1. Introduction

QLD Water Filtration ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with our business.

We are a Queensland-based water filtration company providing water quality testing, filtration system installation, and maintenance services across Greater Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and surrounding regions. Our ABN is 36 635 837 437.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business functions and activities:

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Contact details: name, email address, phone number, residential address
Property details: property type, water source (mains/tank/bore), plumbing configuration
Service requests: water quality concerns, preferred appointment times, special requirements
Communications: emails, phone calls, SMS messages, form submissions

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Website performance: aggregated, cookie-free analytics (Cloudflare Web Analytics) — page views, referral source and general device/browser type, with no personal identifiers
Website analytics and ad measurement: Google Analytics and Google Ads measurement. Unless you click "Reject" on our cookie banner, they use cookies and similar identifiers and collect your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral source and approximate location, and they record when you submit an enquiry or tap our phone number, so we can see which ads lead to enquiries. If you click "Reject", they run in a limited cookieless mode (Google Consent Mode) that sends anonymous measurements without cookies or persistent identifiers. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, they stay off until you click "Accept". See Section 7 for details
Approximate location: when you submit an enquiry, we receive a city/region/postcode-level location estimated from your IP address by our hosting provider (Cloudflare). We use it only to help route and respond to your enquiry, and it is not a precise location
Advertising source: when you arrive from an ad or campaign link, we keep the campaign tags and ad click ID in your browser for up to 30 days and send them with your enquiry, so we can see which ads lead to real enquiries. This record stays within your browser and our systems. Separately, Google Ads receives the fact that an enquiry or call was made from an ad click, as described in Section 7
Quote acceptance: if you accept a quote online, we record the name you type, the date and time, your IP address and your device and browser details, as evidence that you accepted that quote. We keep this record with your customer record
Google Maps (contact page): the map only loads if you click "Load map". Once loaded, Google receives your IP address and may set cookies, under Google's own privacy policy
Service-area map and footer map: the service-area map on our Service Areas page loads map tiles from OpenStreetMap, which receives your IP address. The small map in our footer loads from Google only if you have accepted cookies or click "Load map"

2.3 Information from Third Parties

Finance providers: transaction confirmation from Zip or Afterpay if you choose a payment plan for your installation — these are arranged directly with the provider, not collected through this website
Referral partners: contact details from partner referrals (with consent)
Public records: property information for service planning

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following primary purposes:

Service delivery: Scheduling appointments, conducting water tests, installing systems, providing maintenance
Communication: Appointment confirmations, service updates, quotes, invoices, follow-up care
Quoting and billing: Preparing accurate quotes, processing payments, issuing receipts
Compliance: QBCC Form 4 lodgement, WaterMark certification records, AS/NZS 3500 compliance
Customer service: Responding to enquiries, resolving issues, warranty management
Marketing (with consent): Service reminders, seasonal offers, VIP Care Club updates
Business improvement: Analytics, service quality monitoring, staff training
Legal obligations: Regulatory reporting, dispute resolution, legal compliance

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We only disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:

Service providers: Trusted third parties who assist with service delivery (email delivery platform, website hosting and analytics) under strict confidentiality agreements
Regulatory bodies: QBCC, WaterMark certification bodies, Australian Building Codes Board (as required by law)
Finance providers: Zip and Afterpay, only if you choose a payment plan — arranged directly between you and the provider, not processed through this website
Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our legal rights
Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (with notice)
Emergency situations: To protect health, safety, or property in emergencies

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Data Security and Retention

5.1 Security Measures

Encryption: TLS 1.2+ for data in transit, AES-256 for data at rest
Access controls: Role-based access, multi-factor authentication, principle of least privilege
Payment security: No payment or card details are collected, transmitted, or stored via this website; Zip and Afterpay payment plans are handled entirely on the provider's own PCI DSS compliant platform
Regular audits: Security assessments, penetration testing, vulnerability scanning
Staff training: Privacy awareness, data handling procedures, breach response protocols

5.2 Data Retention

Customer records: 7 years after last service (QBCC compliance requirement)
Financial records: 7 years (tax law compliance)
Website performance data (Cloudflare Web Analytics): aggregated, cookie-free, no personally identifying data is collected
Google Analytics and Google Ads cookies (unless you reject them): Google Analytics up to 26 months and Google Ads click-tracking cookies up to 90 days (Google defaults)
Marketing communications: Until consent withdrawn or 2 years of inactivity
Website logs: 90 days for security monitoring

We securely destroy or de-identify personal information when no longer required, unless retention is required by law.

6. Your Rights Under the Privacy Act

Under the Privacy Act 1988 and APPs, you have the following rights:

Access: Request access to your personal information we hold (APP 12)
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information (APP 13)
Deletion: Request deletion where information is no longer needed (subject to legal retention requirements)
Opt-out: Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time
Complaint: Lodge a complaint with us or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Data portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format
Anonymity: Interact with us anonymously or pseudonymously where practicable (APP 2)

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses the following:

Cloudflare Web Analytics: always on, cookie-free, and never asks for consent because it doesn't identify or track individual visitors
Google Analytics and Google Ads measurement: unless you click "Reject" on our cookie banner, Google Analytics and Google Ads set cookies and use similar identifiers (including the Google Ads click ID) to count visits, record when an enquiry is submitted or a phone number is tapped, and match those actions to the ad that led to them. Clicking "Accept" also allows Google to use this data for advertising personalisation. If you click "Reject", these cookies are switched off and Google receives only limited, anonymous measurements (for example page views and clicks on phone or email links) without cookies or persistent identifiers, which Google uses to model overall results. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, these cookies stay off until you click "Accept"

Your choice is remembered in your browser so the banner doesn't reappear on later visits. You can change your mind at any time by clearing your browser's site data for qldwaterfiltration.com.au, which will show the banner again on your next visit. If you reject after a cookie has already been set, the cookie stops being used but may stay in your browser until it expires or you clear your site data.

We advertise on Google Ads. When you arrive from one of our Google ads, the Google Ads and Google Analytics measurement described above applies, under Google's own privacy policy. We do not use Meta Pixel or other third-party advertising pixels. If that changes, we'll update this section.

8. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (payment providers, review platforms, manufacturer sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

10. Cross-Border Data Disclosure

Some of our service providers (our email delivery platform, our website hosting/analytics provider Cloudflare, and Google Analytics) may process data outside Australia. We ensure these providers comply with APP 8 (Cross-border disclosure) through contractual safeguards and adequacy assessments. Your data may be processed in the United States or other jurisdictions with adequate privacy protections.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Material changes will be communicated via email or website notice. Your continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For privacy enquiries, access requests, corrections, complaints, or to exercise your rights:

Privacy Officer:: QLD Water Filtration Privacy Team
Email:: [email protected]
Phone:: (07) 3523 3627
Postal Address:: QLD Water Filtration, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
OAIC (External):: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

We aim to respond to privacy enquiries within 30 days as required by the Privacy Act.

13. Regulatory Compliance

This policy complies with:

Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
Australian Privacy Principles (APPs 1-13)
Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017
Spam Act 2003 (electronic marketing)
Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (telemarketing)
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991
WaterMark Certification Scheme (AS 3497:2021)
Australian Plumbing Standards (AS/NZS 3500)