Your information is not the product.

Who we are

Next West Observer is an independent civic editorial project covering Melbourne's west. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Next West Observer.

Information we may collect

We may receive:

• your name, email address and the contents of messages you send to the editorial desk;
• information supplied with tips, corrections, right-of-reply material, complaints or requests;
• your email address and consent record if you ask to join a publication or shop update list; and
• limited technical information generated when you visit, such as an IP address, browser type, device information, requested pages, timestamps and security logs.

The website does not currently offer user accounts or accept checkout payments.

How we collect information

We collect information when you choose to email us, request an update, correspond with the editorial desk or otherwise provide it directly. Our hosting and security providers may automatically process limited technical data needed to deliver and protect the site.

Email links on this site open your chosen email service. That provider handles your message under its own privacy terms.

Why we use it

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and manage editorial correspondence;
• assess, verify and follow up tips or source material;
• process corrections, complaints and rights of reply;
• send an update that you expressly requested;
• operate, secure, diagnose and improve the website; and
• meet legal, regulatory or record-keeping obligations.

We do not sell or rent personal information. We do not use it for third-party behavioural advertising.

Sources and sensitive material

Ordinary email is not an anonymous secure drop. Do not send sensitive material if doing so could put you or another person at risk. Make first contact with a general description and ask to arrange a safer transfer method.

We treat source material with care, but no communication method can be guaranteed to be completely secure or confidential.

Cookies and technical data

We do not currently run our own advertising cookies or behavioural analytics. Essential hosting, performance or security technologies may still be used by infrastructure providers to serve pages, prevent abuse and maintain service reliability.

Sharing and overseas processing

We may disclose information to service providers that support hosting, security, email, storage or professional advice; when you ask us to; or where disclosure is required or authorised by law. Providers may process information in Australia or other countries where they operate.

We may also publish information you submit for publication, correction or right of reply, but only after considering its purpose, relevance and the surrounding editorial context.

Storage and retention

We use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the information we hold. Information is retained only while needed for editorial, administrative, security, legal or archival purposes, then deleted, de-identified or securely archived where practical.

Mailing-list information is kept until you unsubscribe or the list is discontinued. You can withdraw at any time by following the instructions in a message or contacting us.

Access, correction and complaints

You may ask what personal information we hold about you, request a correction, withdraw consent or raise a privacy concern by emailing editor@nextwestobserver.com.au. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

We will consider and respond to privacy complaints within a reasonable period. If a concern is not resolved, information about Australian privacy rights is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Children

Some content is written for families and younger readers, but we do not knowingly invite children to submit personal information. A parent or guardian should contact us if they believe a child has provided information that should be removed.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the publication, website or legal requirements change. The effective date above will be revised when a material update is published.

The site's broader terms and editorial disclaimers are set out on the Legal page.