Privacy Policy – Local Home Help

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose information when you:

• visit the Local Home Help website;

• use Liz or another Local Home Help search, matching or guidance tool;

• create, save or receive a provider shortlist;

• contact a provider through Local Home Help;

• contact us;

• submit, claim or manage a provider profile; or

• otherwise interact with our services.

Local Home Help is an independent information and navigation platform. We do not provide aged care services and are not affiliated with the Australian Government, My Aged Care or Services Australia.

1. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use Local Home Help.

Information you provide through Liz and other consumer tools

When using Liz, the provider directory, a calculator or another guidance tool, you may provide information such as:

• your postcode, suburb or general location;

• the location where support is required;

• the types of services or assistance being considered;

• funding status or program information;

• preferred care-management arrangements;

• service preferences;

• timing or urgency;

• communication preferences;

• provider preferences;

• answers about the circumstances of the person seeking support;

• providers viewed, compared or shortlisted;

• questions you submit; and

• other information you choose to provide.

You can generally use Liz without creating an account or providing your name, telephone number or email address.

Contact and enquiry information

If you ask us to send you a shortlist, submit a question, contact a provider or otherwise request communication, we may collect:

• your name;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• postcode or suburb;

• the content of your enquiry;

• relevant Liz answers or shortlist information that you choose to include;

• the provider or providers you wish to contact; and

• records relating to the sending, delivery or handling of your enquiry.

We do not automatically send your contact details or Liz journey to providers merely because you use the website or view a profile.

Sensitive information

Some answers provided through Liz or an enquiry may reveal information about health, disability, mobility, dementia, personal care needs or other sensitive circumstances.

We only seek information that is reasonably necessary to provide the relevant navigation, matching, enquiry or support function.

Where consent is required, you provide consent by knowingly supplying that information after being shown an appropriate collection notice and choosing to continue. You do not have to provide sensitive information, although this may limit the accuracy or usefulness of the results we can provide.

Please avoid including medical records, detailed clinical information, government identifiers or other information that is not necessary for your enquiry.

Provider and business information

If you represent a provider, we may collect:

• your name and role;

• business contact details;

• provider information;

• service areas and service capabilities;

• registration, approval or funding information;

• listing-management details;

• account or membership details;

• communications with Local Home Help;

• information submitted during a listing claim or profile update; and

• records relating to provider enquiries or interactions.

Some provider information may also be obtained from publicly available sources, government registers, provider websites, professional directories or information supplied by another authorised representative.

Automatically collected information

When you use the website, we or our service providers may collect technical and usage information such as:

• browser and device type;

• operating system;

• approximate location derived from an IP address;

• pages visited;

• referring pages;

• dates and times of visits;

• navigation and interaction events;

• buttons or links selected;

• provider profiles viewed;

• search, comparison and shortlist activity;

• session identifiers;

• error, performance and security information; and

• cookie or similar technology identifiers.

Where your device asks for permission to share a more precise location, that location is only accessed after you choose to allow it.

2. Information generated through matching and analytics

Liz processes information you provide to generate guidance, search results and provider shortlists.

This may include generating or recording:

• service categories relevant to your answers;

• possible care or management preferences;

• compatibility or relevance scores;

• geographic suitability;

• funding or service pathways;

• provider shortlist results;

• general user segments or journey types; and

• statistical or analytical information derived from website activity.

These outputs assist Local Home Help in organising information and presenting potentially relevant options. They are not clinical assessments, government eligibility decisions or guarantees that a provider will be suitable or available.

3. How we use information

We may use information to:

• operate the website and its tools;

• process your answers and generate guidance;

• identify potentially relevant services and providers;

• create, save or send a shortlist;

• send an enquiry when you ask us to do so;

• respond to questions, requests and complaints;

• manage provider profiles and listing claims;

• verify, maintain and improve provider information;

• personalise or improve the user experience;

• measure website usage and performance;

• troubleshoot errors and protect website security;

• prevent misuse, fraud or unauthorised activity;

• evaluate and improve Liz and other LHH tools;

• understand gaps in service availability;

• conduct research and statistical analysis;

• produce aggregated and de-identified sector insights;

• administer our operations; and

• comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell identifiable personal information.

4. Aggregated and de-identified sector insights

Local Home Help may analyse information generated through use of the website, including:

• directory searches;

• Liz answers;

• service needs and preferences;

• geographic search patterns;

• funding circumstances;

• matching outcomes;

• provider profile activity;

• comparisons;

• shortlist activity; and

• enquiry trends.

We may use this information to:

• understand patterns in consumer needs;

• identify service-demand and availability gaps;

• improve Local Home Help;

• support provider education and service planning;

• prepare research, statistical and sector reports; and

• develop commercial or non-commercial sector insights.

Aggregated or de-identified insights may be published or supplied to:

• aged care and support providers;

• industry organisations;

• researchers;

• government bodies;

• community organisations;

• professional advisers; and

• other organisations with a legitimate interest in aged care or service planning.

Before making information available externally as sector data, we will take reasonable steps intended to ensure that it does not identify, and is not reasonably capable of identifying, an individual.

Depending on the circumstances, these steps may include:

• removing direct identifiers;

• reporting only grouped or summarised results;

• applying minimum cohort sizes;

• combining or broadening geographic areas;

• suppressing rare or unusual combinations;

• limiting the detail released;

• restricting access to underlying data; and

• reviewing the risk of re-identification before release.

De-identification is assessed in context. We do not treat information as safely de-identified merely because a name or email address has been removed.

We will not provide an external organisation with an identifiable individual consumer’s Liz answers, search history or matching journey for sector reporting purposes.

5. When we share personal information

We may share personal information in the following circumstances.

When you ask to contact a provider

When you choose to send an enquiry to a provider, we may send that provider:

• your contact details;

• your message;

• the providers you selected;

• relevant Liz answers or shortlist information included in the enquiry; and

• other information you have chosen to submit.

The provider will then handle that information under its own privacy practices.

Service providers

We may use third-party services to support:

• website hosting;

• databases and cloud storage;

• analytics;

• email delivery;

• website security;

• customer communications;

• automation;

• technical support; and

• business administration.

These service providers may process information on our behalf and should only use it for the contracted purpose.

Legal, safety and compliance reasons

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to:

• comply with a law, court order or lawful government request;

• investigate suspected fraud or misuse;

• protect the rights, safety or security of a person;

• enforce our terms; or

• obtain professional legal, accounting, insurance or technical advice.

Business changes

If Local Home Help or part of its operations is sold, transferred, restructured or merged, information may be disclosed to professional advisers and relevant parties subject to appropriate confidentiality and privacy arrangements.

6. Overseas processing and storage

Some technology, hosting, analytics, email, database or support providers used by Local Home Help may store or process information outside Australia.

The location may vary depending on the service provider and its technical infrastructure. Countries may include the United States and other locations in which our technology providers or their subcontractors operate.

Where required, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas handling is consistent with applicable Australian privacy obligations.

The use of a server located overseas does not always constitute a disclosure to an overseas recipient, particularly where the information remains under our effective control. However, overseas storage and processing can involve different privacy and legal protections from those applying in Australia.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

We may use cookies, browser storage and similar technologies to:

• keep the website functioning;

• save Liz progress during a session;

• store or retrieve shortlist selections;

• remember preferences;

• understand website usage;

• measure performance;

• prevent abuse; and

• improve our services.

Some cookies are necessary for the operation of the website. Others may relate to analytics or performance.

You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may prevent parts of the website from operating correctly.

8. Data quality

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information used or disclosed by us is accurate, current and complete.

You should provide accurate information and contact us if information about you requires correction.

Provider information may change and may be supplied by providers or obtained from public sources. Providers are encouraged to claim and maintain their profiles, but Local Home Help cannot guarantee that every profile is complete or current.

9. Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical and operational steps to protect personal information against:

• misuse;

• interference;

• loss;

• unauthorised access;

• modification; and

• disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, secure hosting, authentication, system monitoring, restricted administrative access and security practices applied by our technology providers.

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should not provide information that is unnecessary for your use of the service.

10. Retention and deletion

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• providing the requested service;

• maintaining operational and enquiry records;

• resolving disputes or complaints;

• improving the platform;

• conducting properly controlled analytics;

• meeting legal, accounting or security requirements; and

• protecting against misuse.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy it or de-identify it, unless we are legally required or authorised to retain it.

Aggregated information that no longer identifies an individual may be retained for statistical, historical and reporting purposes.

11. Remaining anonymous

Where practical, you may interact with Local Home Help anonymously or using limited identifying information.

For example, you can generally use Liz and browse provider profiles without creating an account or supplying your name.

We may require contact information where it is necessary to:

• email a shortlist;

• respond to you;

• manage an account;

• verify authority over a provider listing; or

• send an enquiry at your request.

12. Access and correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

To make a request, contact:

hello@localhomehelp.com.au

We may need to verify your identity before responding.

In some circumstances, applicable law may permit us to refuse access or correction. If that occurs, we will generally explain the reason and available complaint options.

13. Privacy complaints

You may contact us if you believe we have mishandled your personal information or breached an applicable privacy obligation.

Please provide:

• your name and contact details;

• a description of the issue;

• relevant dates or interactions; and

• the outcome you are seeking.

Contact:

Email: hello@localhomehelp.com.au
Telephone: 03 8904 9010

We will acknowledge and investigate the complaint and aim to respond within a reasonable period.

If you are dissatisfied with our response and the Privacy Act applies, you may be able to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

14. External websites and providers

Local Home Help contains links to provider websites, government resources and other external services.

We are not responsible for the privacy, security or content practices of those external organisations. You should review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

15. Children

Local Home Help is intended primarily for adults seeking information for themselves, another adult or an older family member.

A person under 18 should not submit personal or sensitive information without the involvement of a parent, guardian or responsible adult.

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Local Home Help develops or our legal and operational requirements change.

The current version will be published on this page with its effective date.

Where a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will take reasonable steps to provide additional notice where appropriate.

17. Contact

Questions, privacy requests and complaints can be directed to:

Local Home Help Navigator
Email: hello@localhomehelp.com.au
Telephone: 03 8904 9010
ABN: 65 439 217 249