How PolicyPing sources and verifies planning data
PolicyPing publishes this content and maintains it using the sourcing, checking, and correction process described on this page.
A. Who produces this content
Content on this site is published and maintained by PolicyPing, using the sourcing and verification process described below. PolicyPing checks this content on the cadence stated here and corrects it when errors are found.
B. Data sources
PolicyPing content is built from the following source types:
- Victorian Planning Provisions
- council planning schemes and schedules
- gazetted amendments
- council open-data permit/application registers, where used
- ABS Building Approvals data, where used for council selection
C. Check and refresh cadence
PolicyPing checks every monitored Victorian council planning scheme once a day, every day. Amendment status is synced from the Planning Victoria amendment tracker, then each scheme document is checked for changes to its provision text.
Diff detection compares the parsed content of the newly checked scheme document against the last version PolicyPing recorded for that council. PolicyPing determines whether meaningful content has changed before generating any detailed comparison.
A new page or content update is generated only when a real content change is detected — an unchanged re-check does not regenerate anything.
Manual review occurs when a correction is reported (see Corrections below) or when an internal data-quality check flags a parsing issue.
D. Direct extraction vs Analysis
PolicyPing content is one of two kinds. Direct extraction is structured factual content pulled directly from source material — clause text, amendment references, gazettal dates, and similar fields taken from the scheme document or the amendment tracker as published.
Analysis is synthesis or interpretation derived from those structured source fields — for example, a plain-English summary of what changed between two versions of a provision. Anywhere PolicyPing shows this kind of content, it is labelled "Analysis," so the distinction from direct extraction is clear.
E. What this content is — and isn't
This content describes what a planning scheme generally states, as last checked by PolicyPing. It is not a site-specific assessment. It is not planning, legal, or other regulated professional advice. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed practitioner about a particular property or project.
ReefReport is the route for a property-specific check.
F. Corrections
If you believe something on this site is inaccurate, report it via the Contact page or by emailing the address below. Include the page URL and, where possible, the clause or provision affected.
Reported errors are checked against the source document. Where a report is accurate, the material error is corrected in place, the page's visible date is updated, and a visible correction note is shown on the page for a period of time. Minor formatting or typo fixes are handled with a simple date update.
G. Contact
Content-accuracy queries and correction requests can be sent to admin@policyping.com.au, or via the Contact page. This address is monitored for content and correction matters, not only general support.