Privacy Policy

Wollongong Festival Association

Effective date: 1 September 2026
Website: wollongongfestival.com

Wollongong Festival Association (WFA, we, us or our) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly. This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in connection with Wollongong Festival, our website, festival communications and related activities.

We intend to handle personal information consistently with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) to the extent they apply to us, and we adopt the APP standards as our privacy benchmark where reasonably practicable. We also comply with applicable Australian electronic marketing laws, including the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

1. What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:

• your name and email address when you subscribe to festival updates or contact us;
• contact details and the content of correspondence you send to us;
• information you provide through surveys, competitions, expressions of interest, applications, feedback or other forms;
• technical and usage information such as IP address, browser or device type, referring pages, pages viewed and interaction data, where this information is collected by our website or analytics tools;
• cookie and similar technology data, where used; and
• any other information you choose to provide to us.

Sensitive information. We do not generally seek to collect sensitive information through the website. If we need sensitive information for a specific festival purpose (for example, accessibility requirements), we will only collect it where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent.

2. How we collect personal information

We generally collect personal information directly from you, including when you subscribe to festival updates, submit an online form, email us, participate in a survey or promotion, or otherwise communicate with us. We may also collect information automatically through the website and its service providers, including through server logs, cookies or analytics technologies where these are enabled.

Where lawful and reasonable, you may interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym. This may not be practicable where we need your identity or contact details to provide a requested service or respond to you.

3. Why we collect, hold and use personal information

We may collect, hold and use personal information to:

• provide festival news, program announcements and other updates you have requested;
• operate, maintain, secure and improve the website and our digital services;
• respond to enquiries, feedback, complaints and requests;
• administer surveys, promotions, competitions, applications or community engagement activities;
• understand audience engagement and improve festival programming, communications and user experience;
• manage our relationships with artists, venues, suppliers, partners, stakeholders and community participants where relevant;
• meet our legal, regulatory, funding, reporting, insurance and governance obligations; and
• protect the safety, security, rights and legitimate interests of WFA, festival participants and the public.

4. Festival updates and direct marketing

If you subscribe to festival updates, we may use your contact details to send you news, program information, event announcements and related festival communications. We will only send commercial electronic messages where permitted by the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Our marketing messages will identify the sender and include a functional unsubscribe facility.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in an email or by contacting us. We will action unsubscribe requests within the period required by law. We may retain limited information necessary to record and respect your opt-out.

5. Cookies, analytics and third-party services

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to make the site function, understand how it is used, remember preferences and measure the effectiveness of communications. Some of these technologies may be provided by third-party website, hosting, analytics or email service providers.

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect website functionality. Where Australian law requires consent for a particular technology or use, we will seek that consent before using it.

6. Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

• contractors and service providers that help us operate the website, host data, manage email subscriptions, provide analytics, communications, IT, professional or administrative services;
• festival delivery partners where disclosure is necessary for a service or activity you have requested or agreed to participate in;
• government agencies, regulators, funding bodies, insurers, professional advisers or law enforcement where required or authorised by law or reasonably necessary for legal, safety or governance purposes; and
• another organisation in connection with a restructure or transfer of WFA’s operations, subject to applicable law.

We do not sell personal information. We expect service providers handling personal information for us to use it only for authorised purposes and to protect it appropriately.

7. Overseas disclosure and storage

Some of the technology and service providers we use may store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States and other countries in which those providers or their infrastructure operate. The exact locations may change from time to time. Where the Privacy Act applies, we will take reasonable steps required by APP 8 in relation to cross-border disclosures, unless an exception applies.

8. How we protect and retain personal information

We take reasonable steps appropriate to our operations to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps may include access controls, reputable service providers, account security measures and limiting access to people who need the information for their role.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, our legitimate operational needs, or as required by law, funding, insurance or record-keeping obligations. When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy it or de-identify it, subject to lawful retention requirements.

9. Data breaches

If a data breach occurs, we will investigate and respond promptly. Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act applies and a breach is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by law.

10. Accessing or correcting your personal information

You may ask us to provide access to personal information we hold about you or to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. Please contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request.

We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable law. In some circumstances the law permits or requires us to refuse access or correction; if so, we will generally explain the reason and available complaint mechanisms where required.

11. Privacy complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us using the details below and provide enough information for us to investigate. We will acknowledge and investigate privacy complaints and aim to respond within a reasonable period.

If the Privacy Act applies to the matter and you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Information about privacy complaints is available at oaic.gov.au.

12. Links to other websites and ticketing platforms

The Wollongong Festival website may link to websites, ticketing services, venues, artists, partners or social media platforms operated by third parties. Those organisations have their own privacy practices and policies. WFA is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or services, and you should review their privacy information before providing personal information.

13. Children and young people

The festival may include all-ages content, but this website is not designed to knowingly collect unnecessary personal information from children. Where we knowingly collect personal information from a child or young person for a specific activity, we will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances, including obtaining parent or guardian consent where required or appropriate.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technology or legal obligations. The current version will be published on wollongongfestival.com and will show its effective or last-updated date.

15. Contact us

Wollongong Festival Association
Email: projects@wollongongfestivalassociation.org.au
Website: wollongongfestival.com

If you need this Privacy Policy in another accessible format, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to assist.