular.
  • Functionality cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember the choices you make and provide enhanced features. For instance, we may be able to provide you with news or updates relevant to the services you use. They may also be used to provide services you have requested, such as viewing a video or commenting on a blog.
  • Advertising cookies and similar technologies: These help measure and target advertising, including our Facebook and Instagram advertising. They may collect identifiers and information about your website activity, as explained above.
  • Please note that third-party services used on our website (including, for example, advertising measurement and web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

We send marketing emails with your consent, which may be express or lawfully inferred. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Consent may arise where:

  • You sign up for our newsletter or otherwise agree to receive the relevant marketing; or
  • Your consent to that marketing can lawfully be inferred from your relationship with us.

In either case, we will not send marketing emails if you have opted out.

Express consent

  • We will only allow your personal data to be shared with a third party for its own email marketing with your express consent. For example, if you choose to subscribe to a recommended newsletter, Beehiiv shares your email address with that publication. Website analytics and advertising technologies are described separately in the Cookies section. Where applicable law requires consent, we obtain it.

Stopping marketing messages

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by:

  • following the opt-out links on any marketing messages sent to you, or
  • Emailing us at [email protected] at any time.

We action unsubscribe requests within five working days.

If you opt-out of receiving marketing communications, we may still use information where needed to respond to your enquiries, administer services you request or meet legal obligations.

DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below:

  • Service providers who provide website hosting, newsletter delivery, online forms, data storage, IT and system administration services.
  • Professional advisers, including lawyers, bankers, auditors, and insurers.
  • Government agencies, regulators, courts or law enforcement, where required or authorised by law.
  • Market Researchers and Analysts, and analytics and advertising providers described above.
  • Marketing agencies we may engage with from time to time.
  • Third parties to whom we sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets.

We require our service providers processing personal data on our behalf to respect the security of your personal data and treat it according to the law. Where a service provider processes personal data on our behalf, we only allow it to do so for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Some of our service providers process or store personal information outside Australia, including in the United States.

Whenever we transfer your personal data, we do our best to ensure a similar degree of security of data. Where the GDPR applies to an international transfer, we use an applicable safeguard, such as:

  • A transfer covered by a European Commission decision recognising an adequate level of protection; or
  • Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts or codes of conduct or certification mechanisms approved under the GDPR that apply to the transfer and provide the required protection for personal data.

If none of the above safeguards is available, we may request your explicit consent to the specific transfer only where the applicable legal requirements for that exception are met, after explaining the relevant risks. You will have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

DATA SECURITY

  • We strive to ensure the security, integrity, and privacy of personal information submitted to our website, and we periodically update our security measures in light of current technologies.
  • We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.
  • You acknowledge that the transmission of information over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
  • If we become aware of a data breach involving your personal information, we will assess it promptly, take steps to contain it, and notify you and any relevant regulator where we are legally required to.

DATA RETENTION

  • We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
  • We retain business and tax records for the periods required by applicable law.
  • In some circumstances, we may de-identify your data for research or statistical purposes so that you are no longer reasonably identifiable, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

  • Depending on the data protection laws that apply, you may have rights in relation to your personal data that include the right to request access, correction, erasure, restriction, transfer, object to processing, portability of data, and (where the lawful ground of processing is consent) to withdraw consent.
  • If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please email us at [email protected]
  • To respond to a request, we may ask for information reasonably necessary to:
    • verify your identity; and
    • locate the relevant records.
  • There is no fee chargeable to access your personal data. Where permitted by applicable law, we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to comply with a request that is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
  • As a security measure to ensure your data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it, we may request further information from you.
  • We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 calendar days. If there is a delay, we will explain why and give an expected response date. We will comply with any applicable legal deadline.
  • If you are not happy with any aspect of how we collect and use your data, please contact us first to attempt to resolve your issue promptly. We aim to respond to complaints within 30 calendar days. You can also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (https://www.oaic.gov.au) about complaint options within its jurisdiction.

CHANGE IN PRIVACY POLICY

  • To ensure our privacy policy remains current, this policy is subject to change.
  • We may modify this policy at any time, at our sole discretion. All modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on this website. Therefore, please return periodically to review our privacy policy. Where required by law, we will give additional notice or obtain your consent.
  • You may instruct us at any time not to process your personal information for marketing purposes.
  • For marketing emails, we rely on express consent or consent that can lawfully be inferred, as explained above.
  • If you have any questions or concerns at any time about our Privacy Policy or the use of your personal information, please email [email protected].

Last updated: 11 October 2026

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