Privacy Policy

Merri Community Shed Inc is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth).

This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information through our website and related services. By using the Merri Community Shed website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Collection and Use of Personal Information

As used in this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” means information that identifies you or could reasonably identify you, including but not limited to your:

name
email address
telephone number

We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under the age of 18.

Merri Community Shed Inc collects personal information for purposes including, but not limited to:

processing memberships, bookings, orders, and payments
communicating with members and supporters
sending email and SMS communications relating to shed activities, events, notices, and updates
administering subscriptions, marketing communications, and operational messages

Email and SMS Communications

By providing your email address and/or telephone number, you consent to receiving communications from Merri Community Shed Inc via email and SMS. These messages may include important service notices, event information, reminders, and occasional promotional updates.

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in emails
following opt-out instructions included in SMS messages
contacting us at contact@merrics.org.au

Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

Merri Community Shed Inc does not sell or trade your personal information.

We may share personal information with trusted third-party service providers where reasonably necessary to operate our services, including:

Email and marketing platforms (such as Mailchimp) to manage email communications
Payment processors (such as Stripe) to securely process online payments and donations

These third parties are permitted to use your personal information only for the purpose of providing services to Merri Community Shed Inc and are required to handle your information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

We may also disclose personal information where required or authorised by law.

Other Information We May Collect

Cookies and Website Analytics

Cookies are small files that may be stored on your device when you visit our website. They allow our website to recognise your browser and improve your experience.

Merri Community Shed Inc may use cookies and similar technologies to collect non-identifying information such as:

pages visited
time spent on the site
navigation patterns

This information is used only to improve website functionality, understand usage trends, and enhance user experience. Data is collected in an aggregated and anonymous form.

You can disable cookies via your browser settings; however, doing so may affect the functionality of some parts of the website.

Protection of Information Collected

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access or disclosure.

Access to personal information is limited to authorised committee members, staff, and volunteers who require it for operational or communication purposes.

While no system can guarantee absolute security, our website is protected using industry-standard security measures, including SSL encryption provided through Amazon Web Services. This helps ensure data transmitted between your browser and our servers remains private and confidential.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Merri Community Shed Inc reserves the right to update or amend this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be published on this website. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed.

Who to Contact

Please contact us at contact@merrics.org.au if you:

wish to opt out of email or SMS communications
want to access or update your personal information
have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy
believe there has been a breach of this Privacy Policy

Merri Community Shed Inc is committed to transparency and respectful handling of your personal information. If something doesn’t feel right, we want to hear about it.