SkillsDock — Cookie Policy
Effective date: 16 July 2026
Entity: Skills Dock Pty Ltd, ABN 83 686 564 778, ACN 686 564 778 ("SkillsDock", "we", "us", "our"). Address for notices: our nominated notice address (available on request where required); notices to us may be given by email. Governing law: South Australia, Australia.
About this document. This is the platform-wide Cookie Policy for SkillsDock. It explains the cookies and similar technologies we use across our public website and every SkillsDock product and subdomain, what each one does, who sets it, how long it lasts, and how you can control it. It is a companion to our Privacy Policy and our Terms & Conditions and should be read alongside them; where this policy refers to how we handle personal information more generally, the Privacy Policy governs. This policy explains our practices under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), including APP 3 (collection), APP 5 (notification), APP 6 (use and disclosure) and APP 8 (cross-border disclosure). Nothing in this policy limits any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law or other laws that cannot be excluded.
1. About this Cookie Policy and its scope
1.1 This Cookie Policy applies to the SkillsDock platform as a whole, including its public website and dashboards (such as):
- skillsdock.com.au / skillsdock.com — the public landing and marketing website;
- app.skillsdock.com.au — the homeowner and Business (seeker) dashboard;
- subbie.skillsdock.com.au and builder.skillsdock.com.au — the provider dashboards;
- supplier.skillsdock.com.au — the supplier dashboard;
- rto.skillsdock.com.au — the RTO dashboard; and
- admin.skillsdock.com.au — the administrator dashboard.
1.2 We publish one Cookie Policy for the whole platform rather than a separate policy per product. Not every cookie listed below is set on every page or in every product — what loads depends on which site you visit, whether you are signed in, the features you use, and (for non-essential cookies) the choices you make in our cookie banner.
1.3 This policy describes the technologies in use at the effective date shown above. Where a duration is described as "up to", "approximately" or "typically", the precise value is set by the technology or the third party concerned and may vary; we describe it conservatively rather than overstate it.
1.4 If you have any question about this policy, contact us using the details in clause 11.
2. What cookies and similar technologies are
2.1 Cookies are small text files that a website asks your browser to store. On a later visit the browser sends the cookie back, which lets the site recognise your session, remember your preferences, keep you signed in, and understand how the site is used. A first-party cookie is set by the SkillsDock site you are visiting; a third-party cookie is set by another organisation whose service is loaded on the page (for example, our payment processor or an analytics provider).
2.2 We also use technologies that behave like cookies:
- localStorage and sessionStorage — browser storage that lets the app keep small pieces of information on your device.
sessionStorageis cleared when you close the tab;localStoragepersists until cleared. We use these for operational purposes such as caching configuration. - Pixels and SDKs — small pieces of code (sometimes called web beacons or tags) that a third party loads to measure an action, such as a conversion, or to enable a feature. Where we use these for analytics or marketing, they load only after you consent to the relevant category.
2.3 In this policy we use "cookies" as shorthand for cookies and these similar technologies, unless we say otherwise.
3. The categories of cookies we use
3.1 We group cookies into three categories:
- Strictly necessary (Essential). Required to run the platform and deliver features you ask for — signing you in, keeping your session secure, processing payments and remembering your cookie choices. These are set without consent because the service cannot function without them, and they cannot be switched off through our banner.
- Analytics. Help us understand how the platform is used so we can improve it — for example, which pages are visited and where users encounter difficulty. These load only after you accept the Analytics category.
- Marketing. Used to measure the effectiveness of advertising and to support promotion of SkillsDock. These load only after you accept the Marketing category.
3.2 Analytics and Marketing cookies are off by default. They are not placed on your device until you give consent for that category through our banner (clause 6).
3.3 Some operational technologies do not set cookies at all. For example, our error and performance monitoring (Sentry) and our web-vitals reporting operate without setting cookies on your device.
4. Cookie table
The table below lists the cookies and similar technologies we use, grouped by category. Durations are approximate where the technology or third party controls them.
Strictly necessary (Essential) — set without consent
| Name(s) | Category | Set by (first-party / third party + country) | Purpose | Duration | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
access_token |
Essential | First-party | Session authentication; keeps you signed in. HttpOnly in production. |
~1 hour | No (strictly necessary) |
refresh_token |
Essential | First-party | Silent re-authentication so your session can be renewed. HttpOnly in production. |
7 days | No (strictly necessary) |
user_data |
Essential | First-party | Caches limited profile details (email, user type, name) for the signed-in experience. | 7 days | No (strictly necessary) |
has_session |
Essential | First-party (readable by the app, not HttpOnly) |
Indicates a session exists so the app can render the correct signed-in state. | 7 days | No (strictly necessary) |
sd_hire_intent |
Essential | First-party | Remembers a pre-signup hire enquiry (trade, suburb, State) so it carries through signup. | 1 day | No (strictly necessary) |
skillsdock_cookie_consent |
Essential | First-party | Stores your cookie choices {essential, analytical, marketing} so we honour them. |
365 days | No (strictly necessary) |
skillsdock_geo_override |
Essential | First-party | Remembers your manual choice of regional domain; set only if you opt out of geo-redirect. | 30 days | No (strictly necessary) |
sd:ga-settings |
Essential | First-party (sessionStorage) |
Short-lived cache of the analytics configuration values only; it does not itself track usage and does not cause any analytics to load before you consent. | Session only | No (strictly necessary) |
__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid |
Essential (payment) | Third party — Stripe (United States) | Secure payment processing and fraud prevention at checkout. | ~1 year / session | No (necessary for payments) |
g_state, g_csrf_token |
Essential (login) | Third party — Google (United States) | Google sign-in / One Tap security and CSRF protection. | Session / short-lived | No (necessary for that login method) |
Analytics — load only after you accept the Analytics category
| Name(s) | Category | Set by (first-party / third party + country) | Purpose | Duration | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_*, _gid |
Analytics | Third party — Google Analytics 4 (United States) | Usage and behaviour analytics to understand and improve the platform. | _ga up to 2 years; _gid ~24 hours |
Yes |
_clck, _clsk, CLID |
Analytics | Third party — Microsoft Clarity (United States) | Session replay and heatmaps to improve user experience. | Up to ~1 year | Yes |
Marketing — load only after you accept the Marketing category
| Name(s) | Category | Set by (first-party / third party + country) | Purpose | Duration | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_fbp, fr |
Marketing | Third party — Meta / Facebook Pixel (United States) | Conversion measurement and advertising. | _fbp ~90 days; fr variable |
Yes |
5. Third-party cookies and overseas disclosure (APP 8)
5.1 Several of the technologies above are provided by third parties that are based in, or process data in, the United States and other overseas locations, whose data-handling standards may differ from the APPs. These third parties — Google, Microsoft, Meta and Stripe — set their own cookies and handle the resulting data under their own privacy and cookie policies, which we do not control.
5.2 What this means for your choices. Where you accept the Analytics or Marketing category, you consent to the resulting disclosure of information to these overseas recipients for the purposes described in the table. The strictly necessary third-party cookies (Stripe for payments; Google for the sign-in method you choose to use) are essential to deliver a feature you have asked for and operate without a separate consent step. This overseas-disclosure detail sits alongside the broader cross-border disclosure information in our Privacy Policy, which you should read for the full picture (including the full list of our service providers and their locations).
5.3 Controlling third-party cookies directly. You can also manage or opt out of these technologies at the source. The third parties provide their own controls and opt-out tools, generally including:
- Google — Google Analytics opt-out and Google Ads settings (available through Google's privacy and ads-settings pages);
- Microsoft — Microsoft's privacy controls for Clarity and related products;
- Meta — Facebook/Meta ad preferences and off-Facebook activity controls;
- Industry opt-out — the Digital Advertising Alliance of Australia and the "Your Online Choices" (AU) industry opt-out pages.
These controls are operated by the third parties and the industry bodies, not by us, and their availability and effect are determined by them.
6. How we obtain and store your consent
6.1 The banner. On your first visit we show a cookie banner. You can:
- Accept all — allow Essential, Analytics and Marketing cookies;
- Reject non-essential — allow only Essential cookies; or
- Manage preferences — turn the Analytics and Marketing categories on or off individually. Essential is always on and cannot be switched off, because the service cannot run without it.
6.2 Nothing non-essential loads until you consent. Analytics and Marketing cookies are not loaded until you give consent for that category. If you take no action on the banner, non-essential (Analytics and Marketing) cookies are not loaded — we do not treat silence or continued browsing as consent. Strictly necessary cookies are set without consent because they are essential to provide the platform.
6.3 Where your choice is stored. We record your choice in the first-party skillsdock_cookie_consent cookie for 365 days, so we can apply it on future visits.
6.4 Honest caveats you should know. Please be aware of the following, because we will not overstate what changing your choices does:
- Changes take effect from the next page load. Scripts that already loaded earlier in your current browsing session cannot be unloaded mid-session — withdrawing consent stops further loading rather than reaching back to remove what a script already did in that session.
- Clearing cookies in your browser also clears
skillsdock_cookie_consent, which resets your choices — you will see the banner again and will need to set your preferences afresh.
7. How to manage, change or withdraw your choices
7.1 Our preference centre. You can change your choices at any time using Manage preferences in our cookie banner, subject to the caveats in clause 6.4 (changes apply from the next page load).
7.2 Your browser settings. You can also control cookies through your browser. Most browsers let you see what cookies are stored, delete them, and block some or all cookies — usually under the browser's "Privacy", "Security" or "Cookies and site data" settings, and the browser maker's help pages explain how. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may stop parts of the platform working — for example, you may be unable to stay signed in or to complete checkout.
7.3 Third-party opt-outs. You can use the source-level and industry opt-out controls described in clause 5.3 to manage analytics and advertising technologies directly with the third parties concerned.
7.4 Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. We do not currently respond to automated Do Not Track (DNT) or Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signals. To control non-essential cookies, please use our Manage preferences centre (clause 7.1) or your browser controls (clause 7.2) instead.
8. Cookies and children
8.1 The SkillsDock platform is intended for businesses, trades and adults, and is not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly use cookies to build profiles of, or to target advertising at, children.
8.2 As explained in our Privacy Policy, the trades and VET context means some workers (such as apprentices) and some learners enrolled by an RTO may be under 18. The Analytics and Marketing cookies described in this policy are general website measurement and advertising technologies; they are not designed to identify or profile individuals as children. If you believe a young person has interacted with our cookies in a way that concerns you, please contact us using the details in clause 11.
9. Changes to this policy
9.1 We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time — for example, if we add, change or remove a technology, or to keep it accurate. When we do, we will publish the updated policy with a new effective date.
9.2 If the cookies we use change in a way that requires your consent (for example, a new analytics or marketing technology in those categories), it will load only after you consent to the relevant category, and your existing choices continue to apply until you change them. Continued use of the platform after the effective date means the updated policy applies to your future use.
10. How this relates to our Privacy Policy and Terms
10.1 This Cookie Policy is a companion to our Privacy Policy and our Terms & Conditions. The Privacy Policy is the primary document for how we handle personal information generally — including the full list of our service providers, our overseas-disclosure practices (APP 8), retention, security, and your access and correction rights. Where this policy and the Privacy Policy address the same matter, read them together; the Privacy Policy governs the broader handling of personal information, and this policy adds the cookie-specific detail.
10.2 Nothing in this policy overrides any right you have under a law that cannot be excluded, including the Australian Consumer Law.
11. Contact us and our Privacy Officer
For any question, request or complaint about cookies or your personal information, contact:
Privacy Officer, Skills Dock Pty Ltd Email (privacy, data-protection, data-breach and APP access/correction requests): [email protected] Email (general support, billing and account enquiries): [email protected] Address for notices: our nominated notice address (available on request where required); notices to us may be given by email
All notices to us may be given by email to the relevant address above.