Better Yew Foundation / The Saltwater Circle
Gabriella Tonazzi-Field, trading as Better Yew Foundation — ABN 23 432 338 071
Last updated: 24 August 2026
1. About this policy
This policy explains how I collect, use, store and disclose your personal information, and how you can access it, correct it or complain about how it has been handled.
I handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
I am a sole trader. In this policy, “I”, “me” and “my” mean Gabriella Tonazzi-Field trading as the Better Yew Foundation, which also operates The Saltwater Circle. “You” means anyone who contacts me, applies for or attends a programme, books a session, subscribes to my mailing list, or uses this website.
2. What information I collect
Everyone who contacts me
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number, if you give it
- Anything you choose to write in a message or enquiry field
People who apply for or attend The Saltwater Circle
- The above, plus your previous surf experience
- Emergency contact name and phone number
- Health and medical information you provide on the booking form, including relevant medical conditions, medications, injuries and swimming ability
- Payment information, which is processed by Stripe — I do not see or store your full card number
- Photographs and video taken during sessions, where you have consented
Schools
- The name, role, email address and phone number of the staff member who enquires or books.
- School name and year group.
- Any context the school shares with me during the pre-session planning call.
I do not knowingly collect personal information directly from students. Where I deliver a workshop, the school remains responsible for its students’ information.
Website visitors
- Your IP address and basic technical information, recorded in standard server logs by my hosting provider, Hostinger
- Information you enter into any form on the site
This website does not use Google Analytics, advertising pixels, or third-party tracking cookies. It sets only the cookies WordPress needs to function, plus those used by the spam protection on my forms.
The site loads fonts from Google Fonts, which means your IP address is visible to Google when a page loads.
3. Sensitive and health information
Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act and gets extra protection.
I collect health information only where you provide it on the booking or medical form, and only because I need it to run water-based sessions safely and to respond appropriately in an emergency. I collect it with your consent, and you can decline — but I may not be able to offer you a place in a water session if I cannot assess whether it is safe for you.
I do not use health information for marketing. I do not disclose it to anyone except:
- a surf coach or support person present at your session, where they need to know in order to keep you safe
- emergency services or a medical professional, if you need urgent care
- your nominated emergency contact
- where I am required or authorised by law
Please note: what you write in the free-text fields on my application form is up to you. Some people choose to share personal circumstances there. Please only share what you are comfortable with me holding.
4. Why I collect it, and how I use it
- To answer your enquiry
- To assess applications and allocate places, including subsidised places
- To run programmes and workshops safely
- To take payment and issue receipts
- To contact you about a programme you have applied for or joined
- To send you programme dates and updates, if you have subscribed
- To meet insurance, safety and legal obligations
I will not use your information for a purpose you would not reasonably expect, unless you have consented or the law requires it.
Marketing. I only send program updates to people who have asked for them. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also just reply and ask me to stop.
5. Who I share it with
I do not sell personal information, and I do not trade it.
I share information with:
| Who | Why |
|---|---|
| Hostinger | Website and database hosting |
| Google (Gmail / Workspace) | My email account, where enquiries arrive |
| Stripe | Processing programme payments |
| Surf coaches or support staff | Safety information for the session they are working on |
| Emergency services, medical professionals, your emergency contact | If you need urgent care |
| Insurers or lawyers | Only if a claim or legal obligation arises |
Overseas disclosure
My website is hosted by Hostinger, and my email runs on Google. Both may store or process data on servers outside Australia, including in India and Singapore. By providing your information you acknowledge it may be held overseas. I take reasonable steps to use providers with appropriate security practices, but overseas providers may not be subject to Australian privacy law.
6. How I keep it safe
- Form entries and bookings are stored in a password-protected WordPress database
- Accounts use strong, unique passwords
- Paper medical and consent forms are kept secured and not left unattended
- Access is limited to me, and to anyone helping deliver a session who needs safety information
No method of storage or transmission is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to cause you serious harm, I will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
7. How long I keep it
- Enquiries that don’t lead to a booking: 12 months
- Participant records, including medical forms: 7 years after the last session, for insurance and liability reasons
- Mailing list: until you unsubscribe
- Financial records: 5 years, as required by the ATO
When information is no longer needed and I am not required to keep it, I destroy it or de-identify it.
8. Photographs and video
I sometimes photograph or film sessions, and use those images on this website, in program materials and on social media.
- I ask for your consent before doing this, and consent is optional — you can attend without being photographed
- You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing me, and I will remove images from anything I control going forward
- Images already published or shared by others may not be fully retrievable
- For school workshops, photography is arranged through the school under the school’s own consent process, not mine
9. Children and young people
I deliver workshops to students in Years 7–12. In that setting:
- The school is my client, not the student
- The school holds and manages student information under its own privacy obligations
- For NSW public schools, that includes the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW)
- Any student information a school shares with me is used only to deliver the session and is not retained afterwards unless the school asks me to
If you are under 18 and want to contact me directly, please talk to a parent, carer or teacher first.
I hold a current Working With Children Check.
10. Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask me what personal information I hold about you, ask for a copy, and ask me to correct anything that is wrong.
Email betteryewfoundation@gmail.com. I will respond within 30 days. There is no fee to make a request. If I refuse access or correction, I will tell you why in writing and explain how to complain.
11. Complaints
If you think I have mishandled your personal information, please tell me first — email betteryewfoundation@gmail.com with “Privacy complaint” in the subject line. I will acknowledge within 5 business days and respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with my response, you can complain to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Web: oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints
Phone: 1300 363 992
If your complaint relates to a NSW public school’s handling of information, the NSW Information and Privacy Commission (ipc.nsw.gov.au, 1800 472 679) may be the right body.
12. Changes
I may update this policy. The current version is always at betteryewfoundation.com/privacy-policy, with the date it was last updated at the top.
13. Contact
Gabriella Tonazzi-Field
Better Yew Foundation / The Saltwater Circle
betteryewfoundation@gmail.com
ABN 23 432 338 071