Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Town Planning Online Pty Ltd (ABN 42 087 865 174) (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the website townplanning.com.au. We are registered in Melbourne, Victoria and provide planning information, guides, and connections to qualified planning consultants across Australia.

Information We Collect

We may collect the following personal information:

• Contact form submissions: name, email address, phone number, property address, and your enquiry details.
• Chat conversations: messages you send through our planning assistant chatbot. These are stored to improve our service.
• Usage data: pages visited, referring website, browser type, and general browsing behaviour collected via Google Analytics.

How We Use Your Information

• To respond to your enquiries and connect you with planning consultants
• To improve the accuracy and usefulness of our planning guides and chatbot
• To understand how our website is used so we can improve it
• To send you information you have requested about our services

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your contact details with a qualified planning consultant if you have requested a consultation. We will always tell you before doing so.

Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely using industry-standard encryption. Our website is served over HTTPS. We retain contact form submissions and chat conversations for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects information such as pages visited, time spent on pages, your approximate location (city level), device type, and how you arrived at our site. This data is sent to and processed by Google. Google may use this data in accordance with their own privacy policy. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

AI-Powered Chat Assistant

Our planning assistant chatbot uses artificial intelligence to answer your questions. Conversations are processed by third-party AI services (OpenAI) to generate responses. Chat messages are stored in our database to improve the service. The chatbot provides general planning information only and does not constitute professional planning advice.

Your Rights

Under Australian privacy law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have breached your privacy

External Links

Our website contains links to external sites including government resources (land.vic.gov.au, planning.vic.gov.au), the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and LandTitles.com.au. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us or email us at info@townplanning.com.au.