Privacy Policy

Who we are

The Martin Place Journal (“we”, “us”, “our”) is an independent digital publication covering Australian business news. This policy explains, in plain English, what personal information we collect through this website, why we collect it, and how we handle it. We aim to handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

What we collect

You can read the site without giving us your name or email address. We collect personal information only in the following ways:

• Newsletter sign-ups. When you subscribe, we collect your email address and the date you signed up. If you choose to give us your first or last name, we keep that too.
• Staff accounts. For people who write for or manage the site, we hold their name, email address, role and a securely hashed password (we never store passwords in plain text). When a staff member signs in, we record the IP address and browser details of that sign-in session.
• Emails you send us. If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include in your message.
• Server logs. Like most websites, our hosting provider automatically logs technical details of each request, such as your IP address, the page requested, the date and time, and your browser type. We configure our application logs to filter out email addresses and passwords.
• Cookies and analytics. See “Cookies and analytics” below.

We do not run contact forms, take payments, or knowingly collect sensitive information (such as health information) through this website. You may contact us anonymously or under a pseudonym where that is practical, although we need a working email address to send you the newsletter.

How we use it

We use personal information to:

• send our newsletter to subscribers who asked for it
• respond to enquiries, corrections and complaints
• let staff sign in, keep their accounts secure and reset forgotten passwords
• understand how readers use the site so we can improve our coverage and the site’s performance
• keep the site secure, prevent misuse and meet our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

Disclosure and overseas storage

We share personal information only with service providers who help us run the site, and only as needed for that purpose, or where the law requires it. These include:

• Hosting. Our website and database are hosted by Render, with servers in its Singapore region, so information we hold is stored in Singapore.
• Analytics. Google Analytics, provided by Google, which may process and store data in the United States and other countries where Google operates.
• Third-party content. Some pages load fonts from Google Fonts and images from Unsplash. When your browser fetches these, those providers receive your IP address and browser details, as they would when you visit their own sites.

Because these providers are located or operate overseas, your information may be handled outside Australia. We choose reputable providers and take reasonable steps to ensure they handle personal information appropriately.

Cookies and analytics

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We use:

• Essential cookies. A session cookie that keeps forms secure and shows you messages (for example, after you subscribe), and, for staff only, a sign-in cookie that keeps them logged in. These do not track you across other websites.
• Google Analytics cookies. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how people use the site, such as which pages are read, how visitors arrive and roughly where they are. Google Analytics sets cookies (such as _ga) and sends information about your visit, including your IP address, device and browser details and the pages you view, to Google. We use this information in aggregate and do not use it to identify individual readers. Analytics is not loaded for signed-in staff.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; essential features of the site will still work for readers. To stop Google Analytics collecting data about your visits, you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services in Google’s Privacy Policy and at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

Marketing emails and unsubscribing

We only send our newsletter to people who have subscribed. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our newsletter emails, or by emailing editor@martinplacenews.com.au and asking to be removed. We will remove you promptly, and in any case within five working days.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. The site is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, passwords are stored only in hashed form, and access to subscriber and staff data is limited to authorised staff. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we will act promptly if we become aware of a problem, including notifying affected people where the law requires. We delete or de-identify personal information when we no longer need it.

Access and correction

You can ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing editor@martinplacenews.com.au. We will need to confirm your identity, and we will respond within a reasonable time, usually within 30 days. We do not charge for making a request. If we refuse a request, we will tell you why, as the law allows.

Complaints

If you think we have mishandled your personal information, please email us at editor@martinplacenews.com.au with the details. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we add new features or services. The current version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated.

Contact us

For privacy questions, requests or complaints, email editor@martinplacenews.com.au. You can also find our details on our About page.