Privacy notice
Pollywatch is an accountability site. We collect very little personal information: what you give us yourself through the sign-up, contact and report-an-issue forms, plus the technical details described under the form and analytics sections below. This page explains what happens to it.
Last updated 14 September 2026.
What we collect
Your email address, if you sign up for notifications. If you use the contact or report-an-issue form, whatever you type into it, which can include your name and email address. We do not buy, sell, or share email lists. Browsing the site does not require an account or any sign-up.
Why we collect it
To email you when new government spending data lands on Pollywatch or when we ship a new feature. We use your address for that purpose only. When you sign up we send a confirmation email and add you to the list only after you click the link, so we have a record of your consent. Giving us your address is optional. If you choose not to, you simply will not receive these updates, and everything on the site stays free to read without signing up.
Who processes it
Our email list and sending are handled by Buttondown, an email newsletter service. Your address is stored on their systems, which are based in the United States. By signing up you consent to your email address being stored and processed overseas for this purpose. When you submit the sign-up form we also pass the network (IP) address you connect from to Buttondown, so its spam-protection check can screen the sign-up. We do not store that address ourselves. Buttondown sets out its own handling of data in its privacy policy.
Unsubscribing and deletion
Every email we send carries a one-click unsubscribe link, and most email apps also show an unsubscribe button in the message header. Unsubscribing stops all further emails. To have your address removed from the list entirely, unsubscribe or email us at the address below and we will delete it. We keep your address only while you are subscribed. When you unsubscribe we remove it from the list, and we may keep a minimal record of the unsubscribe itself so we can prove the request was honoured.
Contact and issue reports
When you use the contact or report an issue form, the message and any name or email address you include are sent to the site owner as a private notification through Telegram, a messaging service whose servers are outside Australia. We use them only to read and reply to your message, and we do not add you to the email list. When you submit either form, the server also briefly holds the network (IP) address you connect from, in temporary memory only, so it can limit repeated submissions. That address is not sent to Telegram and we do not store it ourselves. To have a message deleted, write to the address below.
Analytics
Separately from the email list, Pollywatch uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used in aggregate, such as which pages are read. To do this it sets cookies in your browser and collects technical identifiers, including your device’s IP address. Under Australian law these identifiers can count as personal information. This data is sent to and held by Google LLC in the United States, which is a separate overseas disclosure from the email list above. We do not link analytics data to your email address, and we do not use it to identify you personally. You can opt out of Google Analytics on every site by installing Google’s browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Google handles the data it collects under its own privacy policy.
Children
Pollywatch is a general accountability site and is not directed at children under 15. We do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Contact
Questions about your details, or a request to access or delete them, can go to privacy@pollywatch.com.au. For how we handle the public spending data itself, see the methodology page.