Privacy Policy

Australia Pension Community ("we", "us", "the Platform") is an independent, non-profit peer support community for Australian seniors navigating the Age Pension system. We are not affiliated with the Australian Government, Services Australia, Centrelink, or any government agency.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using the Platform you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary to provide our services. This includes:

• Account information: Your name and email address, provided via Manus OAuth when you create an account.
• Profile information: Optional details you choose to add: postcode, state, a short bio, and a profile photo.
• Community posts and comments: Text, photos, audio recordings, and videos you voluntarily share in the community feed.
• Documents: Files you upload to your personal Document Vault (stored securely in encrypted cloud storage, accessible only to you).
• Appeal and case information: Details you enter into tools such as the Appeal Tracker, Deadline Calculator, or Eligibility Checker. These are stored only if you are logged in.
• Chat history: Conversations with the AI Case Assistant, stored per user account to enable continuity across sessions.
• Usage data: Anonymised, aggregated data about how the Platform is used (e.g., page visits, feature usage). No individual is identifiable from this data.

We do not collect sensitive information such as health records, financial account numbers, Tax File Numbers (TFN), or Customer Reference Numbers (CRN). Our automated moderation system actively detects and blocks the posting of such information in public community content.

We collect personal information directly from you when you:

• Create an account: via Manus OAuth (name and email address).
• Complete your profile: by entering optional details such as postcode, bio, and photo.
• Post in the community feed: including text posts, photos, audio, and video.
• Use our tools: such as the Deadline Calculator, Eligibility Checker, Appeal Tracker, or AI Case Assistant.
• Upload documents: to your personal Document Vault.
• Sign the community petition: which records your name and electorate.

We do not collect personal information from third parties, data brokers, or government agencies. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics services that identify individual users.

We collect and use your personal information only for the primary purpose for which it was collected, or for a directly related secondary purpose. Specifically:

• To provide the Platform's services: including community feed, tools, document vault, and AI Case Assistant.
• To personalise your experience: such as pre-filling your postcode in the Rep Finder or your name in document templates.
• To enable community features: such as displaying your name and profile photo on posts and comments.
• To improve the Platform: using anonymised, aggregated usage statistics.
• To moderate content: using automated tools to detect and remove harmful, sensitive, or scam-related content.
• To send operational notifications: such as deadline reminders you have opted into (sent via the Platform owner's notification system, not to your email directly).

We will not use your personal information for direct marketing, political campaigning, or any purpose unrelated to providing peer support services to Australian seniors.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.

We may disclose your personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use Manus platform infrastructure for hosting, authentication, and cloud storage. These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by Australian law, a court order, or a lawful request from a government authority.
• Safety: We may disclose information where we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the life, health, or safety of any person.

Public posts you create are visible to all visitors of the Platform, including those who are not logged in. You control the visibility of your posts (Public, MP Only, or Private) at the time of posting.

The Platform is hosted on Manus infrastructure, which may store data on servers located outside Australia. By using the Platform, you consent to your personal information being transferred to and stored in overseas jurisdictions.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipients handle your personal information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. However, we note that overseas recipients may be subject to the laws of their jurisdiction, which may differ from Australian privacy law.

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. Our security measures include:

• Encrypted cloud storage: Documents uploaded to the Document Vault are stored using encrypted S3-compatible cloud storage.
• Secure authentication: Account access is managed via Manus OAuth with signed session cookies.
• Automated content moderation: AI-powered tools scan public posts for sensitive data patterns (CRN, TFN, BSB, bank account numbers) and flag or remove them.
• Access controls: Document Vault contents are accessible only to the account holder. Private posts are not visible to other users.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We will retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. If you delete your account, your personal data and uploaded documents will be removed from active systems within a reasonable period.

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information: You can view and download your profile, posts, and documents at any time from your account.
• Correct your personal information: You can edit your profile, update your posts, or delete content at any time.
• Request deletion: You may request deletion of your account and all associated personal data by contacting us via the Community Feed or the About page.

We will respond to access and correction requests within 30 days. In some cases we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. We will not charge a fee for access requests.

If we refuse an access or correction request, we will provide written reasons and information about how to make a complaint.

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or this Privacy Policy, you may lodge a complaint by contacting us via the Community Feed or the About page. Please describe the nature of your concern in as much detail as possible.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• OAIC website: www.oaic.gov.au
• OAIC phone: 1300 363 992
• OAIC post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

The Platform is intended for use by Australian adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18. If we become aware that a child has provided personal information, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Significant changes will be communicated via a notice on the Home page.

This Privacy Policy was last reviewed in April 2025 and is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).