Privacy policy

Last Updated: 11 September 2025

RSPCA Queensland is committed to handling your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles guidelines (APP guidelines) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) and the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

We are RSPCA Queensland Limited, an Australian registered charity at 139 Wacol Station Road, Wacol 4076, Queensland, Australia, and its wholly owned subsidiaries in Australia, operating as RSPCA World for Pets. For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, we are the “Data Controller”. “Data Controller” is a legal term used to describe the person or entity that controls the way your personal information is processed.

If you have a query about the use of your personal information you may contact our Privacy Officer by email privacyofficer@rspcaqld.org.au or in writing to: Privacy Officer, RSPCA Queensland, Locked Bag 3000, Archerfield BH QLD 4108.

By providing us with your personal information, you agree to the collection and use or otherwise processing (including disclosure) of your personal information in the manner and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

What is Personal Information and what do we collect?

Personal Information is information or an opinion that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information we collect include: names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers.

We collect your Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing our services to you, providing information to our clients and marketing. We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure. You may unsubscribe from our mailing/marketing lists at any time by contacting us via email or in writing to the Privacy Officer.

We may collect personal information including your name, gender, date of birth, address, contact numbers and email. This may also include information about your pet and their details, your purchase and your purchase journey. Information about your computer hardware and software is also automatically collected by us when you use our website. This information can include your IP address, browser type, access times and/or referring website addresses. This information is used by us for the operation of the website and services offered on the website and to maintain the quality of the services offered currently and for future needs on the website.

Unless you object, this information may be shared with Member Societies and may be used:

  • to send news, information about our activities and general promotional material which we believe may be useful to you;
  • to monitor who is accessing the Website or using services offered on the Website; and
  • to profile the type of people accessing the Website.

If you do not wish to have your personal information used in this manner or for any other specific purpose, please advise us in writing to the Privacy Officer, RSPCA Qld, Locked Bag 3000, Archerfield BH, Qld 4108, Australia or by sending an email to privacyofficer@rspcaqld.org.au. If you choose not to provide personal information, you will still be granted access to most of our Websites. However, you may not have access to areas that require personal identification.

We may provide your personal information to the Australian National and other State and Territory RSPCAs. We will not sell or otherwise provide your personal information to a third party, or make any other use of your personal information, for any purpose which is not incidental to your use of this Website. When we utilise cookies we may also provide information sourced from the cookie to Member Societies or to a third party agent acting on behalf of the RSPCA. For the removal of doubt, personal information will not be used for any purpose which a reasonable person in your position would not expect.

If you request us not to use personal information in a particular manner or at all, we will adopt all reasonable measures to observe your request but we may still use or disclose that information if:

  • we subsequently notify you of the intended use or disclosure and you do not object to that use or disclosure;
  • we believe that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary to assist a law enforcement agency or an agency responsible for government or public security in the performance of their functions; or
  • we are required by law to disclose the information.

We will preserve the content of any e-mail or other communication you send us if we believe we have the legal requirement to do so. Your e-mail message content may be monitored by us for trouble-shooting or maintenance purposes or if any form of e-mail abuse is suspected.

Information We Obtain from Third Parties

We may obtain information about you from third parties, including from vendors and service providers who may collect information on our behalf, such as:

  • Companies who support our Site and Services, such as Shopify.
  • Our payment processors, who collect payment information (e.g., bank account, credit or debit card information, billing address) to process your payment in order to fulfil your orders and provide you with products or services you have requested, in order to perform our contract with you.
  • When you visit our Site, open or click on emails we send you, or interact with our Services or advertisements, we, or third parties we work with, may automatically collect certain information using online tracking technologies such as pixels, web beacons, software developer kits, third-party libraries, and cookies.

Any information we obtain from third parties will be treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may share website interaction data with third-party service providers who assist us with analytics, website optimisation and marketing. These providers are contractually required to handle your information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Users

Please note that we may transfer, store and process your personal information outside the country you live in. Your personal information is also processed by staff and third-party service providers and partners in these countries.

Why do we collect your personal information?

We may collect your personal information when required by law but generally we collect personal information from you (or about you) to allow us to: supply you with tailored products, services or offers that may benefit you; better communicate with you; improve your experience with us; and notify you about our new products and services, discounts, promotions or upcoming events.

Cookies

Our website may utilise "cookies" which enable us to monitor traffic patterns and to serve you more efficiently. Cookies are small files of letters and numbers that are downloaded onto your computer or mobile/ handheld device when you access certain websites.

Cookie Statement

We use cookies on this website:

  • for technical purposes essential for the operation of this website, such as keeping track of your current session;
  • to distinguish you from other users of this website, so we can personalise your experience by ensuring specific messaging and advertising is more relevant to you and so we can remember choices you make when you return to visit this website;
  • to collect statistical information about how visitors use this website, so we can improve the way this website works and measure the success of competitions and campaigns;

You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie and this will provide you with an opportunity to either accept or reject it in each instance. Cookies help us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our websites and allow you to make full use of our online and personalised features available on our websites. Most website browsers automatically accept cookies. Unless you have adjusted your browser settings so that it will refuse cookies, cookies will be set when you access this website.

By using and browsing this website, you consent to cookies being used in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you wish to opt-out of having your web browsing information used for remarketing, traffic, demographics and interest reporting purposes, you can download and install Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Removing or rejecting cookies may affect the availability and functionality of our website and updates to your web browser may affect the functionality of the Google Analytics Opt-out add-on. To find out more information please view our Cookies Policy.

User Behaviour Tracking and Session Recording

We may use tools that record and analyse how users interact with our website. This may include information such as mouse movements, clicks, scrolling behaviour, pages visited, time spent on pages, device type, browser information, approximate location and IP address.

These tools help us improve website functionality, user experience and the effectiveness of our content and marketing.

This information may be collected using cookies, pixels, session replay software and similar technologies provided by third-party service providers.

While this data is generally not used to directly identify individuals, it may be associated with a unique identifier or device and therefore may be considered personal information under applicable laws.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to the collection of this information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Children and Education

We consider that it is the responsibility of parents to monitor their children's use of our Website. Nevertheless it is our policy not to offer to send any promotional material to persons in that category.

Sensitive Information

We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles guidelines (APP guidelines) under the Privacy Act (Commonwealth) 1988 (Australia). In accordance with these Principles, we will not collect sensitive information about you (including information about your health, racial or ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs, membership of professional or trade associations or unions, sexual practices and criminal records) unless you have consented to this or unless we believe we are required by law to do so.

Third Party Websites and Links

Our Site may provide links to websites or other online platforms operated by third parties. If you follow links to sites not affiliated or controlled by us, you should review their privacy and security policies and other terms and conditions. We do not guarantee and are not responsible for the privacy or security of such sites, including the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of information found on these sites. Information you provide on public or semi-public venues, including information you share on third-party social networking platforms may also be viewable by other users of the Services and/or users of those third-party platforms without limitation as to its use by us or by a third party. Our inclusion of such links does not, by itself, imply any endorsement of the content on such platforms or of their owners or operators, except as disclosed on the Services.

Shopify Platform and Data Processing

Our store is powered by Shopify Inc., which provides the technology and infrastructure for our online services. By using our website, you acknowledge and agree with the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy, and that:

  • Your personal information will be shared with Shopify to facilitate your shopping experience, including order processing, payment handling, and customer support.
  • Shopify may process your data in accordance with their Privacy Policy, including using aggregated and anonymised data to improve services across the Shopify platform.
  • Your data may be transferred to and stored in countries outside of Australia, where Shopify and its service providers operate.
  • We may also share your information with third-party service providers (e.g., payment gateways, shipping partners) as necessary to fulfil your order and provide services to you.

Security of Information

Personal information which we collect (including your contact details) is kept confidential to the best of our ability. You will appreciate, however, that we cannot guarantee the security of transmission. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. Whilst we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Accordingly, any information which you transmit to us is transmitted at your own risk. Nevertheless, once we receive your transmission, we will take reasonable steps to preserve the security of such information.

User Generated Content from Social Media Platforms

RSPCA Queensland displays User Generated Content (UGC) from social media platforms on our website and other digital platforms. RSPCA Qld do not claim to have ownership to any of the images, videos or content posted through these channels. However, by posting to RSPCA Qld’s official channels or tagging @rspcaworldforpets, #rspcaworldforpets, @rspcaqld, #myrspcapet you hereby grant RSPCA Queensland a non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide, revocable, non-transferable, perpetual licence to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly display and/or reproduce your content without limitation in any online media formats and through any social media channels, pages or accounts.

Social Media Advertising, Remarketing and Custom Audiences

RSPCA Queensland may collect personal information as part of lead advertisements within social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram but not limited to. Data collected, received or derived from any of RSPCA Queensland’s Facebook or Instagram ads (Facebook advertising data) including RSPCA World for Pets, is managed in accordance with RSPCA Queensland’s Privacy Policy and Facebook’s Policies as outlined here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms

Remarketing – we use remarketing services from third-party suppliers to help tailor advertising that we think may be of interest to users. These adverts may appear on the Google search result pages, or across the internet on third party websites including those within the Google Display Network (GDN), Facebook and Instagram. Cookies are placed by third-party vendors, including Google, on web browsers to track user behaviour and serve ads related to such behaviour. No identifiable information is collected through the use of Google’s, or any other third party remarketing service.

RSPCA Qld use Facebook Custom Audiences to deliver advertisements to Website Visitors on Facebook based on information RSPCA Qld already have such as email address. We also may use information associated with Visitor social media accounts, such as demographics and other information about an individual to improve our marketing efforts. Find out more about Facebook advertising here: https://www.facebook.com/ads/about/?entry_product=ad_preferences or learn more about how to opt out of Facebook Custom Audiences here: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences.

Accuracy of your Personal Information

RSPCA Queensland keep personal information as accurate, complete and up to date as necessary, taking into account its use and the interests of users.

Policy Updates

This policy is subject to change at any time without notice, so please check back here for the latest version regularly.

Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries

If you have an enquiry or complaint about our Privacy Policy please advise us by writing to the Privacy Officer, RSPCA Qld, Locked Bag 3000, Archerfield BH, Qld 4108, Australia or sending an email to privacyofficer@rspcaqld.org.au.

Indemnity

You indemnify us, regardless of any negligence on our part, against all losses, liabilities, legal costs and other expenses incurred by us arising directly or indirectly as a result of or in connections with the breach by you of any provision of these Terms and Conditions or any wilful, unlawful or negligent act by you in connection with the supply by a Vendor to you of, or use by you of, any Product.

Miscellaneous

If any provision of the Terms and Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of law, such invalidity or unenforceability will not affect the remainder of the Terms and Conditions, which will continue in full force and effect. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. This agreement sets out the entire understanding and agreement between RSPCA Qld and you with respect to the subject matter.